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It's possible to get some crazy sounds using an EBow on the guitar. I know that it works by creating an electromagnetic field to move the strings. Has anybody tried to build one? Are any schematics available?

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The ebow doesn't just use an electromagnet, it also senses the pitch of the string using a small pickup, and amplifies the pitch using the electromagnet causing the sustain. If it didn't use a pickup, the pitch it would have to use an arbitrary frequency, which would cause the string's vibrations to cancel or switch to odd harmonics. – Anonymous Mar 5 '11 at 16:58
You might also get answers at the Electronics SE site. – neilfein Mar 5 '11 at 18:52

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up vote 4 down vote

Take a look at this page. It provides some decent background technical information.

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Source

It sounds like a fairly interesting DIY project, considering as real ones go for over £70-80!

Hope this helps.

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of course calling the contraption an e-bow (and especially trying to sell it) would cause you serious legal trouble. It's a trademarked name, and there might be patents involved as well. – Anonymous Mar 7 '11 at 7:00

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