shane use a bow on his elec. bass?
 

I saw d r at Bonnaroo 2004 and i saw shane using a violin/cello/bass bow on his electric bass not an upright. Does anyone know how he did this? I've looked at simple bass forums and people seem to say its not possible due to hieght of the strings etc. Can anyone fill me in?

it is possible to do on the low and high string. and it works best if you have flat wound strings like an upright bass as opposed to the standard round wound strings. you can't play the A and D string, because the strings are all level.

Yeah, I've seen him do it for volcano quite a bit, I've seen him hit the A and D with it too, I suppose it's just a case of imagination and persistence isn't it... most bassists won't do anything unless they've seen flea do it first.

If I saw Flea do something it'd make me want to not do it.

I use an e-bow on the bass from time to time, interesting sound.

his bass must be slightly modified or he is doing certian things like holding down the low E and the D string if he is playing the A, but he is still muting it. the only time i've seen him play the A or D string was when he was playing more then one string at once.

#ian#
i use to use an ebow too back when i played bass in a progressive metal band. but mine was stolen when we were playing a gig :( i've been trying to find the right guitar, an ibanez fixed bridge rg with a wizard II neck, for a decent price used and then i'm going to make it fretless and put a sustainer pickup in. i'm just having trouble finding the guitar i want, because they aren't popular, because no one wants a nice ibanez rg with a fixed bridge. but then i gotta do things like cutom nut work and bridge work and all that good stuff.

So Shane is ripping off Jón Þór Birgisson's guitar technique now, is he?

Jón Þór Birgisson's
 

I'm not familiar with Jón Þór Birgisson's is he worth a listen?

^ Yes, he's awesome. He's the lead singer/bowed guitarist for the band Sigur Rós.

^^ And Sigur Rós only happens to be one of the greatest bands––ever!
You should check them out.

Jónsi didn't invent the idea of playing guitar with a bow, Jimmy Page was doing it in the seventies with Led Zeppelin, and he got the idea from his uncle, who in turn got the idea from a group of students in an art college in the states who started doing it in the sixties. As big a Sigur Rós fan as I am, it's only fair to say that Jónsi's guitar playing is a technique that people have been working on since a few months after Leo Fender started making his money with his new invention.

i'd have to say you are correct, but these are only the ones we know about.

IMO as long as there has been the guitar, mainly electric, people have experimented with bows and stringed instruments such as bass and gutiar.

you are so damn smart sean!!! you know lots about everything!