The Sacred Steel; The Campbell Brothers played at the Lincoln Center a few days ago, so of course I went-
My photo isn't that good, but Chuck Campbell has a "goose neck" thing on his guitar.
He showed it to me after the show, that the device is
multi-string ebow made in Germany.
I think it's called "Vibesware" Guitar Resonator.
It suppose to bow multiple strings( I don't know that means 2 or 3). I asked Chuck's cousin and hip steel player Jason Whitehead who just played with the Campbell's in Boston, but he forgot to confirm this with Chuck--whatever~
buddy emmons experimented with a similar device that he developed way back on the rainbow album. theoretically it would sustain 3 strings for a string section type of effect. there isn't much new innovation that buddy didn't think of over 30 years ago.
And like anything else, all the good stuff been discontinued-
I still don't know why they discontinued chrome casing ebow for double strings-
We used to be able to hold that and single ebow to cover 3 strings
Without developing arthritis in fingers!
Good to be young- but that's about it!
I use a two-string EBow designed for steel. It's fun, in a musical saw kind of way. It covers 5 strings, sitting on the outer two. The center string of the 5 is not activated. On E9th, most people would set it on the 3rd and 7th strings, activating the 4th and 6th strings.
On my 8-string D6th, I activate strings 2 and 4 (D and A) most of the time. The timbre changes depending on where you place the EBow in relation to the pickup. I move it while I'm playing.
You can hear Hank DeVito using one of these on Rosanne Cash's hit song, Seven Year Ache.
Anyone knows more about that stuff?
