Well, I seem to remember Reeves Gabrels came up with quite the solution for exciting his strings in Tin Machine.I've been wanting something in this category that works with bass guitar (unlike the ebow, which only semi-works)
http://www.bowiedownunder.com/tinmachin ... ydney.htmlWhile recording Tin Machine II in Sydney, Tin Machine guitarist Reeves Gabrels infamously acquired a new accouterment for his sonic arsenal.
After asking his guitar tech for a variable speed drill he could use to manipulate his guitar strings, the pair ended up at a local sex shop.
"My tech guy didn’t have a drill in his tech bench, but he said, ‘Well there’s a sex shop down the street and they’ll have vibrators with motors you can change the speed on’. I didn’t ask him how he knew there was a sex shop at the end of the street, but he and I just walked down there. It was around closing time in the evening and we got in as they were locking the door. I said to them, ‘I won’t be long – I just need two variable speed vibrators!’.
I would have thought that the gentleman running the shop would have seen it all, but I was putting the vibrators up to my ear to listen to the motor speed."
With practice, Gabrels was able to manipulate his vibrator to vibrate his guitar strings like a bow on a cello.
The infamous practice made it to Tin Machine’s live performances, as well as wilful and disconcerting TV appearances such as the BBC’s staid chat show Wogan.
While Tin Machine were ultimately dissolved by the end of 1992, Gabrels sounds wistful as he thinks back to his moment in a New South Wales sex shop 30 years ago:
"I guess, in my mind, Sydney will always be synonymous with my vibrator…"
Statistics: Posted by WatchTheGuitar — Mon May 13, 2024 11:01 pm