Soundstone vs EBow: A/B test. Which is the better guitar resonator?

Soundstone vs EBow: A/B test. Which is the better guitar resonator?
You can pick up a Soundstone for around $35 at soundstone.co
You can find Ebows on Amazon for around $99 at amzn.to/2xriyUD
I recently learned about two or three resonators I'd never heard of before, and I'm keen to hear how they compare to my beloved Ebow.
The Soundstone is the first one I've gotten my hands on, and this video describes my experience using the device and includes a demonstration of the Soundstone and the Ebow played against a looped backing track.

[@uncleted3961]

Wouldn’t apples to apples be a fair comparison??

[@nateshaw3911]

Really helpful demo, thank you!

[@ronanconroy5282]

thanks!

[@waynesaunders1151]

Never owned a sustainer so I had a sound stone bought for me....only literally used it yesterday and I quite like it.... especially if you really let the A string resonate through...really dirty gritty sound I find.....also for kinda Tool and Rishloo band sounds I think it is pretty good for it...ya know just a constant hum and the odd slide thrown in.......I'll keep practicing with it for sure...maybe it's a kind of nice little introduction into a sustainer?......all in all I'm happy with the 30 minutes I've used it so far. Great video very unbiased. Well done mate ✌️🤘👍

[@ronanconroy5282]

glad the video was useful. Hope you're enjoying the soundstone

[@derrickdieso9508]

Thanks for this! bought the soundstone first as it was cheaper. After learning the technique, I realized that I can track for recording but it's not consistent enough for live performance. Ebow in the mail!

[@surrealchemist]

I think I might have more use for this for looping together things and playing with the effects rather than the notes. I watched these vids but something compelled me to buy one a year later when it popped up again on instagram.

[@ronanconroy5282]

it definitely has a unique and cool tonal quality, it's kinda more distorted and grittier than the ebow

[@adrianwandering2675]

Thank you - really helpful. E-bow it is then!

[@ronanconroy5282]

Cool, glad the video was helpful!

[@sheepkillindog]

Soundstone seems a bit unpredictable which I like. I liked my ebow years ago but ordered a soundstone recently for ugly shoegaze tones. I think it’ll be a perfect fit. Thanks for making an honest demo!!

[@ronanconroy5282]

wow, interesting. "Ugly shoegaze tones." I think I'm definitely going to see how it sounds when I finally get back to the studio to record a next album. I'm always looking for some fresh sounds and touches and texture, and maybe I need to think of the Soundstone differently to the eBow and compare it less.

[@artgonewrong]

My Ebow was chewed by my dog when he was a puppy...and it still works! I just think the magnet isn’t as strong as the Ebow. It was $22 on sale.....and it sounds like it.

[@ronanconroy5282]

Wow, that's a pretty robust piece of gear! Ebow-wow :D

[@guitarsean]

I tried the Sound Stone, too. Unless I've totally missed something, it also lacks the two modes the Ebow has. It seems to only do the high harmonic, and doesn't have the 'normal' mode the Ebow has. Cutting out features is one way to make things cheaper.

[@ronanconroy5282]

yeh, it's just got an on-off switch. I found the Joyo Infinite Sustainer was worth looking at because it had two modes like the Ebow

[@yourlocalmarketingnerd]

I say they make the casing a little more durable, make it bigger, and sell it for around $50. I have it now, and it is no EBow, but it will do the job for tracking. If you are playing live, however, go with the EBow.

[@daveshepard9154]

I've always wanted an E Bow, because, you know...Fripp. But I bought the Soundstone (yes, the battery was a bugger to get in, but now that is known, so no troubles) and am getting used to it. It is pretty interesting.

[@ronanconroy5282]

I had to go and look up Fripp and Ebow, but apparently I'm informed he never used an ebow. This article was interesting too - originalfuzz.com/blogs/magazine/84621252-how-robert-fripp-recorded-the-guitar-line-on-david-bowies-heroes

[@daveshepard9154]

@@ronanconroy5282 Thanks again. That article just sent me on another goose chase about tone, sound, Bowie, Fripp, Eno...hahahah!

[@harveydean7952]

Does anyone know of any similar products that can sustain more than just a single string? I own an Ebow but I've always wanted a unit that could potentially incorporate chordal work.

[@ronanconroy5282]

I think I saw someone on KZbin with two ebows side by side, but I'm not aware of any 'official' multi-string device like that. It'd be a cool idea, a six-string resonator. Maybe a violin bow across all strings is the closest you can get...

[@antlangridge9514]

Electro harmonix freeze?

[@TheCleaner6969]

You can get the Fernandez Sustainer but you need to do away with the neck pup which sucks imo.

[@Brokeninc]

Yep that is my experience as well with the Sound Stone.... Looks like I feel for a cheep gimmick...

[@7171jay]

It seems like you were struggling to get the sounds you wanted out of the Sound Stone while the Ebow actually made you sound like you were more skilled at playing. The price on the Sound Stone is certainly attractive but it doesn't seem like it's worth the difficulty.

[@ronanconroy5282]

I agree - the SoundStone just felt like a lot more work, or precision required. It wasn't reliably easily getting sweet tone like the eBow. I did use the Joyo Infinite Sustainer this week (because I couldn't find my eBow) and while it was a touch less responsive and easy than the eBow, it actually worked pretty well.

[@7171jay]

@@ronanconroy5282 I think people often miss getting the subtle details between things when comparing gear. You have done a fantastic job getting this across with your video.

[@rcro2330]

Sound Stone sucks. You get what you pay for. The casing is really shitty plastic, feels like it's going to break just putting the battery in. It's designed so poorly that the battery will sit in the way of the lid and it won't close, or will pop back open. Seriously a shitty piece of equipment. It also will NOT react like an ebow. You generally need to get it so close to the string that when it finally reverberates the string the string will hit the sound stone. Save your money and buy an ebow. I've used several different kinds of sustainers over the years and unfortunately ebow is the best option.

[@ronanconroy5282]

I do like the Ebow best. The Joyo Sustainer is pretty cool too.

[@loaflan1045]

I just got my sound stone yesterday and after 30-40mins of playing I have the same conclusion. Will play with it for at least 4 hours more and see if I can get thale hang of it. Nice video!

[@ronanconroy5282]

Thanks for checking the video. It's a cool thing but it does feel like it makes you work a lot more than the Ebow. Check out the Joyo if you can, I liked that one better than the Soundstone or the TC Electronic Aeon.

[@leemoran2404]

Soundstone is cheap, the latch won’t close, the Plastic will break. Even the instructions included indicate how hard this is. It actually says that when it breaks to contact them. They pretty much know probably half the people will be contacting them about it. Terribly designed. Don’t buy

[@ronanconroy5282]

Yeh the battery latch was something a lot of people mentioned for sure.

[@leemoran2404]

@@ronanconroy5282 I contacted them and got my money back, just FYI

[@geckovision]

I got the soundstone. It's kinda lame.

[@ronanconroy5282]

Yeh it was a touch disappointing compared to some other sustainers.