Pirhanha Guitar Bow Review

["RICK WALKER" <looppool@cruzio.com>]

Well,  the Pirhanha bow invention designed specifically for guitars that 
was 
mentioned in the
"Re: bows for guitars"   thread came in the mail    today and I was able 
to 
put it through it's
paces on a 12 string acoustic steel string guitar.

Because of it's size I could not get long bowing techniques (like dragging 
a 
cello bow across
the E string of an electric guitar) but I was able to get some really 
beautiful
rhythmic things out of it.   Additionally,  it did beautiful things to the 
harmonics of the guitar
depending on where I bowed it, physically.

I was also delighted by some of the very ethereal sounds I was able to 
make 
by bowing very, very lightly.
I got some very magical sounds out of some very simple chordal 
patterns.........really ethereal sounds
that I"ve never gotten out of this particular guitar ( a 12 string 
Hummingbird copy that sounds rather nice).

I have yet to try it on electric.   It didn't seem to have enough muster 
to 
use on bass.  I tried it on
my Turner acoustic electric fretless without much good result and my 
Fender 
P-J custom bass, again,
without much good effect.

Tomorrow when I have some time,  I"ll put it through it's paces on 
mandolin, 
bowed psaltery, autoharp,
oud, saz and even hammer dulcimer.   I imagine it will sound great.

I also noticed that it seems really durable, unlike most horse hair bows 
which get trashed over time
when bowing a guitar.

All in all,  it sounds completely different than I anticipated but I was 
so 
pleased with what I discovered it can
do that I"m very, very happy to have spent $30 USD on it.

Warning,  it really takes some coordination to get something musical out 
of 
it, but after half an hour I was
able to do all kinds of things,  espeicially in the rhythmic 
world..........and it really sounded 'bowed'.

Now, if they would just make a larger one for bass guitar.