TC Electronic Challenges the EBow with Its New Aeon Sustainer

If you’re a guitarist (or an adventurous bass player) and you’ve ever wanted to create swelling, endlessly sustaining notes à la U2, Sigur Rós, or any number of sustain-loving artists, chances are you’ve reached for an EBow.

The handheld, black plastic device will cause the string its hovered just above to vibrate continuously. Meant to mimic the sound of an actual bow, the EBow has brought its own unique character to countless recordings and live performances.

But ever since Heet Sound Products first released the device in 1976, there has never been a real challenger to its place in a player’s arsenal. In many guitar forums, you can find schematics for building your own similar device—along with complaints about the EBow’s playability and price—but questions for true alternatives have, until now, remained unanswered.

Yesterday, TC Electronic entered the ring with its new Aeon Infinite Sustainer. In the video announcing its release, the Aeon appears to function in the exact same manner as the EBow, but with a few key differences.

Aeon String Sustainer - Official Product Video

For starters, TC Electronic promises that the Aeon’s transducers create a signal powerful enough that the device doesn’t need to be held directly above a string to create the effect. As opposed to black plastic, the Aeon is housed in a brushed aluminum body. And, at $70 USD, it’s a good bit cheaper than a brand-new EBow.

Whether or not it will be come as beloved as the EBow remains to be seen. But you can preorder your Aeon today, for an expected ship date of April 30, on Reverb now.

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