Ever wondered whether you can turn your acoustic guitar or bass into a quasi-violin? Or perhaps you’ve been inspired by Jimmy Page, Eddie Phillips, Jonny Greenwood or Lee Ranaldo to explore new soundscapes by turning your guitar into a bowed instrument?
Well, the Pickaso Guitar Bow, (as the name suggests), promises to deliver just that – and at first glance, it seems like a nifty accessory for those guitarists who want to venture beyond using their fingers or a pick.
For Pickaso inventor and CEO Jonathan Shenhav, it all boils down to Jimmy Page. “One day, I saw Jimmy Page using a violin bow on his guitar, and it clicked,” he writes on the brand’s official website.
“What if I could do this on an acoustic guitar? That moment felt like my whole path was written. I grabbed a violin bow and tried it. It sounded beautiful – but it wasn’t perfect. I kept hitting the guitar, and it felt limited. That’s when I thought, I’m going to invent a bow specifically for acoustic guitars!”
He continues, “I had many ideas, but the one that truly captivated me and was practical enough to pursue was a micro double-sided bow. I didn’t know how to make a bow, so I contacted a local bow maker and shared my idea. Two weeks later, I held my first prototype in my hands. I played it, and I couldn’t believe it – it sounded incredible. I had created something that had never existed before. It was my baby.”
The Pickaso is made from plastic and chrome-coated aluminum and uses synthetic hair on both sides, made by Herco, a Dunlop subsidiary. Its hand-grip section also has a built-in pick, which makes for an easy transition between the violin-like approach, and picking.
According to the company, the mini bow works easily on non-coated steel strings – provided that you rosin it up first. Then, insert the Pickaso between the strings, and begin bowing.
And while it works best on acoustic guitars and basses, that doesn’t mean guitarists haven’t tried using it on electric variants. Octavio Campo, the player in the video above, got rid of his bridge pickup to make way for the Pickaso – props for commitment.
Speaking of off-kilter guitar accessories, last year, AXExel introduced the FreeStyle – an expanded capo of sorts that gives players access to alternate tunings without needing to retune their guitar.
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