This article is from the Smashing Pumpkins FAQ, by Mike Hamilton michaelh@ualberta.ca with numerous contributions by others.
An EBow (electronic/electromagnetic bow) is a small, hand-held magnetic
device that causes guitar strings to vibrate continuously, resulting in a
long, sustained tone. These are used most notably on Sinfony, Soma, &
Drown. James uses EBows a lot live, on songs like Shame, & Porcelina.
There's even a web site for EBows at http://www.ebow.com.
 
Continue to: