Jack’s Guitarcheology “COWHELL” Electric Cowbell – Drum Kit Mount (2020, Experimental Instrument)

I have recently gotten into making experiential instruments for harsh noise / industrial / ambient / etc. music, and of course the major hit is the COWHELL electric Cowbell. I am currently expanding the COWHELL line, and this is the COWHELL kit-mount model. It is the exact same as the COWHELL I, but it has the “dingler” pendulum removed and is designed to be mounted on a drum kit, or otherwise hit with a drumstick.

It has a 1/4″ input and a simple volume control. It works great as a clean amplified cowbell tone, but can get very interesting very fast when run through a pedal chain. Sounds great with distortion, delay, reverb, etc. The volume allows you to control the feedback. When struck with the volume all the way up, it has a long overtone, but if you dial the volume back, you can get a more traditional Lowrider/Christopher Walken Cowbell tone.

Another use I have found for it is it works as a lo-fi microphone, you can sing of scream into the bottom of it and it gives your vocals an old school “megaphone / AM radio” tone to it.

Outside of that, the possibilities are up to your imagination. I am sure someone will find a use for it that I have not thought of, and I look forward to it. See the video for a short demo.

Hammered brass “cowbell” finish.

Got questions? Shoot me a message, I love nerding out with other gearheads!