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Beginners violin bow

 
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OyvindT
Junior Member


Joined: 18 Jan 2010
Posts: 14
Location: Norway

PostPosted: Wed Feb 24, 2010 6:58 am    Post subject: Beginners violin bow Reply with quote

I need to get myself a decent bow soon, the one i am currently using is borrowed from a friend, and it is missing the grip, winding and alot of the hairs.
My problem is, there are no stringed instrument shops in my area, so i will not be able to try a bow before buying it.
I am looking at ebay and similar places, and see alot of bows in my pricerange (150-300$), but i have no idea what is decent and what is junk.
There are alot of chineese sellers with what looks like to my untrained eye good bows, but i get sceptical when they call it a top range Pernambuco bow and the price is that low.
There are lots of bows advertised as Pernambuco, but from what i have read i will not get a good Pernambuco bow for that price, but what about carbon fiber, or snakewood?

Any advice for a good bow in the 150-300$ range? Smile
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AntonPolezhayev
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Joined: 18 Jan 2010
Posts: 53
Location: Long Island NY USA

PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 10:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Stay away from carbon fiber. The sound is pathetic. The whole thing is a scam. The entire point of having a bow is that it's wood...

Snake wood is inferior as well.

What I would do if I was you is order a bunch of bows from Shar Music or similar website (Johnson Strings etc), try them, and then send back the ones you don't like. My students have done that before.

Also, consider calling Shar Music on the phone and talking to a representitive about what kind of bow you're looking for. You should tell them that you want something in your price range, light, made from real Pernambuco. Make sure you mention the word "light" because catalogs usually carry heavy-duty way too big and bulky bows.
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OyvindT
Junior Member


Joined: 18 Jan 2010
Posts: 14
Location: Norway

PostPosted: Thu Feb 25, 2010 4:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you for the reply.

I would like to try a few bows in the way that you suggested, but i dont think i can do that.
I cant afford to order several bows in that price range at the moment
( and i would have to pay a 25% norwegian sales tax on them all, witch is a pain to get refunded when i have to send some back)

I will contact shar music and similar places and ask them if they have anything to recomend though:)

Is a lighter bow always better, or is there an ideal weight?
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AntonPolezhayev
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Joined: 18 Jan 2010
Posts: 53
Location: Long Island NY USA

PostPosted: Sat Feb 27, 2010 3:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

OyvindT wrote:
Thank you for the reply.

I would like to try a few bows in the way that you suggested, but i dont think i can do that.
I cant afford to order several bows in that price range at the moment
( and i would have to pay a 25% norwegian sales tax on them all, witch is a pain to get refunded when i have to send some back)

I will contact shar music and similar places and ask them if they have anything to recomend though:)

Is a lighter bow always better, or is there an ideal weight?



All bows come in "ideal weight" which is 60 grams or something like that. I forgot. Some go as high as 65 grams and some under.

Personally I prefer lighter bow.

For a couple of hundred bucks your choices will be very limited, but some guidelines to keep in mind are: light, rounded stick (not octagonal), dark color of wood.

Use google, look around.

Also, my understanding is that catalogs don't charge you while you try the bows until you actually buy one.
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Amalia
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Joined: 05 Apr 2007
Posts: 129

PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

What's wrong with an octogonal bow? I have a very nice one that I paid several thousand dollars for. It won some important bow maker's competition and has beautiful fittings. It plays very well too. I have another "round" bow by the same maker. They both play well and I switch between them depending on what violin I'm playing.

I've found that the same bow sounds different on different violins. My "favorite" bow is not my favorite on a different violin.
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techfiddle
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Joined: 17 Jun 2009
Posts: 122

PostPosted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

FWIW I like the Dorfler bows and have used them for years. They are priced everywhere from $168.00 to $1,920.00, with the highest priced ones being the gold mounted, of course. There are also some beautiful Chinese bows I use as second bows and for weddings and photographs. See:

http://beststudentviolins.com/bows.html
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