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Choosing a great bow can be very confusing and overwhelming, there are many option to choose from and
a wide range of prices and materialsill attempt to explain what to look for when choosing a bow, no
matter your price range if you follow these rules you can choose a good bow for the price, whether buying
a violin, viola, cello or bass these tips apply to them all. And once you have the bow you can learn how to
take care of it and your violin by reading 3 Tips To Care for your Violin.

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The Stick

Rex Clark on How To Choose a Great Bow

Rex Clark on How To Choose a Great Bow

Jannette on How To Choose a Great Bow

Dave on How To Choose a Great Bow

The stick of the bow is made from many materials the most common are as follows..fiber glass, carbon
fiber, Brazil wood and Pernambuco, there are other materials but these are the most common so i wont
mention the other materials used, we will start with fiber glass

Fiber Glass

Rex Clark on Repairing A Cello

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May 2013
April 2013

Fiber glass is used in student bows, some are very low quality some are actually good bows, fiber glass is
inexpensive and durable, it is a little heavier then the other materials and can take alot of abuse, so for a
student it is a good bow so they learn to take care of it, before you upgrade to a more expensive bow.
However some middle schools do not allow fiber glass bows so check with your school before buying, most
fiber glass bows will have real horse hair, and a ebony frog, some of the lesser quality bows will have a
plastic frog. Rehairing a fiber glass bow will usually cost less too. You can usually buy a good fiber glass
bow from around $40-$80 so it is really inexpensive and a great bow for a starting player, the most well
known brands are Glasser, and K. Holtz there are other but these are the most well known. of the 2 Glasser
is more popular but K. Holtz is a better quality bow and has a real ebony frog, glasser uses a plastic frog.

Carbon Fiber
Carbon fiber bows are made for students and professionals alike and have a fairly big price range most
from around $80-$800+ depending on the brand and quality. Carbon fiber is very strong and lightweight, as
with all bows there are good quality and bad quality the most respected carbon fiber bow brands are Coda
Bow and John PaulCarbon fiber bow are also good for electric violins, travel, playing outdoors, and
playing in a orchestra, they are more Eco friendly as they dont use the diminishing Brazilian wood species.
Sound with a carbon fiber bow compared to a good pernambuco is not as good but is very close, and with
carbon fiber you wont have to worry about the bow losing its camber or warping, they are not effected by
moister or dryness as a wooden bow is making them a great bow for a traveling musician or student, And
usually come with a lime time warranty on the stick.

Brazil Wood
Brazil wood is the wood of choice for student bows, you can find some very good bows made from Brasil
wood but you can also find some very poor quality bows too, so knowing what to look for and how to
choose a good bow is important and ill explain this process later. Good Brasil wood bows hold there
camber for well for years, and are generally inexpensive, these are the least expensive of the 2 woods
discussed in this article, usually around $80-$700, these bows are great for students and beginning
players, they have a good sound and feel, come in octagonal stick and round stick, ill discuss the
difference a little laterthey are also surprisingly durable for how thin they are.

Pernumbuco Wood
Pernambuco wood is the the wood of choice for bows, the best bows are made form pernumbuco, some
bows are 300+ years old and still used today! but as with all things just because it is made from
pernambuco dose not mean it is a good or great bow, there are good and bad bows made from pernambuco

March 2013
February 2013

which is a shame because it is a vanishing species and pernambuco forests have shrank astonishingly due
to thisa good pernambuco bow will cost any where from $200-$1800, some bows from famous makers
sell for over $100,000. Generally these bow have the best sound, are very strong, and hold their camber
and shape very well, it is lighter then Brasil wood and also stronger and vibrates much better (the bow
vibrates as well as the violin) and creates a much better sound compared to all the other materials
discussed. Pernambuco wood bows are great bows for advanced students and professionals and if taken
care of well can last for generations and be handed down through the family, something to consider when
purchasing a bow.

Choosing a bow
Choosing a bow for any instrument is a very personal thing, it has to have a comfortable weight,
good balance, produce a good sound and also have enough strength in the camber to match your playing
style, some people have a heavy bow hand and will need a bow with a strong camber to produce a good
sound and hold the pressure applied to it. When choosing a bow look at the wood grain it should be
straight and running down the stick to the tip, if the grain is curved or slants down at the tip it can be
week and prone to breakage at the tip. when the bow is tightened look down the bow from the screw end,
the bow should be straight and have no curve, turn the bow on its side and look down it the same way,
it should still have some camber (a slight curve), when you hold the tip and apply some pressure as if your
playing it should still have a strength to the bow. Check the stick for any knots or cracks, knots can make
the bow warp in future and can also make the bow weak. When you visit a store to buy a bow (purchasing
from internet is not recommended) dont be afraid to try 5 or more bows get a feel for each bow and try
and feel and hear the difference when you play it on your violin, test different playing styles and
techniques try different scales play each bow for 5 or 10 mins to get the feel, dont just play a simple
scale, play scales and songs, soft and loud every bow is different, so try different bows in same price
range, if you cant tell a difference ask the store manager to help you decide or even take it to you teacher
t help you decide. Bow will have different kinds of Tip plates materials, different winding, and leather
used for thumb grip a swell as different types of frogs ill explain below.

Tip Plate
the tip plate is usually made from animal bone, it protects the wood on the tip from splitting
and strengthens the tip. it is made from many materials, animal bone, ivory, copper, silver, mother of
pearl, plastic and few others, placed on a thin strip of ebony the shape to match the tip of the bow. its
primary purpose is the strengthen the tip, more expensive bows will usually have more expensive materials
used on the tip and winding and other areas.

Thumb Grip And Winding

the thumb grip is as its name suggests, a grip for your thumb, it also protects the bow from your fingernails
and the oils from your hand. Made from different materials such as, leather, snake skin, rubber, crocodile
skin, lizard skinmost are made from a cow leather dyed black and will need to be replaced as it get
worn.The bows winding is located just above the thumb grip and also protects the wood from the oils and
sweat from your hand, and makes the bow more comfortable to hold, the winding is made from all kinds of
materials such as, leather, whale bone, imitations whale bone, spun silver and gold, stainless steel, silk,
and many others, all work well and also provide a beautiful decoration to the bow while protecting it.

The frog
the frog is located at the back end of the bow or the butt end, it is most often made from ebony but ivory,
Animal horn and plastic are also used, the frog balances the bow and hold the hair in place. the frog has
many different shapes and decoration, some have silver or gold lining or stainless steel, some are just all
ebony with now lining at all, some have fancy mother of pearl or abalone inlays or Persian eyes this is all
decoration so dont buy a bow because it has a pretty design on the frog, the stick is the most important
part.

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Post Tagged with Carbon fiber bow, Fiberglass bow, Pernumbuko wood, Violin bow
Posted by

Rex Clark

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Posted in Advice

Apr, 08, 2013

4 Comments.
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4 Responses so far.
Dave says:

September 10, 2015 at 2:47 pm

Very helpful.My bow/hair doesn\t seem to grab the strings or resonate with the violin
as I think they should. Seems like it\s slip sliding across the strings rather than
grabbing the string. Could be me, though.I use rosin that is probably 20 years old. Does
that make a difference? I clean the rosin off my strings and re rosin my bow each time.
I paid about 0 for the bow 15 years ago I could have been taken, I\ll admit. I believe
it to be Brazilwood, it still has a good camber and seems to be straight. The hair looks
good but I\m not a good judge. I have handmade instrument from a luthier in WV, Dave
Bing, which I paid 4000 for. It has a terrific sound. Also a German violin made in 1992
by Franz Sanders.I play old time fiddle music though have been recently playing slower
more melodic music and this is were I feel it\s really lacking.I will seek out a violin
shop in my town of Milwaukee, as you will probably recommend, but any other
thoughts?Dave

Rex Clark says:

November 16, 2015 at 11:02 am
How long has it been since you have had the bow re-haired? it could just be
the hair is worn out, Also it could be your rosin is to dry and brittle. The bow
hair should be replaced at least once a year as a general rule. i think its
always better to have some fresh rosin as well few years old is fine. sorry this
reply is late and i hope this helps.
Rex k Clark

Jannette says:
May 30, 2016 at 8:18 pm
Rex, I am looking to purchase an older bow rather than new this time, so I would like to
know about bows holding their value. Am I better off to buy a pernambuco to hold its
value, and also would silver fittings denote a better quality and help hold the bows
value over nickel/silver fittings?

Rex Clark says:

May 31, 2016 at 10:58 am
Hello Jannette,
It really depends on your price point, if your looking for $200-$500 you can
probably get a better quality Carbon fiber Violin bow then a pernambuco for
that price. anything above that you will want to stick with pernambuco. and
yes Silver fittings/ Gold fitting usually designate a better stick then nickel or
other fittings. Pernambuco is getting more and more expensive every year so
i would recommend a good pernambuco wood bow to hold its value, silver
fittings are ideal over the nickel but there are good nickel bows as well.
Hope this answered your questions. Thank you.
Rex

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