Sorry - i know this isn't my first post about bows but as it's different from the last...

I'm buying a new bow on Friday, and was going to spend about £60 on one from a violin shop near me after trying a few out.
I know this wont get me the most fantastic bow - but anything is better than the £10 stentor bow from my old violin that i still use (i have no other).

Anyway, I was then just browsing a string website looking at bows and i saw one for nearly £60 and it said "Suitable for beginner up to grade 5".

I know a £60 bow would be well sufficient for me at the moment, but I may only be grade 4 right now, but i'll be doing grade 4 in 2 months and then possibly grade 5 in the summer, etc.
Does this mean i'll buy a bow and need a new one before i know it?
I've decided to perhaps push my budget to £70, but still... >_<
I know you're supposed to spend 1/3 of the price of your violin, but due to saving for a £3000 flute, i really can't afford a £200 bow.

Basically, can i get to about grade 7/8 on a £60 - £70 bow?

I really don't know so i hope i'm not asking a silly question

Out of necessity, I've done so. Whether or not it's reccommendable...I'm not sure. Realistically though, it's the only option a lot of us have.

I've noticed that bows seem to be much cheaper online. Some places are advertising carbon-fibre bows for around £60 or so and some seem to suggest they will send (post?) bows out for you to try at home.

I'm kind of in the same boat as you ffliwt in that my bow is very inexpensive and I'm not sure how far it will 'take me'. I've been offered a 'bargain deal' the next time I visit a certain violin shop (150 miles away so it won't be soon) which would probably be the best financial deal I will find when I can save up some money for a bow.

But I do wonder about all the online shops and trying them out etc. What about carbon-fibre versus wood? I doubt a Pernambuco bow would cost less than £100??? And what makes that better than Brazilwood?

Also places like elidatrading have different 'grades'... and then there's weights etc etc - how do you make up your mind once you've decided on your budget?

Incidentally I did try out an £80 bow for a week or so but didn't like it because I couldn't control it as well as my cheap one... but I don't know why i.e. if it was lighter/heavier etc and the hair was thicker and woollier ...

If I had £60 to spend on a bow that had last me as far up the grades as possible I'd buy one of Tim Phillips carbon fibre bows. They play very well, won't warp or straighten over time, are well balanced and can be rehaired like a conventional bow. I bought one in preference to pernambuco and brazilwood bows costing up to £150 the Tim Phillips bow just played better. They cost just £49.50.

http://www.bowshop.co.uk/Carbon%20Fiber.html

I am inclined to generally keep my mouth shut with regard to national spirit relative to instrument manufacturers. I do not by any means oppose those who choose to support local craftsmen. Such instruments and related equipment are often prized with good reason.

I would hope that the following is not taken wrongly by either the sellers or purchasers of bows. If you are referring to 60 to 70 English pounds, and not Euros, then you may find that it would not greatly upset your budget to consider an on-line auction house (E-bay) as a resource. (I'd be curious to test the quality of the low priced bows offered at auction through that resource.)

I have ordered two bows through E-bay in anticipation of completing construction of my admittedly crude but apparently, quite viable (electric or semi-acoustic?) violin. Neither has arrived due to the holiday shipping rush.

I purchased one at auction for one U.S. dollar, with eleven dollars shipping. It was designated as a 4/4 size brazil wood bow with the reference "MOP 5", which is utterly meaningless to me, but for a dollar plus shipping I was willing to find out what I'd get. It was sold as having just been re-haired.

I finished the violin and took a suggestion made here, which I had been considering (given complaints I've been reading on-line about neck injuries and nerve damage suffered by violinists, who hold the instrument using their chins and shoulders) to play it on my knee. It is a very viable suggestion given the length I built into this instrument for another reason.

I determined that a small bow might suit playing the violin in the vertical position due to the fact that the bow will never rest very much on the strings, making weight a consideration, and the instrument will be close to me. I found an E-bay retailer selling ANY size NEW bow for about four U.S. dollars plus eleven dollars shipping. I chose a 1/10 size, placing the order yesterday.

If I could afford to lose around fifteen to twenty U.S. dollars for what might become my second or third bow (which is around eight to ten pounds, depending on the exchange rate and cost of international shipping), I might seriously consider E-bay as a resource. I've seen Boehm system flutes sold there at extremely reasonable prices from reputable names, including Yamaha, though many are beginner grade.

Again, by all means support and enjoy the products of your local or national craftsmen, but given the very low prices on-line, is it worth risking an E-bay bow just to evaluate the quality? (You can ask questions of the on-line sellers prior to making a purchase or placing a bid.) I have no idea how such a purchase would be perceived by an instructor. Recognize that the cost of return shipping would probably render making a return more expensive than simply chucking the bow.

A good idea if you're on a budget is to take 3 or 4 bows for a trial, and what I do is blind test them all, get someone to hand you the bows one by one, and with your eyes closed have a play with each one - the person handing you the bows will keep a hold of the one you like best, and that's a great way to narrow them down to the one you like =)

I like this way of choosing, it sounds fun

Indeed it's fun, and also very efficient =) picked the method up from my teacher, and it's incredibly useful.

It's not a silly question. Yes you are correct about the value you should have against the value of the violin/viola/cello/db. But as already mentioned, you do ahve to stick to within your budget. I passed my grade 8 on a B&H400 cello - lamininate throughout with it's original bow. OK, fine, it may have not done me justice in tone quality, but at the end of the day. the examiner is only interested in your ability, not what you play on, unless it really is awful Good luck with the flute hunting and saving. I'm going to London on the 12th Jan to look/buy a new headjoint or p/x my flute for something better. I AM SO EXCITED!!! Oh by the way - I used an OLD yamaha 211 when I was at university doing a preformance degree. I still got bl***y good marks!

Good luck and enjoy the search for both.

I'm rather sceptical of the "won't warp" claim when made of Chinese CF bows, having experienced significant warping on such bows purchased through a major wholesaler.

What I'd dearly love is to find a manufacturer that would only allow straight bows to leave their premises. Alas, in the price range we're talking about, that seems impossible. In the past it was not unknown for us to reject 50% of a batch of bows We do better these days but only by laying it on the line every single time we order that we need to bows to be straight when tightened!

Liz

I have a Tim Phillips carbon fibre bow that cost me nearly £200 - and I have never been particularly happy with it, much preferring my pernambuco bow, which plays far better. After this experience I would never buy another carbon fibre bow.

At £200 it is easier to find a better comparable wood bow that at £50. I'm not surprised you prefer your wood bow.
If I'd had £200 to spend I may have been able to find a good wood bow but as it was I spent £35 (at the time Tim had an offer on) and I got a great bow for the money, of course the whole topic is highly subjective, one person's bow which suits them perfectly will be someone elses firewood.
I had several pernambuco and brazilwood bows on trial costing up to £150 but hated all of them perhaps I'm used to the predictable (if not earth shattering) playing characteristics of the carbon fibre bow.

I'm probably going to buy another as a back-up unless I go for an Incredibow for fiddling.


Compared to the £10 Stentor bow that ffliwt is currently using pretty much anything is going to be a revelation.

I don't think you should condemn all carbon fibre bows due to one bad experience. If you had a bad pernambuco bow I'm sure you would not say 'I'll never buy another wooden bow'

The key to getting a bow you are happy with is to try several with your instrument over a few days, not to buy one 'blind' over the internet or whatever. What I am happy with, may not suit you and vice versa.

The Incredibow is amazing - and has revolutionised my bowing technique. Recommended by teacher and I haven't looked back since. Well worth the £80 I spent on it - and miles better than the Col Legno bow I was using. Virtually indestructible too!!!!

My cello bow was about £600, made by L. G. Chen, and it's fantastic value! A lot of people my age have bows that cost £1,000 up, but the one I have is as good as one that cost a grand or more I reckon =) I imagine I'll get a new one some time during my music college days, but it's lasting me really well for now

I had a cello bow which was £50 to start me off, but once i got to gd 5/6 realised i needed a new one. my current one was about £225. i got my dad to tell me which one he thought sounded best while not looking but i like the idea of getting someone else to hand you the bow so you can personally test it 'blind'.
i'd definately suggest trying more than one; maybe keep your one by the side and test a £30 one - you know you could afford it - and just see if there's much difference. Then try a slightly more expensive one and keep working your way up until you get to the top of your price range. THen, go back to your £10 one and see how much of a difference it makes - is it worth it? does one of the others seem just as good? etc etc.
Test more than one of the one you choose; each bow has a different weight, style, flexibility etc and see which one suits you best.
Good luck with finding one - have fun doing so!

piello

I just got home from buying my bow
I ended up spending £100 xD Not that i was pressured into it or anything - there were £50 bows for the taking, i just liked that one. It's a very good all round bow and the woman who helped me choose (she played them for me on my violin aswell as me playing them) agreed that it was a lot better than the more expensive (and silver tipped!) one i also liked and was a very good choice. There was a £170 one i loved but i obviously could not afford that XD
I tried 4 carbon fibre bows and 5 or 6 wooden ones. Took me 45 minutes to narrow it down to 2 and finally choose one. I really didn't like the carbon fibre bows very much... one was ok, but they just didn't compare to the wooden ones (in my opinion only!)

Oh it's also 10% discount in January, so i actually got it for £90

It has a nice soft sound, is nice to play, bounces well yet is easy to control and make a big round sound with, and the staccatos sound very crisp and clearly. It's just a good all rounder haha! Pleased.

That sounds good and a reasonable price I went to the violin shop a few months ago with my friend cos she wanted a bow, she spent about £150 on a bow, wish I can afford something like that. Her bow is more expensive than my Stentor violin! She couldn't decide which bow to buy and ended up taking 5 bows home to try for a week. We tried out carbon fibre bows as well but we didn't like them much either, they weren't very "bouncy" for spiccato. Have fun with the new bow!