Buying A Replacement Bow For My Violin?
So my violin bow has been losing a lot of hair in the past few months, & the coil of the bow has been loose since last year, & is now currently being held with tape.
My teacher suggested buying another bow, & my aunt told me that I could buy a bow on Amazon– with the costs paid by herself.
Problem is, I’m not sure which bow is durable, & which one isn’t.
http://www.amazon.com/Brazilwood-Violin-Quality-Great-Sound/dp/B000VNVX5C/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1209439709&sr=1-11
http://www.amazon.com/Laurel-Replacement-Violin-Bow-VSB-15/dp/B000M4SSY4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1209439709&sr=1-1
Those are the two bows I’m currently deciding on. >_>
Which would you recommend to purchase?
Tags: Buying, Replacement, Violin
September 27th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
I usually advise people not to buy violins & bows online. You are much better off to go to your nearest violin shop & try a few bows in the shop.
However, these are quite cheap bows so you will not be losing too much money if they turn out to be not as good as they appear to be.
Of the two bows, the first one is much better ; Brazilwood with Mongolian horsehair.
Bows of this quality usually only last 12-18 months so if you get 12 months use out of it then you are doing okay.
EDIT : You only rehair good quality bows. It is not worth rehairing a cheap bow.
September 27th, 2009 at 10:46 pm
Of the two, I’d go with the brazilwood bow . . . but either one would probably be fine for you.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:36 am
I don’t think either one of those choices are good; they’re no-name bows from no-name companies. Why not get a decent Glasser bow? See:http://beststudentviolins.com/GlasserBow…
September 28th, 2009 at 9:08 am
I really recommend a Coda bow. They are carbon fiber bows & very durable. If you think you can hold off on buying a bow for a while while you & your aunt save up some money you can buy a really great one for around $200 & they are so worth it.
September 28th, 2009 at 11:17 am
If you are playing a 3/4 violin now, eventually you will outgrow it, right? I wouldn’t worry too much about a new bow if this is the case, I’d just get the old one rehaired. However, if it’s easier for you to just get a new one, I’d go with the Brazilwood.
September 28th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
I looked at both of the bows & they both seem to be 3/4 size bows! If you are currently playing a three quarter size violin, they may be appropriate, but if you are playing a full size instrument, you should get a full size bow (just a little more length) to go with it.http://www.amazon.com/Economy-Violin-Bow…
I understand that many times it is more expensive to get a bow rehaired than it is to buy a new one, but you should call the luthiers (as well as ask your teacher) if there are any luthiers in the area that rehair bows for a reasonable fee.
Your “Winding” can also be rewrapped by the same luthier if the bow is a good one. If the bow is inexpensive, it may not be worth it of course
Best of luck no matter what you decide to do & I hope this helps.