Transform Your Sound: Perfect Violin Bow Testing Tips! 

The bow comparison at the end: I liked the 1st one. Nice and clear. Beautiful sound .

I was allowed to borrow five bows to try and compare. I tried playing not knowing which I was using, but then sorting by preference (starting again each day for a week). A the end of the time, i found I had chosen the same one each day. Decision made. A big factor was that I could recognize the bows that were well-above my ability, but still chose one that would stretch me. Thank you!

We all have different “ears” and nuances of perception. Women , for example, tend towards treble, and men towards bass. Younger ears like volume and intensity, older ears favor subtlety and poignance. Everyone likes fluidity and “magic!” As for myself, I’d prefer to “arm” myself with the first bow I’m quite sure! Very much enjoyed your playing and technique, especially your vibrato!

This was fascinating: the different bows all produced a distinctly unique tone. Also, you seemed to play each bow differently, as if each bow brought out something different in your playing. Thanks for this!

Tha.nks your violin sounds wonderful. 2n bow over. All of. Them. ITS supple! Very helpful thanks

Very well put ! Definitely a difference between the bows. I don’t know if I have a favorite but i think the second one caught more my attention with the violin you played. Very nice shop decor in the background.

Violin's world is soooo nice 😢😢😢😍😍 i hope one day i will be able to hold a violin and play a beautiful melody ❤️🙏🏼🥺

This was fantastic! I'd say the Peccatte workshop bow was the best. Then again, I prefer a warmer more rounded sound and I also play gut strings.

my brother has two FX Tourtes, I have two Peccattes and three Persoits, and my sister has a Voirin, a Sartory, a Thomachot, and an Espey. When we get together we have too much fun

very helpful and informative!

Hi,thank you for the wonderful video. The first bow brought kind of masculinity of the tone of the instrument.The problem with such kind of bows sometimes is the harshness of the attacks, mostly in chords The second sounded quite the opposite-suppleness and elegance. The third -the most complex sound, although not very sure how it projects in a larger space.

Excellent presentation and explanations (except for the bit about carbon fibre bows)

I like the Tibor Kovacs bow best of the three.

Thank you!

You could definitely hear and see a difference in your playing between the bows. The last one, Picate definitely sounded the best, and did the double stops the best, but looked like you were not as used to the softness, or higher bow hair. The first stick looked quite stiff, and would be great for heavy frog bouncing, but sounded pretty bright (and your fiddle is a bit bright too). I'd go with the Picate (spelling?) if I had the money - but I think they cost a lot (too much for me). I'd take the 2nd stick, because it was still pretty stiff and looked balanced and nice, and sounded decent too. People get so picky about bows. And some of them cost so much now. Really, everybody's arm, strength, bow speed, playing style, type of sound they want to produce, and violin they are playing on is different. So, you really need to just try a bunch, and see what works with your violin. I've got a few bows, but my favorite at the moment for a "cheap" bow is a Fisher 3 star that I bought off Shar about 10 years ago. I think about 1.2k, and it really works and sounds great, with excellent balance and not too stiff or soft. Also, age matters. I traded my stiffer german bow to a lady who was getting up in age, and bow arm shaking a little and harder to control, and that worked for her (I got a nice Nurnberger german bow in trade, lighter and softer, but harder to control).

From listening to all the bows you played, my preference was the bow the said you were considering for yourself. Seems it does everything well and sounds beautiful and compliments the violin you were playing. Which maker was this bow please ?

I found the first two bows were quite similar to each other, I could hear a slight difference but hard to pick which I prefer. On the other hand the third bow from the Peccate workshop was easily head and shoulders better than the first two, I definately prefer this one. The sound seemed more rounded and resonant. I have 3 bows, a bow by K. Gerhard Penzel which combines great handling and great tone and is my everyday bow. I also have a French bow by Morizot (Père) which has a sweeter, more complex tone but not as good handling as the Penzel. Finally I have an Arcus Musing carbon Fibre bow, the Musing C3 which I use in orchestra and has the best handling is the most resonant compared with the two others. It's great for tackling tricky orchestral passages with the least effort (It's also relatively light weight), but lacks the velvety complexity of sound of my two wood bows, especially the Morizot Père. The future of violin bows is definitely with Carbon Fibre or other woods, Pernambuco is an endangered spieces and is finished now for today's young bowmakers.

good listen

The bow makes a far more noticeable difference than even old vs modern violins.

Out of the three you were comparing, the 1st sounded best. Clear and rich. Just curious, was it more expensive?

I love violin bow's

To my ears, number 1 produces a bright sound, number 2 has much softer sound and number 3 has a balanced sound between the two.

i like your work you 😍

No mention of the type or amount of rosin, which makes a huge difference and confuses comparisons of the actual stick. I had an impulse buy of a carbon fibre bow for £250 (the same day I tried that very violin at MyLuthier!) which is strong, well balanced and even, but quite jumpy, exposing my clumsy bow changes. I am now trying some wooden bows, including some made from Ipe (pronounced ee-pay) wood, a 'sustainable' similar to endangered pernambuco. To me it is indistinguishable from similar pernambuco bows.

What is the piece played at 5:58 ? So beautiful

The French bow makes a notable difference in comparison with other bows!

The problem is... I think one's 'ear' would get used to any of three. This would then bring the choice down to perhaps how hard one has to work to achieve the desired sound.

They all sound the same to me! I can't pick up any differences whatsoever! I don't think one can really tell by listening over a video device such as a laptop, a desktop, a tablet or a phone. Too many variables such as one's device speakers and audio circuitry interfere with the truely live acoustic properties created by bows and instruments. Instead, one has to actually pick up the bows in trying to make a choice and experience the feel, responsiveness and function of each of them as well hearing the resultant sound production with one's own ears. The qualities of the sound they produce must also be weighed against personal experiences and personal preferences cannot reliably be captured and relayed through a video-audio recording accurately enough to discriminate among certain fine differences.

I felt that the first bow had more attack and I thought the third one had the best overall sound. However all three were very good and suitable for different types of music

Oh, and as an added contrast, you maybe should have played some interesting carbon fiber bow. Some don't sound that bad, and are great for outdoor, or playing anywhere the bow might get knocked (anywhere people are drinking ... heh heh).

Quick question if I may? Does the mounting affect the sound the bow produces? I was looking at two bows that were (I believe) basically the same. The centre of gravity was in the same place. I could not feel a difference in weight between the two. Both were pernambuco - aged 30 years - I believe. Both were round sticks, both ebony frogs, but difference was the mounting. One was silver, the other gold and of course the price difference between two bows was considerable.

All of my bows have fallen off the stand and broken the tip, which I've had to glue back together. I feel like the glue brings out the true sound of my fiddle and doesn't make it sound too nice or responsive. That's why I break all my bows. It's definitely not because I'm a clumsy oaf with fat little banjo fingers.

Very focused, has a lot of colours, nuanced, etc. These are the notions that speak nothing. Different violinists get used to different bows. All have different opinion. Without statistical tests there are no objective judgement. If the varnish is shiny or the seller is confident, the bow will cost more.

Oops, I said Fisher 3 star - it is actually a Klaus Becker 3 star, and I really like it, for a not too expensive bow (around 1k american). I have a cheap china 3 star too, and that bow sucks! But, to be fair, it was only 500 bucks.

Too many decisions with violin. I think I'll quit and go to piano.

Carbon fiber bows can actually produce more "depth of sound" than pernambuco bows (2:09). It is really only a question of technology and quality. Pernambuco is not only know for being the most widespread used materials to make bows thus far, but also for being a highly endangered species with only about 5% of the original population still existing. Since being put on the Cites list of endangered species in 2007 it was and still is poached and smuggled in quantity and documents are forged. This has led to raids of bow makers and dealers in Brazil in 2022 and led to the destruction of tons of illegal wood and allegedly 150.000 illegal sticks and bows. In 2023 Brazil has banned all exports of Pernambuco. At the Cites conference in 2025 Pernambuco will most probably be put on Appendix 1 which will prohibit all future travel and trade.