Violinist tries $ 29 eBay Violin Bow vs $ 8.000 Professional Bow 

A post on a violin blog made an impact on my thinking about cheap bows. It was by an accomplished violinist whose teacher is with the Chicago Symphony. I think she's an adult now, but maintains a relationship as friends with her teacher. She has a few fine bows, so wasn't looking for a cheap bow for her personal use, but she had the opportunity to try through a new batch of a dozen or more carbon fiber bows at a local store, all by the same no-name maker and found one she thought was amazing. The others ranged from bad to awful. So she bought it and took it to her teacher and he was blown away at how good it was, as in just as good in every respect as a bow costing thousands. Just to amuse his colleagues and show it off, he played it in a rehearsal with the Chicago Symphony. I am not a good violinist, and basically, except for a semester in college, during which I had an insanely good violinist as a teacher, I'm mostly self-taught on violin and it's probably the 5th instrument I play in order of skill, behind wind instruments and piano, so it's just a hobby for me as a retired adult, although I can saw through most of the major concertos/sonatas in a most awful way, minus most double stops. I love the violin literature, and all the challenges violin playing presents. Many decades ago, I also did something not even many violinists can say they have done. I read through the whole violin encyclopedia of violin makers, taking notes on what brands to look out for, should I find one -- like a Pressenda -- at a yard sale or auction one day. So I've always had this weird interest in violins, violin-making and violin literature. Anyway, I ordered on Ebay a carbon fiber bow for $30, and noticed it was incredible compared to my "acclaimed" $90 carbon fiber bow. I could feel the balance, tip to frog, better articulation, a little better sound, a connection to the violin I couldn't even imagine was possible. So, I saw the same maker on Ebay, but bows directly from China, where they were only $25 and I ordered three more in different colors. Except for color, they all look exactly the same, but every one of them feels VERY different, in terms of weight and balance, and even flexibility. The three I ordered after the first are heavier and have no magic in them at all, compared to the first one I ordered. So, if I decide I'm playing the violin now enough to warrant it, I'm going to select my next bow by driving to a large city 55 miles away which has a good shop for students and professionals, with hundreds of bows in the $100 to $2000 category, to find if any of them are better than my $30 one. From watching about 50+ videos like these of people trying bows, just to get a handle on various brand choices, I already know from experience that you have to have a good bow to articulate cleanly, to draw the best sound from your violin, to feel one with your instrument, to be in control in all places in the bow, to play in all bowing styles without STRUGGLING or even concentrating, as this violinist put so well. Sure, the models of carbon fiber bow in the $1000+ category are going to be more consistently good than ones in the under $100 category, and beginners should be aware that many of the $30 bows can't be re-haired. When the hair goes, you have to throw it away or attempt some splicing/gluing with a new bow of the same model. So, for someone who can afford only a $100 bow, I'd say look for one that can be re-haired and try as many of them as you can in a store, not by ordering online. I see some professionals online ordering a custom-made bow and I think, they must have a lot of disposable income but I guess that level of bow maker has a policy where you can return it if you don't like it, as they have people waiting at the door to snap up one as it becomes available. And for someone who doesn't play the violin, they should get a bow from their teacher or a friend who will go through a batch of bows and pick one that is balanced, not frog-heavy or tip heavy. Of course, advanced players have individual needs and tastes. I guess what I'm saying is that this woman who is demonstrating put it best, it's the bow that is not a struggle to play with, that seems to make everything easy. You can be using a junky old bow, or a cheap bow, that not only hampers every aspect of your technique, but which makes getting any kind of decent sound out of the violin difficult. You want a bow that follows your mind, about how you want to shape phrases and articulate effortlessly, not one you have to struggle with in every passage just to hit the notes cleanly.

I can make a $8000 dollar bow sound like a $20 dollar bow. 😅

$8000 for a contemporary carbon-fiber bow is outright absurd. But: whatever the market bears and whatever strengthens your ego. Aside from the hair and rosin(!), yes, there are physical properties of the stick that may influence the playing - weight, curvature, eigen frequencies, for example,. But for bows of the overall same design, the span is not and cannot be a factor of 275. As with the "unparalleled" strads, it comes down to perceived, not actual value.

I agree getting a good bow keeps u motivated and keep going

If she says it's hard to control, could you imagine what a hard time a beginner would have with it.

Applause for her wonderful playing wow bravo! Though the difference is clear, the cheap bow is really good to it's price, HOWEVER...i hope you can make a comparison with a begginer or intermediate violinist, because like she said it requires a lot of control and she being a professional can compensate to make it better. Great video, i really enjoyed her playing 🌻

Well ... after watching so many of your videos that stress the importance of a bow, I was convinced, at least, to try some new ones out. I bought a cheap carbon fiber bow on amazon, but it did nothing for me. So I went to a luthier's shop to try out bows. Strangely I preferred the 300$ bow over the 1300$ bow. (I have only been playing for a couple of months now so maybe I cannot appreciate yet the better one?) Anyways ... what I noticed right away was that it made me sound horrible! LOL That's a good thing though! :) All of a sudden I could hear all the notes more clearly, and with that, I could hear every small mistake in intonation. So what you have said about a better bow making one a better player is true. With this better bow I will be able to properly hone my intonation. I shudder to think that if I had waited a year to get a new bow how much correcting I would have had to do and how much time I would have wasted. So thank you Zlata, for all your advices ... Now I am very curious about bows and I am sure this will not be my last bow purchase. :) Oh - I almost forgot to mention: I have also stopped bouncing uncontrollably! Just that was definitely worth the upgrade!!! :)

I could definitely hear the difference. The Arcus sounds much more brilliant in the higher registers. I bought a mid grade Jon Paul carbon fiber bow. Although it felt really nice and the sound was even, the notes on the higher registers sounded muted and dull to me. I’m thinking about purchasing an Arcus T4 in the future but am also considering a Codabow Diamond GX. Do you have a recommendation between these two brands? Thanks for the great content.

Beautiful playing. I had a cheap carbon fibre bow, probably a $30 one, which lasted for 7 months. The hair had come loose at the frog so it wasn't possible to tighten the bow (hair wasn't good either), however, despite this it was better than the fibre glass bow, which now I'm back to using. I would say cheap bows, like any cheap product, lack consistency in quality and fit'n'finish, so you may get lucky and get a good one. So, personally I wouldn't buy one of these cheap bows... and I would never have the ability to get anything more out of a $8000 bow over a $200 bow. A more pricey bow will not only give you better sound and bow control, but also consistent quality, attention to detail, quality and eye-pleasing materials, manufacturing tolerances, better balance, end screw that doesn't stick, better hair, ebony frog, unique design, etc. Not all contribute to better performance but will be worth it depending on the individual, same as any other product.

Listening through Bang and Olufsen headphones and I struggle to hear a significant difference taking into account a preconceived bias towards the expensive bow. Do a blind test so we can test it objectively. Several pieces seem to be played with more vigour when using the expensive bow or is that the bow itself bringing about the improvement? It can be difficult to know when we are the ones listening and not playing. Still I appreciate the comparison nevertheless.

Fantastic video! When she explained what the cheap bow doesn't do to help her play, I've learned that I'm probably a wonderful violinist! It's just my bow that is bad!😂😂 I blame my bow for all the times I sound like a scared cat!😂 Jokes aside, it was nice to learn how a pro feels about a cheap bow. I'd love to try the good bow to see if it'd make a difference in my playing.🧐

Bow reviews and your guide help educate me about bows. Thanks for reviewing cheaper bows, because the $29 bow is good for me to have, so I can compare with the bow I have and also have a backup in case damage the one I have.

My Yinfente it just arrived and was surprisingly well packaged sadly it didn't come with black hair like yours. But I'm still super happy with it. It sounds great and is probably the best one thing I did to improve.

best bow vid i've watched!

Zlata I'm learning 6 months I bought French Amidee Dieudonne 1920 and a $2000 for a bow,so I Learn on beautiful violin

Interesting - I can hear the difference but interesting how a professional violinist can still get a great sound with both. The explanation that the cheap bow requires a lot more effort to control is helpful. I'm going to go and have a read of your bow guide now... 😉

Would be interesting to take the eBay bow and re-hair it with the same hair as on the Arcus. Also use the same rosin.

the difference in bows is arguably less "heard" than "felt" by the player... Balance, weight, weigh distribution can't be conveyed via a video, not even if there's VR.

My bow has nothing to do with my hilarious attempt to coordinate the metronome my staying on one string & me trying to rock my finger back and forth slowly. I'm dying. Pat my head rub my stomach. I'm flailing.

Is the cheaper bow also several grams lighter in which case it may drift more easily than a heavier bow of similar quality and composition? If comparing CF bows, is the cheaper one more flexible and lighter rendering it more difficult to play due to the need for slightly more pressure to keep it centered to avoid sound variations? I’m an adult beginner and by no means expert on playing or construction of bows. I’m curious.

I would totally vote for the eBay bow simply because the other one is waaaaay tooo expensive ....... but aside from price I think the eBay bow is very good really of course not compared to 8000 bow but still it is much better than mine :)

My expensive bow went into the shop for rehairing; and so instead of borrowing one; I opted for a fiddleman $60 bow; thought why not have a backup? And I was SHOCKED how good it was. Not as good as my expensive one; and even my kids can hear the difference; but CF bows have come a LONG WAY. My expensive bow is a Codabow and it's awesome. After having broken my bow in an outdoor concert one time; I'll probably never buy another wooden bow... or at least never use a wooden bow outdoors ever again.

Sorry, I really don't buy the idea that you need to shell out 8 thousand dollars for an excellent quality violin bow. Of course, in my remaining lifetime I will never come close to the level of Geidre's violin playing. But I don't agree with Giedre's opinion that it was just luck that the 29 dollar bow was so good. I think there are plenty of top notch carbon fiber bows that are relatively inexpensive. Especially if you move up in price not that much. Even the Coda Prodigy is several hundred dollars and I think you have your own brand that is similar in price but I hear they are very good quality and still tremendously less expensive than the 8k dollars Arcos. Has Geidre tried one of your bows and/or a Coda Prodigy? Maybe she would be even more shocked at how good they are and still amazed at their relatively inexpensive price.

I struggle to understand how does the bow affect the ease of playability and sound? Isn’t it just the hair that’s important?

Make this comparsion with a bow for around 150,- Dollar and you will be much more impressed.....

Thank you for this video, wonderful interview and inviting such a good violinist to do the demonstration. Does she give concerts or has other teaching or demo videos? Could you add a couple of bows with the price range between $29 and $8000? It would be great to hear how the sound gradually changes as the price increase.

3:15 Violin sounds so muted why?

29$ ! I hear the difference. Your friends sounds wonderful even on cheap bow!

Great playing. WIsh i meet you two and play a piece like Nearer My God to Thee from Titanic.

Top.

Please comment on your friend's bow grip, it seems she "chokes" up on the handle of the stick

my opinion, is it's all about the balance, hair replacement quality and resonance of the bow.. cant hear any difference here for sure. all in the head

Ebay Bow everytime, there's not $7,700 worth in quality of the sound. The review was poor, it should have been a blind test. The reviewer at one point was amazed at the eBay bow saying it was really good for a bow of $29. Wow one in a million for cheap bow. Very contradictory review.

I wish the comparison was done without the player's knowledge of what bow she was using.

So a $100 bow would be fine for most people

Great news, no difference to me. Ebay rules!

Beautiful playing. I had a cheap carbon fibre bow, probably a $30 one, which lasted for 7 months. The hair had come loose at the frog so it wasn't possible to tighten the bow (hair wasn't good either), however, despite this it was better than the fibre glass bow, which now I'm back to using. I would say cheap bows, like any cheap product, lack consistency in quality and fit'n'finish, so you may get lucky and get a good one. So, personally I wouldn't buy one of these cheap bows... and I would never have the ability to get anything more out of a $8000 bow over a $200 bow. A more pricey bow will not only give you better sound and bow control, but also consistent quality, attention to detail, quality and eye-pleasing materials, manufacturing tolerances, better balance, end screw that doesn't stick, better hair, ebony frog, unique design, etc. Not all contribute to better performance but will be worth it depending on the individual, same as any other product.