What Bow Should I Buy? | KV

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UPDATE: As of 2023, Pernambuco bows are not being exported from Brazil, so we at Kennedy Violins have selected some vey fine bows made of Ipe wood, a material veri similar to Pernambuco in quality and characteristics.

Today I’m going to be talking about the different kinds of violin bows and what you may decide is best for you.

The purpose of this video is NOT to offer an exhaustive list of all the different types of bows of woods in regards to genus, species, regions etc. I am intentionally keeping this video simple and very generalistic.

When deciding on the kind of bow you should buy, you should consider:

1. Bounce characteristics
2. Sound production
3. Durability
4. Price

Generally speaking the primary question you are asking yourself is, how much compromise are you willing to make for a lower price point?

There are 4 different kinds of bows:

1. Fiberglass
2. Carbon fiber
3. High-quality wood (often referred to as Brazilwood)
4. Pernambuco wood.

1. Fiberglass bows are very good as rental bows or bows for school districts. They are very strong and inexpensive. The downside is that they sound, look and feel terrible. They also will often have fake horse hair, which is awful in just about every way.

2. Carbon fiber bows often offer the least amount of compromise when it comes to features VS price and have come a long way in the last 20 years or so. They used to be a slightly better option than fiberglass because they had a much better feel, and playability but the sound always suffered quite a bit. However, the modern carbon fiber bow has improved its sound quality by leaps and bounds. The most commonly known and probably the most popular brands of Carbon Fiber bows are made by the CODA company in the USA. The sound is very good on some of their models and the bounce characteristics are supremely hard to beat. I recommended these bows to my advanced students who could not afford a $3,000 pernambuco bow but wanted a bot that was 90% as good. A lot of professionals will use these bows as well as their back up bow or outdoor bow. The benefits to these bows are that they are durable, strong, bounce very well and are relatively inexpensive. However, I have never played on a Carbon Fiber bow that could offer the warmth of sound that a high-quality Pernambuco bow.

3. High-quality wood bows are generally referred to a “Brazilwood” bows. Many people think that these bows have wood that comes out of Brazil but is not as high quality as Pernambuco wood that also comes out of Brazil but the truth is most of these bows are made from a wood commonly referred to as “bullet wood.” It is a wood that is very high density and very stable. It is very similar to Pernambuco wood but is not as good. Most of it comes out of China. There are some inferior woods used as well on the cheapest wood bows and the wood is usually pretty bad. These bows “can” offer good bounce characteristics and can offer good sound. The best point of these bows is that they are generally less than $500 and if made properly, can offer decent bounce and sound. However, there is a lot of variability in these bows, so an expert should play test them to find the best bow. Often times, the price point does not mean anything, so you really have to test them out.

4. Pernambuco bows can offer the best bounce and probably will offer the best sound. Bounce characteristic is something that is somewhat subjective to the player but a pernambuco bow will almost always have a better sound than a synthetic bow. It is illegal to buy Pernambuco wood from Brazil, so the only way you’re going to get a true Pernambuco bow is if you buy a bow that was made in Brazil, you buy an older bow or you buy a new bow from someone who has a large stock of Pernambuco wood that they purchased years ago before it was illegal.

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As a Brazilian and a beginner, I had no idea that Brazilian bows is so desired. Thank you very much .

Caio.Andrade

You, my friend are very thorough. I'm a beginner player. Very helpful.

briansmullen

How the market has changed! Sixty years ago, as a student, I bought a new Pernambuco bow for $17.50! Used it for decades.

pmichael

Thanks for the information. I'm an immediate cello player and I'm learning mostly on my own. Most of my bows are carbon fibre, but I have 3 wood bows from the cellos kits I have bought and last night I was looking at a video from Shar Music and the person was playing with both bows and you can hear the difference. I was also told that wood bows are much better, as they are lighter and easier to control. The brand of carbon fibre bows I have bought are by P & H London, because they were recommended to me by a sales person at Remenyi in Toronto. Now after watching this video, I want to get more wood bows. Each of my cellos have 2 bows, 1 wood and 1 carbon fibre.

andrewwilliams

Thank you for a very succinct and informative summary. No rubbish - just common sense!

kitwells

Thanks Joel. Btw, I’ve moved on from the beginner brazilwood bow to the Guiliani CF bow and I like the feel of it very much. I’m getting a more consistent sound with better control. It’s light, reasonably stiff, and balanced, and is my winner at this time. I could probably stick with this bow until I’m due for a violin upgrade, and I think the next step will probably be to try some better strings and get experience there first.. Currently using D’Addario Preludes, so just basic steel; they could be a little warmer, but I’ve got a ways to go to be worried about that, imho.
Always enjoy your videos.

shipsahoy

Enjoyed this video, clear information. I like your personable style. Currently mostly playing on a Coda Classic, it’s old but really my preferred bow

maroonkitty

It arrived! My 1st ever violin (I don't think I've ever picked one up in my life and I'm in my 50s.) arrived today from you guys. Now I'm watching YT videos to get a better understanding about violins in general.

While tuning my new violin, I had 2 hairs break, so I got interested in it's care and possibly getting a new back up bow. But I have a question, I hope you can answer.

If I get a 2nd bow, depending on which bow I enjoy more... the one that came with my violin or a new addition, I'm guessing one will pretty much just sit in the case. If a bow just sits, how should it be store? Should it be stored with rosin on the hairs or left off? How long will the bow hair last before it needs replacement? I don't want to have a 2nd bow as a back up and when I need it, I don't want all the hairs breaking off...

Thanks!

crabjoe

Actually, brazil wood comes from the same tree as permambucco or at least they can come from the same tree. The difference is that permambucco comes from the very dense core and the brazil wood comes from the outer layers. Brazil wood isn't quite as strong and it warps more easily but you can get that fixed if needed. If you look at very good bows you can sometimes see that the wood of the bow was cut so that the stick and one half of the tip is permambucco and the other half is brazil wood(oh, forgot that, brazil is also much brighter) there are also other trees, that produce brazil wood (related species etc.) but i think their cores have different properties than permambucco or something. Also, i do not think that the permambucco is the reason why i bows can cost so much. If i'm not mistaken my not really good enough anymore 150€ bow is also made from permambucco. It's just that master bow makers are much better at making bows that are easy to play and produce a good sound. (I think one of the reasons why good permambucco is more expensive than brazil is, that it's harder to work with)

Hadriandidnothingwrong-zc

Thanks Kennedy Violins! Amazing video! Can't wait to try out these tips on my channel mainly for acoustic guitar! Think I am going for a glass fiber one for starters.

martinbaltser

Video suggestions: a demo sound comparison of 1) antonio guiliani etude 2) the one thats a step up from that, i forget the name 3) ricard bunell G2 or G1 4) louis carpini G2 or G3
The idea being a sampling of sounds from decent level beginner instruments as well as a slight step up in price. It helps to know the sound that you pay for, and learn what is bright, dark, average, mellow, smooth, etc. Very helpful for new violinists. So perhaps demo the instrument, describe the sound. Maybe even add who it is suited to. Is one more playable? More tricky? Does one handle more advanced techniques better? Is one better to project it’s voice vs being used in a more closed setting?

What IS the sound diff between a carpini G3 vs the upgraded G2? Same with the Bunell. That could be it’s own vid.

How about a bow demo, like 4 bows on one violin thats a beginner, an intermediate, advanced instrument.

Maybe a vid on what capabilities advanced and intermediate instruments have vs cheaper instruments. (I’m still mystified on this. “Better wood” doesn’t translate to anything tangible to me...)

lurklingX

Is it better to replace hair on a bow or buy another bow? Like worn out tires in a vehicle.

minervac

Iam loveing my bow that I got from you guys and thank you it Carbon fiber ,

waynechurchill

One thing is often even a top of the line CF bow does not have first class hair on it. I play violin and viola and I have a top of the line Coda viola bow (Diamond GX) It is pretty good but not up to my Gilles Nehr, David Samuel, Douglas Ragus. I have a feeling that if I had the Coda Bow rehaired by my bow guy it would be better. On the other hand it is much better than what you would get for the same price in Pernambuco. I know Coda has a new line (Marquise?) I haven't tried that.

dwightbrown