tomg88 - Posted - 05/11/2024:  09:30:12

I've had my bows for a long time, but a cousin's daughter has been playing since 5th grade, and graduating high school this year. Going to college to study music and she confided that she'd like a wooden bow. She currently has a Glasser. Where would you buy a decent bow at a good price?

rosinhead - Posted - 05/12/2024:  04:06:40

I would take her to a reputable violin shop that has A LOT of bows available. Have her bring her violin and sample as many as possible within her price range. This will give her the best opportunity to find exactly what she is looking for.
IMO, it is worth driving hours to do so. If that isn't doable, then there are plenty of online sites that will ship you multiple bows (up to 5 at a time maybe?) to sample. Johnson Strings and Shar Music are a couple of good online retailers that will do so.

UsuallyPickin - Posted - 05/12/2024:  04:59:30

Indeed. Rosinhead is correct. Let her audition her bows. Pernambuco wood is considered the best wood for a violin bow. The French make the best bows followed by the German's and the folks in Brazil. U.S. handmade bows ar PRICEY. Brazilwood is acceptable and much less expensive. Just not top tier. It is not unheard of to spend several thousand dollars on a "good" not "great" bow. Good luck.

RobBob - Posted - 05/12/2024:  05:41:40

It is important that she gets a well balanced and responsive bow. Be prepared to pay, but she is the one who needs to find it. I have a friend who recently went up, down and around until he found a bow that served his needs. He spent several months at this task with a sizable nest egg to pay for it. He finally settled on a bow that he likes but did not full fill his complete expectations. Get ready.

wrench13 - Posted - 05/12/2024:  06:25:50

There is almost as much trickery and fakery with bows as there is with violins. And they are harder to spot on bows. Best advice I can give is try and have her music teacher at least put down on paper what she should be looking for, ie weight, balance point, etc so she does not get a bow that will hinder her development as a player. Best case would be if her teacher went along for the tryouts.

Bows are just as important as the fiddle, in terms of aiding the player get their musical ideas across! Unless you play, you have no idea how much easier it is to play with a good bow. I went from a $150 bow to one that was appraised at $750 many years ago. And that is not a lot to spend on a bow. The difference in playability was like night and day.

DougD - Posted - 05/12/2024:  06:58:04

Sounds like she's come a long way with her Glasser bow. As others have said, the bow is at least as important as the violin, maybe more so. Its a very individual decision, something she'll have to decide for herself. I'd also agree that getting her teacher involved is a good idea. Lots of good advice so far in this thread - its just not like buying a blender out of a catalog.
We have a member (a dealer and violin luthier) who periodically posts bows for sale in the classifieds on this site, sometimes for quite reasonable prices. I'm not endorsing them, but the classified section here might be a place to start looking to get a feel for the market, as well as the websites of some of the dealers already mentioned.

Edited by - DougD on 05/12/2024 07:10:35

Lonesome Fiddler - Posted - 05/12/2024:  13:25:59

If there's no decent violin/fiddle outlet within driving distance, try to arrange a field trip to a town that has it's share of violin/fiddle shops. Bring the violin, have a salesperson bring out a fistful of bows in the general price range and let the girl have her fun. If she's as serious about the pursuit as you say, it'll turn her head around and she'll be happy as heck. And oh yeah -- trust the salesperson. They're usually a good step-and-a-half more trustworthy than the average used car salesperson.