The old violin I bought from the gypsy music player in Ghent came with a 3/4th bow. I haven't touched it for a long time, but now I rediscovered this bow. The hair still looks good to me and I must admit this one sounds great on my good fiddle, it is a good match imho. I like this one better than my 4/4 wooden bow and it even beats the sound of my codabow on my good fiddle.
I took a couple of pictures.
Can anyone tell me more about the label, which I cannot read well?
I found out this 3/4th bow is in fact a nice bow to navigate with on my strings, it is easy to handle and it gives a firm feeling of pulling and pushing. It seems to me it is a good alternative to choking a 4/4 bow for fast tunes, although it is nice on slow speed also.
Am I the only one who is in fact happy with this slightly shorter bow? Or are there more fiddle players who would use a 3/4th bow?
Now that I zoomed in I think the label says P&H London, but it confuses me because they do not seem to have wooden bows in their assortiment when I google this. Is it wood or am I mistaken?
Edited by - Quincy on 06/08/2024 22:52:40
Looks like your research is correct. They appear to make non wooden bows and were perhaps innovators in that area. If it sounds good, use it. I have a bow that is slightly longer than standard. Does not fit into a fiddle case so pretty much useless :-)
Use it! Enjoy it!
Heck, I been laying with a viola bow for years ( the one that exploded recently). Never knew it, the bow guy pointed out that fact to me. If you like the 3/4's feel, go for it. Your bow is your connection, the better you feel about it....
Chickenman is right that it appears P&H make economical fiberglass and carbon fiber bows. They do look a bit like wood though. Examine the end at the tip and see if it looks shiny.
"If the bow fits, saw with it."
P&H bows are similar to Glasser. They’re cheap student bows that are made with interchangeable plastic parts to keep costs of production down. They’re usable as entry-level student bows. The benefit to fiberglass and carbon fiber bows at the entry level is that they are less prone to warpage than the cheap wooden bows that are often sold at a similar price.
These bows can be rehaired, but it’s generally not worthwhile to do so, as a decent rehair costs more than a replacement bow.
quote:
Originally posted by Quincy
Am I the only one who is in fact happy with this slightly shorter bow?
Hm, does it really matter? If it sings for you, it's yours. :)
A shorter bow will allow for a different style of articulation. Playing with a baroque bow also accomplishes this as it is shorter than the modern bow.
The disadvantage is that you lose bow for longer notes and slurs, but that’s less of an issue for fiddle tunes, many of which were composed when the baroque bow was in regular use.
