bejoyous
10-16-2006, 08:46 PM
I've had a KSB Tecchler German Bow for about a month now. I feel I know it well enough now to do a review.
I used to play with a Reid Hudson French bow until I sold in in 1992 when I couldn't play anymore. I sold it to a player in Orchestra London, where I now play, so I have access to it regularly though. It is a very nice bow that is perfectly made and plays beautifully.
Since I've been playing again, I've been playing a cheap Chinese German bow or a Glasser fiberglass job in emergencies. Then they both blew up a couple of months ago.
The Tecchler bow is very good for what it is. There are some negative things about it, but mostly positive things.
The Cons:
When it arrived the hair was very loose. The frog had to be tightened to 3/4 down the mortise before the hair was even straight. Perhaps most bows from China arrive that way due to humidity and all that. I had the hair tightened and the stick is much better balanced.
The mortise in the tip is slightly off-center (2mm from the edge on one side and 3mm from the other). Plus, the head is slightly off center from the stick. While the stick is staight when the hair is loose, when the hair is tightened for playing the stick bends to the right (curved in towards the strings). It doesn't seem to affect the playing capabilities but I wonder what the bow will look like in years to come.
The Pros:
The over-all look is very nice. The wood is nicely carved and finished. There is a nice transition from octagonal to round in the stick just past the "whalebone" wrapping. The wrapping is very tight and neatly tucked under at the end and the leather looks almost seamless. There are a few sploches in the wood of the tip but hey, it's only $400.
The Frog is a comfortable size. The back side of the frog that sits next to your hand is rounded off with no sharp corners.
It comes with either Kolstien soft or all-weather rosin, as well. I chose the soft. This rosin is waaaayy better than Carlson, which I've used forever. There's no powder build up and you get a very strong connection with the string. You just need to be careful with it as it is super gooey. It pulls a very smooth and powerful sound out of my bass. (Maybe this contributes to my satisfaction with the new bow.)
On to the important stuff. The bow plays very well. It stays on the string very easily with no little placement bounces. I rarely have to put much weight on the strings to get a big sound out of the instrument. Yet, I can do a nice Mozart bounce for repeated notes. Then when I have to do John Williams melodic timpani lines, I can really whack the strings and get a good round, drum-like note each time.
Best of all, there is no little crunch at the beginning of the notes as when I was playing with my cheaper bows. When I used to play, say Bartered Bride or trio in Beethoven 5th, it was just a slew of scratch and crunches. Now, there is a nice ticka, ticka on each note as it starts to vibrate and the note is heard. The Kolstien soft probably has a lot to do with this as well.
The volume of the bass itself is a little greater plus sounds much fuller and solid. I also don't have to work so hard to play well.
The Tecchler bow compares quite well to my old Hudson bow. It is still a better playing bow but it is much, much more expensive.
If the Hudson bow was rated a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd give the Tecchler bow a rating of 7.8 for workmanship (if the tip was done properly, it would be a 8.4); an 8.3 for looks and feel in the hand; and an 8.7 for playability.
I think I stand a better chance in auditions now! Thanks Ken.
I used to play with a Reid Hudson French bow until I sold in in 1992 when I couldn't play anymore. I sold it to a player in Orchestra London, where I now play, so I have access to it regularly though. It is a very nice bow that is perfectly made and plays beautifully.
Since I've been playing again, I've been playing a cheap Chinese German bow or a Glasser fiberglass job in emergencies. Then they both blew up a couple of months ago.
The Tecchler bow is very good for what it is. There are some negative things about it, but mostly positive things.
The Cons:
When it arrived the hair was very loose. The frog had to be tightened to 3/4 down the mortise before the hair was even straight. Perhaps most bows from China arrive that way due to humidity and all that. I had the hair tightened and the stick is much better balanced.
The mortise in the tip is slightly off-center (2mm from the edge on one side and 3mm from the other). Plus, the head is slightly off center from the stick. While the stick is staight when the hair is loose, when the hair is tightened for playing the stick bends to the right (curved in towards the strings). It doesn't seem to affect the playing capabilities but I wonder what the bow will look like in years to come.
The Pros:
The over-all look is very nice. The wood is nicely carved and finished. There is a nice transition from octagonal to round in the stick just past the "whalebone" wrapping. The wrapping is very tight and neatly tucked under at the end and the leather looks almost seamless. There are a few sploches in the wood of the tip but hey, it's only $400.
The Frog is a comfortable size. The back side of the frog that sits next to your hand is rounded off with no sharp corners.
It comes with either Kolstien soft or all-weather rosin, as well. I chose the soft. This rosin is waaaayy better than Carlson, which I've used forever. There's no powder build up and you get a very strong connection with the string. You just need to be careful with it as it is super gooey. It pulls a very smooth and powerful sound out of my bass. (Maybe this contributes to my satisfaction with the new bow.)
On to the important stuff. The bow plays very well. It stays on the string very easily with no little placement bounces. I rarely have to put much weight on the strings to get a big sound out of the instrument. Yet, I can do a nice Mozart bounce for repeated notes. Then when I have to do John Williams melodic timpani lines, I can really whack the strings and get a good round, drum-like note each time.
Best of all, there is no little crunch at the beginning of the notes as when I was playing with my cheaper bows. When I used to play, say Bartered Bride or trio in Beethoven 5th, it was just a slew of scratch and crunches. Now, there is a nice ticka, ticka on each note as it starts to vibrate and the note is heard. The Kolstien soft probably has a lot to do with this as well.
The volume of the bass itself is a little greater plus sounds much fuller and solid. I also don't have to work so hard to play well.
The Tecchler bow compares quite well to my old Hudson bow. It is still a better playing bow but it is much, much more expensive.
If the Hudson bow was rated a 10 on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd give the Tecchler bow a rating of 7.8 for workmanship (if the tip was done properly, it would be a 8.4); an 8.3 for looks and feel in the hand; and an 8.7 for playability.
I think I stand a better chance in auditions now! Thanks Ken.
