Bass bow information WIKI

crowsmengegus · #1 11-21-2012, 07:46 PM

I made a WIKI for bass bow information.

http://www.talkbass.com/wiki/index.php/Bass_Bows

It has information on contemporary bass bow makers right now, but it would be nice to get info on historical makers, and also bass bow "brands" as well.

jonn_ · #2 11-25-2012, 09:20 AM

I added some categories names and dates to the historical makers section. I got the dates from this page http://www.wps.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/bows_makers.htm - some of the info is incomplete. It would be nice to have more info on some of the more prominent living and historical makers - ie. who they learned their craft from, any competition prizes or notable players who use their bows. Maybe that could help structure the list more than just price. I would like to help more but I really don't have much experience with most of these makers. I know it would be helpful, for someone searching for a bow, to know that (for example) there are many players in the Philly orchestra using Reid Hudson bows or that Rabbath uses bows by Jean Grunberger or that Sue Lipkins' french model is based on features of Sartory and Vigneron. The popularity amongst top players might be as useful as price. Would be nice to note if a contemporary maker tends to make one kind of bow more than another (i.e. Longer or shorter, lighter or heavier, higher or lower frog or head) or whether they are more flexible depending on the commission. This is the kind of crowd sourcing project that Talk Bass should be good for. I will contribute whatever I can.

crowsmengegus · #3 11-27-2012, 09:38 AM

Wow, excellent work. I have a bit of information on some of these makers (historical and contemporary), and I'll add more when I get time.

Bow info seems harder to come by than bass info, so it would be nice to build up a good reference!

jonn_ · #4 11-28-2012, 06:47 PM

I've been jumping around various websites to get as much pertinent info in one place as possible. It is great to look into each makers site to see the kind of work they are doing - many I never heard of are producing stunningly beautiful bows. I think this thread should be made into a sticky at the top of the page. This wiki should be a big time saver for players of any level looking for a new bow.

LouisF · #5 11-29-2012, 12:45 AM

A couple more to add:

http://www.carlier-archetier.com/pag...c5=double-bass

http://jbabows.com/page52.html

Louis

jonn_ · #6 11-30-2012, 07:30 PM

Added. There is a serious lack of contemporary German makers on this list (I mean from the country). I am sure there are plenty more Germans making fine bass bows.

Eric Rene Roy · #7 12-01-2012, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crowsmengegus

It has information on contemporary bass bow makers right now, but it would be nice to get info on historical makers, and also bass bow "brands" as well.

I just looked at this...and I'm not sure brands belong here. Where will it stop if imported sticks with independent brands from retailers are entered? We do not make our bows...we import pieces and set them up...and while I'm glad we are on the list...I'm just afraid this list will become "clogged" with house brands as retailers learn of this list through google searches and request their bows be entered as well. If that changes, and we do begin making bows...that would be different (and not $250ish).

My .02, keep it to actual makers.

Thoughts???

crowsmengegus · #8 12-01-2012, 11:45 AM

Hi Eric, thanks for the input.

My thoughts are that we should fix a problem if one appears, but I don't think there is a problem yet. The list started as a place for people to organize contemporary makers, but I thought it would be nice to have at least some basic information on popular brands, even if, like Upton, you just set them up. I think that info is helpful for bow shoppers who are just looking for ideas about what to purchase. If you guys begin making bows, then we could put some information in the WIKI to make that clear.

By the way, a google search for "bass bows" doesn't turn up the WIKI, at least in the first 10 pages. A search for "bass bow makers" does turn up the original thread on contemporary makers as the first result. So it seems the brand stuff isn't dominating the search results.

Anyway, that's my $.02. Further thoughts?

I suppose I should mention that I think organizing by pricing is practical, but maybe unfair to the makers. Perhaps we should organize by location and put pricing info parenthetically if available. Thoughts?

jonn_ · #9 12-02-2012, 01:57 AM

Maybe Eric is right, It would be a little much for every shop to want all of their offerings listed like I did for the few shops on the list. This won't happen until this wiki hits Google's front page. If that is the case, we will definitely need a policy.
Of course there will never be a comprehensive list of bow makers- especially if you include workshops. It is both nearly impossible and quite impractical as well. But at the same time, it is not so clear where to draw the line. I don't want someone curating the list or cutting it down by price. Of course there have always been workshops producing bows- most German and now Chinese bows seem that way - but that isn't necessarily indicative of quality. After all, the Bazin Family and Morizot brothers produced many unbranded bows in the last century and some of the most remarkable makers in history produced "shop" bows (in house) for Vuillaume or Hill and Sons. Of course this is apples and oranges. I wouldn't compare the early work of Maline, Voirin or Tubbs with some Chinese shop or whoever "Claude Marchand" is, but should they be categorically ruled out?
I know it isn't practical to stare at a long list of store branded workshop bows for someone trying to find a bow-to much noise not enough signal. There are just too many shops with similar offerings. However, I think it would enlightening to know more about the trade- maybe a paragraph or two about how some shops import Chinese (or other) workshop bows. There should definitely be a section on shop brands if only to shed some light on their origins, varied quality, materials, price etc. I guess many shops handle this business in different ways, but maybe it sounds like Eric could contribute something very valuable to someone on the hunt for an affordable bow. I don't see anything wrong with deleting what is there now as long as it is replaced with something useful and educational. My $.03.