Bow hair rubbing against the finished wood?

[Jack Clark]

A bassist friend gave me one of his fiberglass bows that he would no longer be using to try on my strange bass. I have the possibility of bowing only the two outside strings at best. I find that because of the low position of the strings, combined with the very shallow C-bout, the only way I can bow the E string without involving the A string next to it is to drag the bow hairs against the top edge of my bass--which is not a sharp edge, but rather rounded and varnished. I don't mind wiping the resin off later with a cloth, but am I damaging the bow hairs by doing this? I've done it several times now, and the hair does not look frayed at all. Also, would it help to avoid the A string if I tightened-up the bow hairs as much as possible? (I'm already depressing the A string to help get it out of the way.)

Thanks in advance.

[Don Higdon]

You're trying to play the instrument contrary to how it was designed to be played.
Yes, you're subjecting the bow hairs to an additional source of wear, but without seeing it, no one can judge the degree of harm. You'll find out by experience.

[Jack Clark]

Yes, I think you're right--that's the only thing to do. Thanks for confirming, Don.