Chinese Snakewood?

[TMWBassist]

Originally Posted by stiv1

I too just received one of these french snakewood bows and would agree with what TMWBassist said above. My curiosity was piqued by the conversation being had here and was a cheap way to try a snakewood stick. Pretty amazing for 250 bucks!

Stiv1,

I'm gade you like yours as well. I think it was a great investment. They will also cutomize a bow to your specs as well.
My bow seems to work well for me, but how do you like the hair that it came with?

[stiv1]

The hair seems fine for me really. I actually do not not prefer
one type of hair over another. My only preference is that the hair be a bit on the shorter side which this bow has. This bow does pull a kind of a raw, gravelly sound which might have
something to do with the hair. Hmm.

[TMWBassist]

The hair seems fine for me really. I actually do not not prefer
one type of hair over another. My only preference is that the hair be a bit on the shorter side which this bow has. This bow does pull a kind of a raw, gravelly sound which might have
something to do with the hair. Hmm.

Has that bow been working out for you? I was curious over time what were your thoughts about it? Or, if you thought it is as good when you first got it!

[robobass]

Hey everyone, I finally got my bow from Yitamusic. It actually came last week but I was travelling. I haven't had much time with it yet, but so far I absolutely love it! I'll post more details, reaction, and pics in a few days
Robobass

[robobass]

View the bow here.

It turns out that the Snakewood weighs in at 145g, exactly the weight of the Pernambuco bow it was modelled after. I can’t explain this. The heads are slightly different and the stick thicknesses vary somewhat, but it looks like pretty much the same amount of wood. The craftsmanship is excellent (Take a look at the frog!). There are some coarse scratches which were not sanded out before finishing, and the cambering is a bit uneven, but overall the thing is beautiful, and a real head turner.

I used it today on my stiff Poellmann 5-string for a choral rehearsal. It’s like the bow was specifically designed for this bass. Any long tone stuff is just pure pleasure. We did some Mendelssohn stuff with some delicate spiccato passages. It was a little awkward at first, since the bow is so stiff, but I quickly adjusted and stopped noticing. On the break I worked on my standard orchestra rep and Dittersdorf, and was loving every moment.

The tone is really clear and focused, and attacks sharp and powerful. This may not suit everyone’s taste, but for me, it’s about as undesirable as speeding down the Autobahn in a Ferrari with Heidi Klum in the passenger seat (Yes, I’ve done that!).

I’ve had only a few moments with the bow on my own basses, which have lower tension and Obligatos. I’m not sure it is as suitable for them. Here, the bow makes lots of sound, but is more difficult to control. I may get used to it. Perhaps I’ll switch one bass back to steel strings.

Overall, my biggest thought is what my career might have been like had I had this bow 20 years ago. Inflation adjusted, it was about the same price as my first bow. Well, I’ve got the bow now, and I plan to do some damage with it!

Robobass

[TMWBassist]

Originally Posted by robobass

View the bow here.

It turns out that the Snakewood weighs in at 145g, exactly the weight of the Pernambuco bow it was modelled after. I can’t explain this. The heads are slightly different and the stick thicknesses vary somewhat, but it looks like pretty much the same amount of wood. The craftsmanship is excellent (Take a look at the frog!). There are some coarse scratches which were not sanded out before finishing, and the cambering is a bit uneven, but overall the thing is beautiful, and a real head turner.

I used it today on my stiff Poellmann 5-string for a choral rehearsal. It’s like the bow was specifically designed for this bass. Any long tone stuff is just pure pleasure. We did some Mendelssohn stuff with some delicate spiccato passages. It was a little awkward at first, since the bow is so stiff, but I quickly adjusted and stopped noticing. On the break I worked on my standard orchestra rep and Dittersdorf, and was loving every moment.

The tone is really clear and focused, and attacks sharp and powerful. This may not suit everyone’s taste, but for me, it’s about as undesirable as speeding down the Autobahn in a Ferrari with Heidi Klum in the passenger seat (Yes, I’ve done that!).

I’ve had only a few moments with the bow on my own basses, which have lower tension and Obligatos. I’m not sure it is as suitable for them. Here, the bow makes lots of sound, but is more difficult to control. I may get used to it. Perhaps I’ll switch one bass back to steel strings.

Overall, my biggest thought is what my career might have been like had I had this bow 20 years ago. Inflation adjusted, it was about the same price as my first bow. Well, I’ve got the bow now, and I plan to do some damage with it!

Robobass

Robobass,

Your new bow was made to your specs? I'm glad it is working out for you. I have my German snakewood and was waiting till someone ordered a custom bow to do the same. I am glad it worked out for you. I will look into doing the same soon. Is there any special information you needed to supply Yitamusic?

TMWBassist

[Stan Haskins]

Originally Posted by TMWBassist

Robobass,

Your new bow was made to your specs? I'm glad it is working out for you. I have my German snakewood and was waiting till someone ordered a custom bow to do the same. I am glad it worked out for you. I will look into doing the same soon. Is there any special information you needed to supply Yitamusic?

TMWBassist

Tell us a little more about the stock (non-custom) German snakewood bow, when you get a chance. I'm curious, and I guess the low cost would make it worth not having a trial.

By the way, did you get the one with the oddly shaped frog (I think they were referring to it as a "Gamba style")

Thanks-

[TMWBassist]

Originally Posted by Stan Haskins

Tell us a little more about the stock (non-custom) German snakewood bow, when you get a chance. I'm curious, and I guess the low cost would make it worth not having a trial.

By the way, did you get the one with the oddly shaped frog (I think they were referring to it as a "Gamba style")

Thanks-

Stan,

The German snakewood bow I have turned out very nice. It's 149g has a great feel to it and far as tone and sound it is very nice. If I have to compare it to some high end German bow I would have to say it would hold its own. But, it is taking me a while to adjust to the feel for spiccato and weight, but i am enjoying this bow! The quality of workmanship on the bow is good as well. Not as good as a high end bow, far as small details, but still nice and for what I paid I will say it is well worth it!
I am looking to get one more to my specs at a lower weight. I will most likely copy a different high end bow, but made of snakewood. Here is a picture of mine.

[Adrian Cho]

Speaking of these yitamusic bows, what do you think these lightweight "gamba" bows like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GAMBA-A-Fine-Afr...QQcmdZViewItem

and:

http://cgi.ebay.com/GAMBA-A-Fine-Afr...QQcmdZViewItem

would be like on a bass? They are about half the weight of an average double bass bow.

[robobass]

I'd never heard of "blackwood" before I started looking at these Ebay sites. Anyone know anything about it?

As far as ordering a custom bow, I sent lots of photos and measurements, including diameter at various parts of the stick. You might invest in a digital caliper if you haven't got one.
They didn't copy the bow exactly. FA, the head is swan shaped, where the original was more conventional. I've got no complaints about this, though. The only thing that might be an issue is that the stick warps slightly to the right. In pernambuco this would be a problem, but this stick is so stiff that it hardly bends at all under hair tension. If the bow had been made locally, I would take it back and have it straightened. I could take it to someone else, but since the bow plays so well, I've decided not to mess with it.

One other thing. My feeling is that with the stiffness of snakewood, a shorter bow will probably give better control, especially with spiccato. Choose your model carefully!

Robobass

[TMWBassist]

I am not too familiar with blackwood either. I have never used a "gamba" style bow. I am assuming it is usually used for baroque style playing. I could be wrong, but either way I haven't used a bow that light. I am curious to know if someone has and if so what is their opinion of those style bows.

[TMWBassist]

Originally Posted by robobass

....One other thing. My feeling is that with the stiffness of snakewood, a shorter bow will probably give better control, especially with spiccato. Choose your model carefully!

Robobass

Robobass,
I took your advice and started to go through the process of ordering a bow to my spec, but I shorten the length to the same as a "Gary Karr" bow. They said the can do that and meet my measurement and weight requirements as well. I hope so! I also am getting mine a little lighter between 132-138g.

How long did it take to make yours and if you had the option would you keep your bow all snakewood or possible use the combo with carbon fiber?

Thanks,
George

[robobass]

Originally Posted by TMWBassist

Robobass,

How long did it take to make yours and if you had the option would you keep your bow all snakewood or possible use the combo with carbon fiber?

It took about a month. I don't know what you mean about carbon fibre. Do you mean wood frog and CF stick? I did play one very nice CF bow a long time ago, but I like my new snakewood enough that I think that's it for me for the moment.

Good luck with your bow!
Robobass

[littlekatie]

I'm a baroque player - I think gamba bows are more for viola de gamba. Baroque bass bow has a swan tip (Is that what you call it? Like a normal tip but longer and flatter). I'll post some pictures of the baroque bass and bow..

[robobass]

Update,
Well I've had my custom Yitamusic bow for a month or so now. The biggest lesson I've learned is that bows are really instrument dependant. I still am in love with the bow when playing the big modern 5-string (Flexocor) in orchestra, but I brought both my new snakewood and the pern. C. English bow it was modelled after to a "Creation" production in a cloister where I was alone on my 4-string (Obligato) Pfretzchner. I played the snakewood for about five minutes and then switched to my old bow, which seemed to produce three times the sound. When I play my C. English on the 5-string I need to kill myself to be heard at all! Conclusion: Try out as many bows as possible and own as many as is practical.
Robobass

[Adrian Cho]

I recently won a Yitamusic German Snakewood bow auction on eBay. It was one of those auctions that started really low and I ended up getting the bow for about $200. The bow arrived with the hair cut cleanly near the ferrule. I couldn't understand why they would do that especially as the frog wasn't even in the stick so there was no tension. It was a bit bizarre but I was planning to get it rehaired immediately anyway so it wasn't a big deal.

I was very interested in this bow for a number of reasons. I've always wanted to try German bow, I've always wanted to try Snakewood, and I've always wanted to try a heavier bow. My other bow is a French Pernambuco stick that weighs about 147 grams. This Snakewood German is apparently 157 grams.

I've only used it a little bit so far but I love it and what an insane bargain it was. I can get a bigger, more pleasant sound out of this bow (I play on unwound gut on the top 2 strings), and German is so far a comfortable grip for me as I figured it might be. Although getting to the bottom string is definitely a little more awkward. I find string crossings a lot easier. I am not sure of the "usual" size for a German frog but this one does seem a little short for me.

[anonymous12251111]

Originally Posted by Adrian Cho

I recently won a Yitamusic German Snakewood bow auction on eBay. It was one of those auctions that started really low and I ended up getting the bow for about $200. The bow arrived with the hair cut cleanly near the ferrule. I couldn't understand why they would do that especially as the frog wasn't even in the stick so there was no tension. It was a bit bizarre but I was planning to get it rehaired immediately anyway so it wasn't a big deal.

I was very interested in this bow for a number of reasons. I've always wanted to try German bow, I've always wanted to try Snakewood, and I've always wanted to try a heavier bow. My other bow is a French Pernambuco stick that weighs about 147 grams. This Snakewood German is apparently 157 grams.

I've only used it a little bit so far but I love it and what an insane bargain it was. I can get a bigger, more pleasant sound out of this bow (I play on unwound gut on the top 2 strings), and German is so far a comfortable grip for me as I figured it might be. Although getting to the bottom string is definitely a little more awkward. I find string crossings a lot easier. I am not sure of the "usual" size for a German frog but this one does seem a little short for me.

Adrian, 147g is quite heavy for a Snakewood French bow. I got mine custom made by Bernard Walke and he was hesitant to go above 143 for a french frog.

[Adrian Cho]

My 147 gram French bow is Pernambuco. I've never had much success with lighter bows. Perhaps its the heavy gauge gut strings I play on but I find that lighter bows just can't grab the string and I end up having to compensate with bow pressure. The 157 gram Snakewood German has amazing grab.

[anonymous12251111]

Originally Posted by Adrian Cho

My 147 gram French bow is Pernambuco. I've never had much success with lighter bows. Perhaps its the heavy gauge gut strings I play on but I find that lighter bows just can't grab the string and I end up having to compensate with bow pressure. The 157 gram Snakewood German has amazing grab.

Awesome, does the German have a Viennese style frog? I find those much easier and more comfortable to use!

[robobass]

Originally Posted by Adrian Cho

Although getting to the bottom string is definitely a little more awkward.... I find string crossings a lot easier.

I've been to some new music concerts here (Germany) where there was a lot of playing on the 5th string. I've observed more than once the bassist switching to French grip for extended low passages. I've also noticed that colleagues in my section seem to have an easier time with certain crossings than I do on my French bow. I don't plan to switch, but I think there are some real advantages to German grip... and some disadvantages!
Robobass