David Gage Metropolitan Bow

[AZNBassist]

One thing I've noticed around these forums is that there isn't much mention or information about this bow. Then again, I don't think many people care because it is a carbon fiber bow (which has a questionable reputation among many musicians).

I actually have a Metropolitan bow, which was my first (and only) good bow, after Lynn Seaton recommended it and kindly let me try it out. I felt that this bow was really amazing, since it played much better than the bow I was using before and the weight and hold was much smoother. Though this is only my opinion and probably biased because I am definitely not the grandmaster/guru of bowing and my previous bow was a school rented wooden bow.

I'm just wondering if anyone else here owns, has owned, or has tried the David Gage Metropolitan Bow and what are your thought about it?

[shwashwa]

i borrowed 2 of these bows and a few others from the shop for a week to try. i thought the bow was really decent and pretty well balanced, but for the same money, or about $100 more, i found several wood bows that he was selling that were much better. i'm talking about german and french , i play and borrowed both... they weren't as grabby as the ones i ended up getting, and they didnt produce the same kind of tone. they were pretty solid bows, but in a side by side shootout with the 2 carbon fiber bows and about 4 or 5 others, my teacher and i both agreed that the carbon bows weren't the best of the batch, and like i said, i only ended up paying $100-$200 more and got a considerably better bow.

[fathead1]

I bought one of these bows from Bob Gollihur about six months ago. I play mostly orchestra, and have found the balance and feel to be excellent, especially for fast bowing passages. The only downside (very small) is that at times it seems the bow produces a slight metalic sounding overtone compared to a wood bow. Overall, I've been very pleased with this bow. Lynn Seaton's recommendation would also rank very high with me, as he has alway been a good purveyor of solid advice.

[Eric Hochberg]

I purchased a Metropolitan French bow after a/b ing it with some wood bows up to $1200.00. My colleague (who I did this with) and I both felt the Metropolitan was superior in feel and balance and the sound was good. His only negative comment was that the hair wasn't up to par. So far, I'm happy with it.

[LouisF]

After talkign with Sam at DG's, I traded a Water Violet bow for Metropolitan German bow and never looked back. It's well balanced, draws well and is comfortable to play.

Louis

[Cosmos]

I tried a Metropolitan when I was bow-searching a few months ago. I think it's a remarkable bow. I didn't end up buying the one I tried, but I really think that - especially for a carbon fiber bow - it plays extraordinarily well.

My teacher helped develop the Metropolitan, so he had been encouraging me to try one out. His recommendations certainly were not faulty. As I said, it's an amazing bow. The reason I didn't buy it was because of the weight - it felt a bit light to me, though it was well-balanced.

[paulunger]

I had the fortune to try one of the Metropolitan bows earlier this year. I even used it during a few orchestra rehearsals and found that it actually worked quite well. It does not have the tone of a high quality pernambuco stick, but it is definately the best carbon fiber bow I have ever played. It is very even throughout the length of the stick and can actually perform spiccato (most carbon bows are very difficult to control well when bouncing).
For the money it can't be beat and I would highly recommend it for a beginning student, non professional orchestra player or jazz player. It is a fine second bow or outdoor concert bow. It is almost unbreakable, which is nice for club and bar gigs.

[jallenbass]

Originally Posted by paulunger

(most carbon bows are very difficult to control well when bouncing)

This has not been my experience and I've played a fair number of them.