Extreme beginners bow.

HeavenOnAStick · #1 08-31-2006, 01:50 PM

Hey, I'm trying to find a cheap bow to start out on. I don't want to spend a bunch of money at the moment, at least not until I know I'll be playing more. But for now, am I just throwing my money buying a fiberglass bow? Both Upton and URB Bob have cheap fiberglass bows under $60, which would be nice, but I don't want to throw away $60 if it's not even worth my time. Should I go ahead and buy those for now, or is it better to spend a bit more and $100-150 bow?

toman · #2 08-31-2006, 02:59 PM

I haven't played the $150 ones, but you're going to lose all the money anyway, so I'd go as cheap as possible. That way when you go to upgrade you'll have just that much more $$$.

TheSuzie · #3 08-31-2006, 03:20 PM

I decided to spend a bit more and get a bow that may be worth a few rehairs before I move on. Somehow the idea of bowing an acoustic instrument with a plastic stick was a turnoff to me. I also wanted a properly balanced bow so that I would not have any extra strain or develop any bad habits.

You can read what George Vance has to say about beginners bows in his newsletter here. http://www.slavapub.net/pdf/ReaderNo1.pdf

Peace,
S

HeavenOnAStick · #4 08-31-2006, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toman

I haven't played the $150 ones, but you're going to lose all the money anyway, so I'd go as cheap as possible. That way when you go to upgrade you'll have just that much more $$$.

I thought of that. If I'll buy a new bow after a bit anyway, I might as well have an extra $50-100 to spend on that new bow.

Suzie, I don't know if it makes much of a difference, but I'll be playing an the Palatino VE-500 primarily (an EUB), so it's not quite an acoustic instrument. And as far as the article, the sizing of the bows isn't a huge deal, since I'm 5'11", and big enough to handle a decent sized bow. And the Carbow that he suggested is a bit out of my price range.

TheSuzie · #5 08-31-2006, 06:38 PM

Sorry I should have been more clear. I was actually referring to the statement that implied that fiberglass bows tended to tip heavy and may require the student to do some retraining when moving to other bows.

"The typical fiberglass bow, in addition to being too long, is so tip heavy that the student cannot manage it in a normal way. Later, when he acquires a bow that is properly balanced, he will have to retrain."

I know nothing of Carbow, never even seen one in person. I also at this point don't play an EUB.

Again, I should have been more specific.

Peace,
S

sejarus · #6 09-01-2006, 12:05 PM

HeavenOnaStick, I just PM'ed you.

Dave Whitla · #7 09-05-2006, 05:43 AM

IMO you're wasting your money if you get a really cheap fibreglass (or wood) bow, because it will play so poorly that you'll get discouraged by the lousy sound it makes and how terrible it feels in your hand. If you're just starting out with using a bow you want equipment that doesn't make learning it so much harder (it's difficult enough!)

Carbondix make a cheap carbon fibre bow that is pretty well balanced and don't sound too bad. They play in the string pretty well but also bounce a bit so you can do quite a lot with them. Here in Ireland they're about 300 euro. Maybe they would be cheaper in North America, but I think you'd have to pay over a thousand bucks to get a better wood bow.

**Damon Rondeau** · #8 09-05-2006, 01:33 PM

The worst mistake to make in a cheap bow is not to get real horsehair. Synthetic bow hair is a total waste of resources. Don't do it, don't even think of it.

greitzer · #9 09-06-2006, 08:28 PM

Heaven -- I'm not sure whether you've used a bow before, or you are taking lessons, etc. Your profile doesn't give any indication of this. So my advice is, if this will be your first bow, I would recommend buying it from a local stringed instrument shop rather than via mail order/internet. It will be helpful for you to feel several bows and see which one feels best to you, in terms of its weight, its balance from frog to tip, etc.

You can also do this via the mail with some shops such as Lemur Music, which will send you a few bows and you can try them all, then send back the ones you don't want and just keep the one you're going to buy (or send 'em all back, if you don't like any of 'em). Other mail order outlets may do the same thing.

But however you do it, I'd try several before you decide which one to buy just on price alone.

Good luck.