Jean Tabary bows??

[Bass Barrister]

Does anyone know anything about bows sold under the Jean Tabary or Prism name. In the US, they're distributed by JR Music Supply but there's only a minor mention of them on this forum.

These bows are made in Wadowice, Poland (hometown of the late JPII). They are made for all strings and there's a Canadian site that has testimonials from some symphone violinists. There's very little discussion about the bass models.

These are carbon-fiber bows BTW.

I'm just curious about this.

[slight-return]

I've played the 'cello bows and thought they were excellent

the consistency seemed very high from bow to bow (though, since I auditioned them at the same time, it's very possible they were all from the same production run)

Sorry, probably not much help - eh, take it for what it's worth

[LouisF]

Any more info on them since then?

Louis

[LouisF]

I decided to answer my own question and get a couple on trial from
Rhiannon Schmitt at www.fiddleheads.ca.

The bows are fairly light (@133 gr), well balanced, bounce well for spiccato and have a good attack. And, since they sent me two bows to try, they were pretty consistent in construction and quality. (they're made in Poland, I think)

But I found the tone from them oddly muddy and they felt a bit "plastic-y" in the hand, kind of dead feeling without much connection to the string.

They're okay all in all - but for the price (@$1000 each!), it's hard to recommend them over the Metropolitan, Karrbow or even the Finale.

So, they'll be going back.

LF

PS: I should add, though, that the service online etc from Rhiannon & her company was first rate.

[clclark]

I received a French style JT Prism bow and it plays well considering how nice it is. It's a decent bow, but I don't think it cost near $1000. It was a nice upgrade from my horrid glasser, but now as a university student I am running into trouble with my technique and tone because it is so light of a bow, especially at the tip. My teacher is actually amazed at the sound of it for how light it is, but I think I've gotten to the point where it's now holding me back.

I have not compared this to any of the other carbon fiber bows in the market. I only compared it within that price bracket and it was better than a wooden bow in that range.

I hope that helps you out!

[LouisF]

Yes, "Prism" is their other model - @ $250-$300. I Tried the "Original" (which was, oddly enough, "new and improved) as it was described as their professional model - so in my mind I was comparing it to the Karrbow or the Gage Metropolitan (both of which I owed when I was teaching in the high desert). I didn't think the two JT bows (both German frog, and made in Poland etc) were up to either the Gage or the Karrbow, which are roughly similar in price.

http://www.fiddleheads.ca/shop/bows/original.htm

Thanks

Louis

[NevilleLeck]

useful article...thanks