KSB B. Fendt German Bow

[Eli_Upright12]

I'm strongly leaning towards this bow as it looks to be a huge value at the relatively low price of 600 dollars, but I would like to here anything that anyone has to say about this bow. I might note that I am coming from a glasser fiberglass bow and that I play in the Gary Karr style (near the bridge, slow bow, lots of bow weight and into the string). I would probably using this bow more for solo work than orchestral, but that might just be because the Glasser is not well suited for orchestral work, so I guess I would like to know what kind of tone this bow produces and whether it is well balanced and can pull off standard orchestral bow techniques.

[dchan]

Originally Posted by Eli_Upright12

I'm strongly leaning towards this bow as it looks to be a huge value at the relatively low price of 600 dollars, but I would like to here anything that anyone has to say about this bow. I might note that I am coming from a glasser fiberglass bow and that I play in the Gary Karr style (near the bridge, slow bow, lots of bow weight and into the string). I would probably using this bow more for solo work than orchestral, but that might just be because the Glasser is not well suited for orchestral work, so I guess I would like to know what kind of tone this bow produces and whether it is well balanced and can pull off standard orchestral bow techniques.

When you ask about the tone of the bow, you're speaking as if all the KSB B. Fendt bows sound the same. The fact is that no two bows will sound the same, even if they are mass-produced like these bows are.

When I went over to Ken's workshop to pick out my bow a couple of years ago, he played several different bows of the same model. Some had a louder sound while others had a sweeter sound. Even the playability of each bow was different: some bows grabbed the strings really well.

But in general, all of the bows played really well, worlds better than my old Upton bow that I had before. Even cheapest bow, a brazilwood bow, played stupendously; it played so well that I thought it played even better than most the more expensive pernambuco bows (fantastic spiccatto!). All were balanced pretty well and played to the tip without any real trouble like my old Upton did. In the end, I bought a very warm sounding C. Loveri bow that was very aggressives sounding yet sweet sounding on Ken's basses. On my basses, it is less sweet sounding, but still very powerful and warm. It's not a great bow playability wise, but I think a rehair and a new setup on my bass might change that.

They are more expensive than Uptons, but if you call yourself a student of orchestral bass, than you must be willing to spend even more than what KSB bows cost. For the money, thought, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better value anywhere. Ken says he based the design specifications on bows costing thousands of dollars, so you're getting a well designed bow no matter what.

But before buying the bow, I recommend you actually try several bows on sale to find what best suits your ability. You can either try them at Ken's workshop or at dealers that sell KSB bows: ask Ken who sells them. Either way, the bow will be worlds better than the Glasser you've been using (actually, almost any other bow would be also.)

[Eli_Upright12]

Originally Posted by dchan

When you ask about the tone of the bow, your speaking as if all the KSB B. Fendt bows sound the same. The fact is that no two bows will sound the same, even if they are mass-produced like these bows are.

When I went over to Ken's workshop to pick out my bow a couple of years ago, he played several different bows of the same model. Some had a louder sound while others had a sweeter sound. Even the playability of each bow was different: some bows grabbed the strings really well.

But in general, all of the bows played really well, worlds better than my old Upton bow that I had before. Even cheapest bow, a brazilwood bow, played stupendously; it played so well that I thought it played even better than most the more expensive pernambuco bows (fantastic spiccatto!). All were balanced pretty well and played to the tip without any real trouble like my old Upton did. In the end, I bought a very warm sounding C. Loveri bow that was very aggressives sounding yet sweet sounding on Ken's basses. On my basses, it is less sweet sounding, but still very powerful and warm. It's not a great bow playability wise, but I think a rehair and a new setup on my bass might change that.

They are more expensive than Uptons, but if you call yourself a student of orchestral bass, than you must be willing to spend even more than what KSB bows cost. For the money, thought, I think you would be hard pressed to find a better value anywhere. Ken says he based the design specifications on bows costing thousands of dollars, so you're getting a well designed bow no matter what.

But before buying the bow, I recommend you actually try several bows on sale to find what best suits your ability. You can either try them at Ken's workshop or at dealers that sell KSB bows: ask Ken who sells them. Either way, the bow will be worlds better than the Glasser you've been using (actually, almost any other bow would be also.)

Thanks Drake, This is exactly what I was hoping to here. While I know two bows never sound then same, I just wanted to know from some one whose tried them because I'm in no way able to try these bows. They seem like such a good deal that I need to spring for one. It is reassuring to hear that some one tried these and thought they were good bows.

[Eli_Upright12]

Well I got one of these, and it came today, my first impression is that its incredible, it starts the string faster, doesnt squeek, pulls sound out of the bass and looks really cool. I've been just playing around on a couple of solo pieces and orchestra excerpts. Its awesome so far, Ive never sounded so big on the Koussevitzky or Mozart 40. The other thing Ive noticed is that I really like Black hair Ive never played on it before but it sounds really great. I'll try to give another review after a week or so and when I get a chance to take it to my teacher.

[Eli_Upright12]

After a week I'm still in love with this bow, Maybe teacher loved the sound I was pulling out of the bass at my lesson today. The only negative I can find about it so far is that the ebony screw is a little bit sticky, this might be just because its new, but it takes a little bit of effort to get it up to tension. Also I'm now on the border about the black hair, its a little bit too harsh for me, but with some adjustments and different playing styles it doesn't inhibit me at all.

[dchan]

I'm glad that you have enjoyed your bow thus far, Eli. For the money, I can't think of a better bow. Perhaps it is because I haven't tried too many other bows in the same price range, but I think that it hold its own. My teacher thinks that my bow is a great bow for the price, and he regularly uses an $8,000 Fetique.

I have never used a bow with black hair for an extensive period, so I can't say much about how the hair affects the playability. The bleached white hair on my bow isn't great to play with; it's somewhat gritty in sound and pretty weak and brittle due to the bleaching process, but it's still okay and usable. I would think that the black hair will hold up better. Consider a re-hair if it's too unworkable for you, or figure out how to work with the bow as is.

[Eli_Upright12]

Originally Posted by dchan

I'm glad that you have enjoyed your bow thus far, Eli. For the money, I can't think of a better bow. Perhaps it is because I haven't tried too many other bows in the same price range, but I think that it hold its own. My teacher thinks that my bow is a great bow for the price, and he regularly uses an $8,000 Fetique.

I have never used a bow with black hair for an extensive period, so I can't say much about how the hair affects the playability. The bleached white hair on my bow isn't great to play with; it's somewhat gritty in sound and pretty weak and brittle due to the bleaching process, but it's still okay and usable. I would think that the black hair will hold up better. Consider a re-hair if it's too unworkable for you, or figure out how to work with the bow as is.

Thanks for the advice and input. the bow I had before had either bleached white hair or synthetic hair, so this is an upgrade for sure, its just different, not worse, I guess. Its just a little less forgiving on really technical passages. It'll make me better in the end, because I'll have to be more precise on really screaming high and fast stuff.