Quote:
Originally Posted by robobass  ...... Taking issue with people who complain about bow prices; What are you driving? Unless you’re a hippie like me who buys vintage Saabs for like 1500 bucks, I bet you (or your parents) lose more in depreciation in one year than my Reiley bow cost. What does one day at Julliard cost? Or, even a complete set of tools if you want to be a gas station mechanic? You need to invest in your career with proper perspective. I must confess that I am currently playing on a $350 Chinese bow in my orchestra job, but Every bow I own I consider money well spent. ..... |
A bow is an investment just like a bass is. Or like a car is or a set of tools is, just as you mentioned. If you're going to buy one, always try it out and see how your investment actually performs before you spend all that money on it.
Anyway, my theory on your issue: there are two types of people who lurk around the bow forum pages: professional bassists and people who play bass as a hobby or as a side interest.
More often than not, these professional bassists will not be the cream of the crop NY Philharmonic or other top orchestra players; they would more likely be bassists who play on all sorts of gigs and jobs, from Broadway-type plays to jazz gigs to regional orchestras. They are basically making as much money as they can muster, but it's not a whole lot compared to what they could be making at a full-time job. And to boot, they will be worrying about things like health insurance and other things that are usually covered by a full-time job. So they spend a good amount of money on getting a very good bass with a good setup; that's basically a good chunk of their income. If they have very few gigs that require a bow, why bother spending so much when they have so many other worries to deal with?
Hobbyists and people with a side interest sound exactly as they are: they are willing to spend a good deal of money, but there is a limit to how much they'll spend depending on their income and day job. What they will be looking for first is a very good bass and get it setup. Then they'll be looking for good strings, from what I keep reading in the string pages (myself included). The problem that bassists keep running into is that this is already very expensive so far. Many times, this group of people may have spouses who object to their spending too much money. Other times, they have other interests on hand that require a lot of money as well. For many bassists, the bow is tertiary or further, and they would like to get as good a bow possible for not that much money. That's why we have $100 to $150 bows from a couple of shops that are sponsors of this website.
So what am I getting at? I believe that the number of dedicated arco bassists are heavily outnumbered by the number of jazz bassists (just a guess). And I believe that for many bassists, one bow is not that much different than another to jump form a few hundred dollars to $3000 and up.
What do I think? I haven't tried many bows but for the dedicated arco bassist, the difference is price is justified. There is a world of difference between the cheap bow and a master-crafted bow. I love the bow I have now, but I bet I would be much happier with a Sue Lipkins bow.
So what does it all come down to? Priorities and preferences. People buy cars because they need one for transportation to get to a job; they buy them new because they want a good car that they absolutely know haven't got into an accident and that won't fall apart on them suddenly. Mechanics buy a good set of tools because they need them and they like a special set of tools specifically. Bassists buy a very good bass because they like how it responds, how easy it is to play, and how they seem to be playing the bass much better than before on their current bass.
But not as many bassists can differentiate between a master bow and a cheap bow, and no many are willing to pay the difference in cost between the two. Even for somewhat-dedicated arco players who are hobbyists, there is a limit on the price: if they can get a moderately priced bow that can do what they need, they'll get it over a master bow.
But if buying a excellent bow is your priority and you can willingly spend the money for a master bow, then your options are wide open. It all comes down to how many bows you can try out and what you prefer. Even you,
robobass, admit that you like your $350 Chinese bow. Considering that you have owned and played more expensive bows before, that's really saying something. (maybe it says something about your solvency, but I'll have to assume that that bow is really good.
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