NEW G. LUCCHI bow (Cremona) - carbon fibre and pernambuco

[vitoliuzzi]

I've received today the new French and German model by Giovanni Lucchi (Cremona) in carbon fiber
Vito

[brandonwong]

How does the carbon fibre and the pernambuco ones compare?

[vitoliuzzi]

Originally Posted by brandonwong

How does the carbon fibre and the pernambuco ones compare?

I have to explain some few things.
In every bow made in carbon fibre we know that carbon fibre is not always the same. There are at least three moods to make carbon fibres which provide different results. Just in few words. The higher quality of carbon fibres are very expensive and then they work well with different resins which are added. So the different carbon fibre bow on the market are different about them, and only someone reach the speed sound at 7,000 Km/s comparised with the better pernambuco that can reach at maximum 6000 m/s.

In this bow there isn't pernambuco, but it has used only a brown varnish to give the sensation that you are playing with a "penambuco bow". But the hole structure has made with only carbon fibres. Surely my title is wrong! There isn't a sort of mix, absolutely no!

Regards

[Carl Johnson]

Originally Posted by vitoliuzzi

So the different carbon fibre bow on the market are different about them, and only someone reach the speed sound at 7,000 Km/s comparised with the better pernambuco that can reach at maximum 6000 m/s.

Sorry you lost completely. I'm very intersted in the subject since I'm in the market right now, but what does that mean?

Is this bow a hybrid of wood and carbon? What parts are what?

Thanks

[vitoliuzzi]

Originally Posted by Carl Johnson

Sorry you lost completely. I'm very intersted in the subject since I'm in the market right now, but what does that mean?

Is this bow a hybrid of wood and carbon? What parts are what?

Thanks

Sorry Carl, it's my no correct English.

This bow is ABSOLUTELY NOT AN HYBRID!
It has made with carbon fibre and the external part has been varnished (coloured ... how can I say?) with a brown colour so to give the impression that it's a normal pernambuco bow.

In fact, during tests, a lot of notable violinsts, i.e., weren't able to understand the difference between a pernambuco bow and a carbon fibre bow.

Naturally a very good pernambuco, as you know, provides less speed in the air but the quality of harmoniques is better.
It's a question of materials used, as we know.

My best regards

Vito

[vitoliuzzi]

... I've forgotten!
Naturally, when someone decides to buy one bow, expecially in carbon fibre, it's important to test it before. My observations are very "personal". I wouldn't like to make spam!!

regards

v

[jsbarber]

Vito - thank you for posting this. I had a chance to play several Lucchi & Sons bows and one G. Lucchi - Cremona pernambucco bow. I was especially impressed with the G. Lucchi - Cremona bow, which was quite special. Any carbon bow from M. Lucchi is certainly worth a try, for sure. As for carbon bows, I recently attended a solo recital by Jeremy Kurtz, the San Diego Orchestra's Principal Bassist, (and winner of the ISB solo competition a few years ago). He performed all but one of the pieces using a carbon bow, which I thought was quite interesting. Needless to say, he sounded terrific. It seems that carbon has come of age, for bows anyway...

Am I correct to understand that the violinists you mentioned did not consider the carbon bows to be inferior to top quality pernabucco bows?

Jim

ps. I had a quick look at your new website and really enjoyed it. I will have to explore it in more detail...

[vitoliuzzi]

Originally Posted by jsbarber

Am I correct to understand that the violinists you mentioned did not consider the carbon bows to be inferior to top quality pernabucco bows?

Jim

ps. I had a quick look at your new website and really enjoyed it. I will have to explore it in more detail...

Jim,
I have been the first doublebass player to test this new carbon fibre bow made by Lucchi & Sons. I have got good pernambuco bows made from other bow makers, one Arcus Sinfonia (I don't like it at all if I think to the proportion beetween quality/performance/price) and now the Lucchi & Sons. These notable violinsts didn't know that they were playing with a carbon fibre bow, and only in a second time, Raffaella Macuz (the main maestro Lucchi's collaborator) has told them the reality of the things. To answer your question.
Just because this carbon fibre bow seems to be a pernambuco one, all musicians which don't like "the fibre" have in their mind a sort of "previous idea". But when they test it, they have another consideration about these bows.
Naturally, the carbon fibres can be different among them. We have at least three different qualities (which are producted with different resins ... it's difficult for me to explain it in English). But it's just to tell you that the different bows on the market made by "carbon fibres" are different among them selves.
This Lucchi & Sons carbon fibre bow, imho, seems to be the best among the other carbon fibre bows I've tested. Carbondix, Glasser, Arcus Sinfonia. It's obvious that If you play with an original Lucchi it's possible to listen to the different quality (you know that pernambuco it's not always the same wood ... there are a lot of differences among the same wood). But, I repeat, imho and from my personal experience this Lucchi & Sons bow might be the better in relation to proportion between quality/price.
As you can understand it's impossible to answer your question, because between a good carbon fibre bow (the sound should be travel at least at 6.500/7000 m/s) and a very good pernambuco bow (sound travels at 5.500/6.000 m/s) there will always be some differences. It's up to you to decide what it's better for your "money" and for way of playing.

My site? Probably for someone is an useful free tool, for other not!

vito liuzzi

[Rodger Bryan]

I am always trying out different bows whenever possible and I will revisit carbon fiber again soon. Some of the qualities of pernambuco can be emulated consistently (speed of sound in the material, good elasticity, strength and balance) but not everyone wants the same thing, which is a beautiful thing also. I'm glad there are choices!

I rehaired two French model G.Lucchi bass bows that were made about 30 years ago and they were a pleasure to work with and they were beautifully made. Cheap bows typically are a pain in the ass to rehair.
I'm sure his cf design is a good one, but the Lucchi number of the material is only one quality, and many ears have not been as pleased with cf bows in general. I personally like the playability and hope to try out something new...

[kurt muroki]

Hi all I had a bow made by Lucchi and it turned out amazing. I really think that when having a bow made its important to know and understand what you want in a bow and even better to understand how you want the stick to respond. hard to do that with carbon fiber

[jsbarber]

The new Lucchi carbon bows are now available through Giovanni's US distributor, violin maker Marco Coppiardi of http://www.italiastrings.com/

Marco's phone number is 617-262-0062 and he is located in Boston at:
280 Newbury St, suite 1
Boston, MA 02116

Jim

[LouisF]

I recently tried the Lucch cf bow, which I got on trial from Marco Coppiardi (who is an excellent dealer to work with). Unfortunately, for me, after spending some time with it, it is a very frustrating bow!

It is well made, well balanced, bounces and grips well and in the middle range of both my basses draws a warm, rich sound from the strings...

But the bow completely disappears on the extremes - low E string and anything in thumb position or harmonics. Any sense of body just disappears. Totally schizophrenic. I tried changing strings and rosins, and brought a friend in to play my bass while I listened from a distance... Still the same effect.

I've tried and owned (because of my teaching in the High Sierra mountains) many of the cf bows out there - Gage metropolitan, Karrbow, Arcus (which I really didn't like) and Jean Tabary, as well as the Finale bow which I currently own.

Cf bows are nothing if not consistent, maybe boringly so. The difference in sound/volume/body on this bow (after factoring like I said above for a lot of variables) was really amazing -- and frustrating! I dont get it!

Oh well, back to wood.

Louis

[MIKMAN]

[quote=vitoliuzzi My site? Probably for someone is an useful free tool, for other not!QUOTE]

Ehh Vito,don't be so modest!!!

Your site,caro amico,is a treasure of information and inspiration and must be visited by all the double bass friends!!!

Mike