white hair vs. Black hair

bassdogEmer · #1 12-22-2006, 11:25 AM

Hey TBr's,
I have been using black horse hair on my bow for the last 3 years. I use spirocore strings becasueI play mostly pizzacato but I do take bowed solos and also practice classical every day - here are my questions:

What are the general thoughts about black vs.white hair?

Also, knowing that I use spirocores...is one type of hair better then the other??

I know that black hair tends to have more grip on the strings..or least in my experience. But is this really the true standard between the two types of hairs??? I know there is salt and pepper as well...but I would like to refine my tone to be a little more gentle and sweeter - I am not bowing in a section but I do occasional have to record bowed passages and would prefer sweetness of tone to overall power.
thanks!

JoeyNaeger · #2 12-22-2006, 12:33 PM

I've never been convinced that different colors of hair get you different sound. If there are any changes, it will be subtle at best. What will effect your tone though is the quality of hair and having an even ribbon of hair. Bottom line is, if you want a different sound, I would look elsehwere to change it.

bfitz · #3 12-22-2006, 12:54 PM

I'm sure that everyone’s experience is different, but I definatly think that black hair has a darker kind sound. my teacher only uses black hair. I have only used white but am considering the change just because I feel that it does grip the strings better. I also know a guy who swears by the salt and pepper hair. I tried his bow once and it just wasn't for me. that is the only bow I ever tried with s and p hair, so it could have just been his bow, but in spots it seemed to have different grip to it. I don't think that one is better than the other, it's all a matter or preference, but try both out. I don't know if it will make a huge difference overall, and there are other ways to change your sound more dramatically, but maybe different hair is all you need. the type of rosin that you are using can also make a difference.

bassdogEmer · #4 12-22-2006, 01:09 PM

thanks Bfitz,
our experience is similar. I have found black hair to grip stronger and def. be a darker sounding hair. As far as rosin, I currently use POPS in the winter and nymans in the summer...what other rosins would you suggest??

toman · #5 12-23-2006, 01:21 PM

I've had a bunch of different kinds of hair, and of all, black was my least favorite. Now, I may have gotten some black hair that was not particularly good, but my experience was that it was very coarse, held onto rosin like mad, and produced a pretty rough, gnarly tone without any improvement in grip over ordinary white hair. The best re-hairs I've ever had were from one particular luthier, at a shop that at the time had some "special" batch of a very fine, silvery or very pale grey hair. He put on the tightest, thinnest ribbon of that hair and it played better than anything I've had before or since. Sadly, the shop no longer exists, and while I still go to the same luthier, the hair isn't as good. It's just ordinary pale white hair; still better than most anything else though...

Chasarms · #6 12-23-2006, 02:00 PM

All other things equal, I'd wager that the combination of spirocores, black bow hair and Pops rosin is going to make for a big, coarse tone.

Same bass, same bow and same player with more arco friendly string, white hair and a few swipes of Carlsson will make for a significantly smoother sound.

Of course the bass and the bow will be the major players. If you have a bass with a big dark tone and stick that tends to dampen the overtones, you may get a really great sound with spiros, black hair and Pops. Although, if I saw that combination, my first guess would be a symphony player who is going for projection and a big sound and less concerned with the subtleties of tone.

BMason · #7 12-23-2006, 09:09 PM

Black hair is better for beginners because, with its coarseness, fundamental tone comes pretty easily. White hair, on the other hand, can produce a richer, more complex tone...you just have to use it correctly. It's like the difference between whiskey and wine.

rprowse · #8 12-23-2006, 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BMason

Black hair is better for beginners because, with its coarseness, fundamental tone comes pretty easily. White hair, on the other hand, can produce a richer, more complex tone...you just have to use it correctly. It's like the difference between whiskey and wine.

With whiskey you know that there is a good chance you could get pissed eventually, but you know to be careful.
Wine, OTOH, can sneak up on you.
I love my bow with black... and it does sound dark. I've put my spiros back on and use carlsson (sorry about the spelling).
All is well with the world.
It's Christmas Eve... time for another wine.
Don't worry, I'll try to be careful (WTW).

pat1151 · #9 12-23-2006, 10:30 PM

I'm using a white/black mixture right now and I love it much more than pure white. The mixture smooths out the extra bright sound of my bass perfectly with out making it too dark. My teacher recently told me of Brown hair, I tried it for about 30 seconds, but didn't like it too much, allthough that's not enough to give a real opinion.