Recent content by Bowmaker

This has bugged me for years ever since (as a viola player) I took part in performances of this piece with my local youth orchestra. It's where the long introduction transitions into the Tempo di Valse; just cellos and basses together lead into the Valse, but what annoyed my ear was the...

Golden Strad bows were made in the UK from the late 1960's to the 1980's for all orchestral string instruments and in all sizes. They have round fiberglass sticks of a basic yellow colour with painted darker patches, and shiny black nylon nuts (frogs) with an hexagonal tip (adjuster); originally...

Apologies for taking some time to reply to this query, I've only just seen the post when looking up Cruft. I am fortunate in having access to a Bryant/Cruft bow (French style of course) and can confirm the measurements as follows. Cruft's quote reads as if it's actually repeated information from...

If George had been shown how to remove a ferrule correctly then his money would not have been wasted. In my nearly 40 years of working on all values of bows I have never found a Chinese nut (frog) that was not capable of being dismantled - after all, it was made in the first place. And they...

Couldn't agree more. The 'tuning' of the violin bow stick in the video is just done for the camera and the 'story'; the finish would be ruined and we don't see the reinstatement of that! If your bow has been made well, either get used to it ('let the bow teach you') or sell it to someone who...

Belated reply to OldBows and Groooooove. I did meet Percival Wilfred Bryant (they don't make names like that any more!). He kept himself to himself and appeared to be a well kept secret in the playing profession (it was not easy to locate his address or telephone number, and though he loved...

I'm sorry Kat_Mia hasn't found me, a bow maker in Dorset since 1980. The first synthetic bow hair, DuPont's 'Synhair', was excellent for violin and viola in my own experience - the viola being 'my' instrument - and the leader of the Midland Radio Orchestra in the late 1970's had his 'first...

Dear Dr. Atomic Here to attempt a reply to your question about P. W. Bryant. I could expand more on this in a private email if you wish. P. W. Bryant was born in London in 1902 and died in Ovingdean in 1994. He was a bowmaker for the whole of his working life, and self employed since 1939. He...