I was playing today and looked down the length of my french bow and noticed that it curves to the right.
Is this normal?
If not can it be repaired?
Is this normal?
If not can it be repaired?
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Double Bass Bent bow?
- Thread starter Stilettoprefer
- Start date
Stilettoprefer said:
If the curve is very slight, it shouldn't be a problem. Maybe you play more on the "left" side of the hair, and the hair has stretched on that side. I'm preparing to do a rehair for that very reason.
What does it look like when you remove all tension from the hair? If it becomes straight, then the hair is tighter on the "right" side. A proper rehair will result in a straight bow with tension. If it's still curved with no tension and it's a wooden bow, then it can be straightened.
Is it curved without tension on the hair? If it pulls to the right without tension, it will need to be straightened.
If it pulls a little to the right with normal hair tension, keep an eye on it. Since we generally put more weight on the left side of the hair (from the frog's perspective) a little pull to the right is better than to the left.
Have hairs been breaking or falling out on the opposite side of the hair band? Having unbalanced tension on the head for an extended time can lead to problems as well.
Either way, I always recommend taking it to a qualified bow specialist to have it rehaired first so that a proper evaluation can be made.
If it pulls a little to the right with normal hair tension, keep an eye on it. Since we generally put more weight on the left side of the hair (from the frog's perspective) a little pull to the right is better than to the left.
Have hairs been breaking or falling out on the opposite side of the hair band? Having unbalanced tension on the head for an extended time can lead to problems as well.
Either way, I always recommend taking it to a qualified bow specialist to have it rehaired first so that a proper evaluation can be made.
- Jan 24, 2002
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If the bow itself needs to be recambered, you might be better off saving up for a decent carbon fiber bow. No need to sink money into a super cheap bow.
It still curves a little to the left without tension on the hair. And hairs haven't been breaking since I don't use it much (I mostly play jazz but am in a small group for the holidays and need to use my bow). I'll probably leave the bow as is until I have enough money to get a carbon fiber one.
Thanks for the help guys!
Thanks for the help guys!
- Aug 1, 2005
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Try to be objective here. It sounds like you are ready to throw out the idea of a wood bow because your $75 POS is bending improperly because the hair need replacing. Good CF bows all cost over 1K afaik. It doesn't seem like you're looking in this price range. There are plenty of servicable wood bows in the <$1000 range which would be a big upgrade from what you have now. I wouldn't worry so much about the warpage issue, but just try to find something which feels and sounds good in the hand.
