• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Bow identification

I've come into an upright bass and the accompanying bow has no eye. I'm trying to identify it and can't really make out the markings because they're pretty worn.

Every bow I've come across has an eye on the frog. Is it odd that mine has no eye? Will this fact help me to figure out if this is worth rehairing or should I buy a new one?

Thank you.
 
Hard to say. It has a serial number stamped on the top of the stick. Eye-less frogs are not uncommon, particularly from old factory bows. It appears to be nickel-mounted, which is also typical of a factory-made bow. It's probably early to mid-20th Century European. Probably not worth more than a few hundred dollars, but it might be a decent stick.

You may as well have it re-haired. The head needs a new ivory tip.
 
Tip replacements are a bit time consuming. And like all things: more expensive on bass. If that includes the rehair I say go for it. I'm always for repair/rehair rather than buy new. Very interesting tip by the way; skinny stick leading up to the head.
 
Eyes are an aesthetic choice made by the maker. Although you do see a lot of them, it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the quality of the bow, or the frog. Several modern makers, some of which produce extremely high quality bows, prefer not to use them.

Likewise, the tip of the bow is missing a tip-tip, or the small little bit of ebony and/or ivory that protects the beak of the bow. I agree that it should be replaced, but it looks like given the thickness of the ebony that is there now, a decision was made to use just ebony instead of ebony and ivory/bone/silver/plastic/some other tip material.

I am definitely in the rehair/repair instead of replace camp. Pernambuco, and Ebony are indisputably in short supply, and the "throw it out and start over again" mentality that is applied to so many other areas of our lives now is one that is very dangerous to play with endangered natural resources. Is it possible to bring the hair on the bow to tension and play some longtones on it? Old hair will not give you a sense of the attack or response of the bow, but can still give you an idea what it could sound like.

Talk to your repair shop, and see if the cost they quoted you includes the rehair (new tips often do, as you have to remove the hair to do them anyway) and talk to them about the material they plan on using. Mammoth ivory, especially large enough for a bass tip is quite expensive, as are some of the other options, but if you like the look of the Ebony that is on there, that is an option, and the material involved is not as expensive. Tips are time consuming, and matching them to the head without damaging it is not an easy skill to master. Your repair shop might come back with a cheaper option when it comes to tip materials, but that is a pretty standard rate for that repair.

See what the shop has to say.