Double Bass Bow recomendations needed

[basspraiser]

I am rather new to Double bass...having purchased my first one about a year and a half ago....I have had an EUB for a longer period of time...but I digress.

I am wanting to learn to bow (arco).

Since I am a beginner at arco and am not sure if I will be good at it or like it, I don't want to spend a lot of money.

However, I do know that you get what you pay for so I don't want cheap for the sake of cheap...I want something decent.

Please let me know any suggestions you have (and why would be good as well.)

I know there are a ton of variables that I may not even be aware of ...

Thanks in advance for your opinions and assistance!

 

[nogbert]

Let’s Compare a Cheap Chinese Bow to a Fine European Bow

imo (and in the opinion of others see above thread) the cheapo bows arent all that bad. Some are probably awful/lemons but they two i've bought were decent. for just starting out/getting a taste i think they're a good option. my teacher(s) played with both and said they were fine and not to obsess with upgrading. Proper technique/rosin usage is a bigger factor it seems. i played with a ~$1500 bow and it played/felt very nicely... was it 30x nicer than my $50 bow? of course not. YMMV of course.

 

[Sean Riddle]

A well made carbon fiber bow would be a good start. The Finale bow that String Emporium sells is a really good bow and a hell of a deal.

 

[basspraiser]

Thanks!

 

[oren]

I have a Christopher octagonal brazilwood French bow that I bought a few years back from Mark Sonsken in Chicago for around $225 IIRC. I have a new teacher since moving to Oregon (Tim Gilson from Portland) and he tried my bow a couple of weeks ago and liked it.

 

[210superair]

X2 on a decent carbon bow to start. To me bow quality isn't the big question, but French or German. I started on a German and found the hold odd and uncomfortable. I added a French to the mix and now much prefer the French bow, but someone out there has probably had the exact opposite experience.

So that probably helps not at all! Lol... Good luck whatever you choose!

And is that packers bass yours? That's awesome...

 

[SAlcott]

A carbon fiber bow is fine to start out with. At the risk of offending the DIYers, I'll add find a teacher. Getting a solid technique from the beginning will prevent pain down the road.

 

[Pete Hand]

It's best if you can be consistent while learning, so don't buy something really cheap. On the other hand, once you get the groove and style and positioning, you will be better able to shop if you need something different than what you start using while learning.

I have two French style bows I just listed for sale, both of which are great entry-level while also being affordable. As long as you don't damage them, they would likely sell for what you pay for them now.

For Sale - French style bow double bass “G. Werner” - 0

For Sale - French style bow double bass “Reichel” from “W. German” - 0

And I would repeat the "find a teacher" mantra. Realize that your teacher will teach German or teach French, so if you already have a preference, find the right teacher for what you want to learn.

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

With arco, you get what you pay for. Buy cheap, get cheap.

I’d say you’re gonna need a teacher to show you at least a little bit of what to do with it. Then you buy your own bow.

Check out the Brazilian archetiers making good new bows from old-growth pernambuco. Good stuff there.

 

[basspraiser]

X2 on a decent carbon bow to start. To me bow quality isn't the big question, but French or German. I started on a German and found the hold odd and uncomfortable. I added a French to the mix and now much prefer the French bow, but someone out there has probably had the exact opposite experience.

So that probably helps not at all! Lol... Good luck whatever you choose!

And is that packers bass yours? That's awesome...

Thanks.

Yes it's is... Had it custom built by Carl Pedigo...

It's fun to play here in Chicagoland!

 

[basspraiser]

It's best if you can be consistent while learning, so don't buy something really cheap. On the other hand, once you get the groove and style and positioning, you will be better able to shop if you need something different than what you start using while learning.

I have two French style bows I just listed for sale, both of which are great entry-level while also being affordable. As long as you don't damage them, they would likely sell for what you pay for them now.

For Sale - French style bow double bass “G. Werner” - 0

For Sale - French style bow double bass “Reichel” from “W. German” - 0

And I would repeat the "find a teacher" mantra. Realize that your teacher will teach German or teach French, so if you already have a preference, find the right teacher for what you want to learn.

I'll check them out...

I see you got one with a 5 string... Do you still have it?

I'm a 5 string electric player and have a 5 string EUB... hope to get a 5 string DB someday

 

[210superair]

Thanks.

Yes it's is... Had it custom built by Carl Pedigo...

It's fun to play here in Chicagoland!

I bet those bears fans LOVE that. Hey, I'm a Lions fan, so I can't judge anyone.... Lol. My brother lives in Madison so I'm familiar with the cheese head mentality. Some really great fans. Always love visiting Wisconsin. Their entire lives revolve around beer, cheese, and sausages. Awesome.

I think there's a 5 string Kay on eBay at the moment...

 

[basspraiser]

I bet those bears fans LOVE that. Hey, I'm a Lions fan, so I can't judge anyone.... Lol. My brother lives in Madison so I'm familiar with the cheese head mentality. Some really great fans. Always love visiting Wisconsin. Their entire lives revolve around beer, cheese, and sausages. Awesome.

I think there's a 5 string Kay on eBay at the moment...

Lions play well on occasion.

Thanks for the heads up... Can't buy a new bass at the moment...

 

[210superair]

Lions play well on occasion.

Yeah in the FIFTIES!

 

[Don Hergert]

I'd agree with suggestions about a teacher, bowing well is not one of those things to pick up by yourself.

When you're ready to learn arco, I'd suggest spending the money on a good teacher first. That teacher should be able to recommend a good starter bow for you and show you technique that will be good musically and good for your hands.

 

[Pete Hand]

"I see you got one with a 5 string... Do you still have it?"

No, and it's no longer a 5 string. I converted it back to a 4, used it for a while, then sold it. A good 5 string needs to be born a 5.

 

[juusokasperi]

Also if you get a cheap carbon bow to start out with, a fairly inexpensive way to make it play better is to have it rehaired. The factory hairs are often not that good.

 

[210superair]

I'd also be interested in hearing (though there's probably other threads on the issue) the preferance for German/French. Maybe the OP would benefit.

 

[SAlcott]

I started on French bow in high school. No teacher, just grab'n'scrape. That got me by for a lot of my career, as in the music I was playing, "arco" meant "last note of a ballad" 90% of the time. When I started doing some unamplified pit work, the need for more notes and more sound soon showed me what I didn't know, and I ended up using muscle and pressure. This got me some elbow and wrist problems that persist to this day. When my bow (a Morizot from my ex) was stolen, a friend gave me a German bow and I never looked back. That and my lessons are the only reason I can still play. I think that although German bow hold (I use Simandl/F Zimmerman) may look odd at first, it has less chance of injury due to the fact that the way the arm hangs naturally puts your hand in playing position. Added to this is that the arm weight is transmitted through the thumb rather than through the fingers. Advocates for the Streicher method say their hold is even more natural, but I'm too old to consider that option. There are also different schools of french bow playing.

IMO, a teacher is essential no matter which bow one chooses.

 

[Michael Eisenman]

When I first started looking for a bow, my teacher suggested the following to help me decide which bow hold might be more comfortable for me. (Just a starting point.)

Stand in front of a mirror with your arms hanging loosely at your sides and notice which direction your palms face. If your palms face toward your legs or toward the rear, a French bow might be more comfortable for you:

On the other hand—sorry—if your palms tend to face more toward the front, a German grip might be more comfortable:

Even though, according to this idea, my preferred grip should be French, I started with a German bow (I don’t remember why). However, it turns out—sorry again—that playing the E and A strings required too much outward twisting of my wrist to be comfortable. I then switched to a French bow and, though at first it was very tiring for my thumb muscle, it became easier with practice. It was easier to apply weight onto the string with the German grip, but the twisting of my wrist negated that, and I’ve been happy with the French grip.