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Double Bass Identifying an old bow?

Jon Moody

Jon Moody

Sep 9, 2007
5,309
4,977
Kalamazoo, MI
www.justmoody.com
Disclosures
Endorsing Artist: Eventide, GHS Strings, G&L Guitars, NS Design, Tsunami Cables
#1
I am in the market for a second French bow, and when I talked to my old teacher (who has a number of bows to sell), he asked me what my current one was so he could send something that would match and something that wouldn't.

The best I could tell him was "It's a wooden French bow."

Are there any indicators I can look at to find out what this thing is, or even the quality of it? It was my mom's in college (early 70s). She said it wasn't the student model, but certainly wasn't the the top line either. Aside from the octagonal shaft by the frog, there isn't much else I know about it.

Pics will be forthcoming.
 
#2
Is there a maker's stamp on the side of the stick near the frog (sometimes but rarely on the underside of the stick between the frog and button)? Sometimes these stamps become illegible from being handled. Individual characteristics of the bow's appearance and balance could tell a lot about a maker as well. It may be a good idea to take it into your local luthier if there is a bowmaker there and have them take a look at it. Good luck.
 
#5
Pictures would be helpful.

If there is no stamp, knowing what materials the bow is made of is useful. If it's old and French, pernambuco would still be expected, even for a normal shop bow (as opposed to hand made by a master). However, the mountings can generally tell you more about the time and energy put into the bow. Very few masters would mount their own bows with nickel, typically preferring silver. Gold mountings were generally saved for their finest bows.

Does it look like there was once a stamp and has been rubbed away by heavy use, or was there clearly no stamp to begin with? If the latter is the case, it's unlikely you have anything special. No stamp and nickel mountings would tell me it's probably a mass-produced shop bow (there are, of course, exceptions). Those can still sound pretty good, but they won't sell for a lot of money. How does it play?
 
#6
Yeah, there are clearly no markings whatsoever on it, nor have there been. I'll hopefully get some pics posted up by early next week; it's been crazy getting everything ready for a six week theatre run.

I have no illusions that this is one of those "hidden finds" that people talk about. I'd just like some more info on it, like the materials used and rough age estimate. It plays pretty well (keep in mind that this has been my main bow for over two decades so I may just be used to mediocrity) and the family history with it is nice.
 
#8
And a couple more.

I was fairly impressed. I have two bows on loan from my old bass teacher (a brazilwood student model and a Juliano Oliveira pernambuco) to try out and see which one I want to buy so my current one can get a rehair and regrip.

I'm sure a lot of this is due to the fact that 1. I've used my current bow for a number of years and as such, am used to it and 2. the new ones had little to no rosin on it and the hair was brand new.

That said, I felt my current bow blew the other two out of the water. It was just quicker to get the strings to speak (see reason 2 above), get a louder sound and a more consistent tone across the bow. I found in comparison the Oliveira to be very clear but brittle in its tone and the brazilwood to be more mellow, and very close to the sound I was getting out of the strings when pizz'd. My current bow was between the two; it has the clarity of the Oliveira but the low end of the brazilwood. Now I'm really curious to find out what this current bow is made of.

I'm going to take the brazilwood into a week of rehearsals to see how it will react in a real world setting, but if today was any indication, I'm going to send the Oliveira back and keep the other.
 
#9
It`s hard to tell exactly what you have there from the pics. From all outward appearances, it is a shop bow. The fittings appear to be nickel and the absence of a maker`s mark point towards a mass produced bow. It doesn`t really seem all that old (but again, the pics might not do great justice in that regard either). It looks as though it may be 40-or-so years old. Your local luthier would probably have a little more to say. As far as the potentially new bows are concerned, give them some time and really compare characteristics in a rehearsal setting for a while before making a decision. You are right in the sense that you are probably adjusted to the bow that you have been using for so long. If it is new hair you are dealing with, you will have to break it in over a period of time before it will grab the string properly. Just out of curiousity, what are you looking for in a bow (weight, length etc.)?
 
#10
Thanks for the look. I know the bow has to be around 40 or so years old; mom played it in the early 70s in college. I asked her if she bought it new or used, to which she can't remember. I'm taking it into the luthier today, so I'll ask if they can tell me more information about it as well. It would be nice to know.

In terms of what I'm looking for in the new bow, I would like it to be a solid backup that isn't exactly like my current bow in terms of sound, but something that complements what I already have. I'll be using this strictly on an EUB, so a lot of the higher end ones may show the acoustic shortcomings (as in, there is nothing acoustic about my NS) and tinniness when bowed over a more affordable model that may "mask" some things.

Had the first rehearsal last night with the Brazilwood one. Aside from a couple of times when, halfway through the song, the bow didn't glide across the strings as much as slide (that whole new hair/no rosin thing), I thought it did well. I am going to ask the Music Director what he thinks at the end of the week to get another opinion.
 
#12
Louis, I've never had a problem being heard. Usually, the director is telling me to turn down.

Anyway, over the week I've been using the Brazilwood one and as of Thursday got that nice coating of rosin on the hair. The director even mentioned that on a couple of my arco sections, it was amazing. So, I'm sold on this Brazilwood one and will be sending the Oliveira bow back to my teacher.

Also, got a call from the luthier who's working on my old bow. She confirmed that it was brazilwood (after seeing this new one, I had my ideas), and mentioned that it was in very good shape for its age. I didn't necessarily need to have the bow re-gripped, but opted to do anyway mainly for aesthetic reasons. I'm getting unbleached white hair on it again. Compared to the new bow, my old one has a punchier tone which will play well with the mellowness that the new one has.
 
#13
Well, ten points for your conductor!

Seriously, I've doing a lot of rehearsals (and an outdoor concert) using a String Emporium $130 Brazilwood bow that is very well balanced, pulls a good sound and holds its own against bows at ten times the price.

Congratulations on a good stick - no matter what it's made of.

Louis
 

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