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Double Bass New Bow

Daniel Rogers

Daniel Rogers

Commercial User
Jul 27, 2020
2
2
#1
Hey everyone!
Im in the search of a new german bow to upgrade too. Im looking for something under 1,000 that would be good. Im thinking of possibly upgrading to a carbon fiber bow. If so should i go with Codabow or Finale bow. Or would it be a over all better to stay with wood and purchase something other carbon fiber.

Thank You!
 
#3
Daniel Rogers said:
Hey everyone!
Im in the search of a new german bow to upgrade too. Im looking for something under 1,000 that would be good. Im thinking of possibly upgrading to a carbon fiber bow. If so should i go with Codabow or Finale bow. Or would it be a over all better to stay with wood and purchase something other carbon fiber.

Thank You!
Click to expand...
I like my Gage Metropolitan. It feels lighter than the 141 grams it actually weighs, and I got it for under a grand.

If you're playing in a section though, you might want to get a wooden stick.

Just my (paranoid?) observation, but I think the real legit players that have been unfortunate to be stuck playing with me have given it the serious side eye when I pulled it out of the case.
 
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#4
You'll get a lot of different answers. Best answer to me is to buy the best bow you can afford regardless of whether it's CF or wood. Some folks will advise a price point - under $1000 go with CF; over $1000 start looking at wood bows. Having said that, there are really nice wood bows under $1000. There are also sellers who will let you try out 2 to 3 bows at a time. As always, check the TB Classifieds for bargains. I have a Finale German Bow for sale that would be great for a starter bow or a backup bow. There are other good deals out there as well.
 
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#6
I have a finale that I used for years. I was gifted a nicer bow, otherwise I’d probably still be using it all the time. I initially chose the Finale based on price, but I really came to appreciate the fact that I could take it to any of my gigs, and it would do fine. I still use it on bar/restaurant gigs.
 
#9
To make a broad generalization of bows under $1000.

Carbon bows are pretty much consistent from bow to bow so you know what you re going to get if you try someones and then order one online and that is why they are so often recommend for that price range.

Wood bows in this price range can vary extremely in feel and quality. There are the Brazilian shop bows like Marco Raposo that do make consistently good bows for the price but still for example you may try @Ed Fuqua 's bow and love it and then order one online and not be into it at all. Not saying they aren't consistent in build quality but the density of the wood used could be different, the balance could be slightly different, all just because it is an organic material that for that price point they aren't able to be as picky as makers charging $3k+ for bows, therefore there are more variables.

Just like basses, there are probably some shens and other factory basses out there that are truly amazing for what they are, and then there are also duds but most fall somewhere in the middle, whereas someone charging 10x the price of shen can really be picky about what materials they are using and have the knowledge to make the decisions to come to the end result they are after.

I say if your only option is to shop online then I'd say go with a carbon bow because they are consistent and you know what you are getting. If you are able to go to a shop that's has a selection of bows in your price range that you can go try a bunch then go do that, you may like the carbon bows over the wood ones anyway!
 
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#10
Yeah, where you at? Just like buying a bass, try as many as you can. I was all set to buy a Metropolitan, cause I liked the one my teacher had in his studio, but Sam laid out a bunch in my price range, wood and other composites, and I ended up with the Raposo because it was the one that felt best in my hand and on the string.
 
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#12
If you're interested in getting a wooden bow, you might also want to reach out to shops and see if they can mail you bows for trial. I just checked, and the Cincinnati Bass Cellar and A440 shop both have several bows in the +/- $1K range. As @Mgaisbacher stated above, there may be quite a variety between wood bows in the $1K range, and if online is the only way you're able to get a bow, reaching out to inquire about bow trials might be worth pursuing as it'll allow you to A/B a variety of bows. When I was bow shopping, I had a number of shops, which include the two previously mentioned, as well as makers ship me bows for trial (I also checked out a good number of bows at the David Gage shop, but this was pre-COVID times, of course). Granted, my price range was above $1K, but still, doesn't hurt to ask. Anyway, just my .2 cents.
 
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#14
LouisF said:
Did you decide on one?
Click to expand...

Yes I did! And I want to say thank to everyone for you help! My local shop didn’t happen to have any bows in stock to try out. And I didn’t want buy a wood bow without trying it out. So I ended getting a Codabow Revelation, and I’ve had it for a few weeks. And I’m really happy with how it feels and sounds. It was a good purchase!
 
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