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Double Bass New Finale Bow

svenbass

svenbass

Dec 12, 2002
452
21
Boston
www.facebook.com
#1
Hello all,

I just received my Finale CF bow (German ) a few days ago and am quite impressed with it's sound and play-ability. I am not a classical bassist by any stretch, but practice daily through Simandl Etudes, Trombone Duets and scale/arpeggio/intonation exercises. I had been using a much heavier cheap Meisel and before that, a very nice Schuster that I could never really partner with.

I just have to say that for the foreseeable future this bow seems like it will meet my needs (I do play professionally ) and was a significant upgrade for a relatively small investment. I am impressed with it's balance, bounce, and it easily delivers an even tone frog to tip ... most impressive to me is it's dynamic response.

That is all
 
#3
It draws a very present, rich and open sound (I use EP strings ) and maintains those qualities at all volumes.
Once again, I'm not a classical player, so there are probably a number of aspects to which I am not experienced enough to comment on, but so far my expectations and needs are more than satisfied.
 
#4
I've had my Finale french bow for about a year and a half and I've been quite pleased with it. The balance is better than the other bows I've had, and it's made it easier to increase my meager arco skill.

My only complaint is that it was shipped with absolutely no rosin on it; it took weeks of applying rosin and playing it in to get the hair to grab consistently. I fought dead spots and skips for over a month.

Until I got the Finale, whenever I got a new bow or rehair, the shop always applied some rosin before delivery. Has anyone else had this experience?
 
#6
petesenkowski said:
I've had my Finale french bow for about a year and a half and I've been quite pleased with it. The balance is better than the other bows I've had, and it's made it easier to increase my meager arco skill.

My only complaint is that it was shipped with absolutely no rosin on it; it took weeks of applying rosin and playing it in to get the hair to grab consistently. I fought dead spots and skips for over a month.

Until I got the Finale, whenever I got a new bow or rehair, the shop always applied some rosin before delivery. Has anyone else had this experience?
Click to expand...

petesenkowski,

It's been my experience and understanding that NO rosin is applied on a rehair.
One thing I've been fooling with, is to take an Xacto knife and remove any "ruts/grooves" in the (Nyman) rosin cake, to create flat area(s) that contact the full width of the hair. (The Xacto knife is used to remove the high spots of the "ruts/grooves). Maybe your rosin cake is not contacting the full width of the hair? It shouldn't take "weeks" to get a rehair to play correctly.
Thanks,
 
#7
Thanks for the information, Don. The problem was not with a rehair but a brand new Finale. I just assumed that the problems with the Finale hair was a complete lack of rosin because my previous new bows and rehairs just required a few swipes of rosin to draw a decent sound, so I thought perhaps they had been pre-rosined (is that a word?); anyway, I guess there was just something weird about the Finale's hair.

Back on topic: after I got the hair working, I was very happy with the feel of the Finale.
 
#8
pete,
Maybe someone (Mike Canada?), will answer the "pre-rosined" question for us...
My first teacher ( back in the early 70's), used to warn me to request "NO POWDERED ROSIN" when getting a rehair. I was told that rehaired violin bows received a dusting of "powdered rosin"(?), but that it was not appropriate for a Bass Bow.
Thanks.
 
#10
Michael Eisenman said:
I use a bit of powdered rosin, lightly applied with a toothbrush, to prime the hair. Then I rosin the bow normally and play it in a bit to make sure that everything is okay. I've not had any complaints.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your information, Michael.
I wonder if this is a widespread practice? Or, an optional step in a rehair or newhair. I've always assumed that NO rosin was applied and I've usually been met with mild surprise, when I request/remind them - "NO Powder...Please", just to be sure.
Thanks.
 
#13
On the rosin subject ... I've always been light with how much I apply after an early experience of gunking the hair up really bad. Since then, I've always put just enough on there to draw sound then play a while to work it in ... repeat until it holds. I typically don't put any on thereafter until it becomes an issue.
My Finale came with salt and pepper hair, which is new to me, and seemed to take a little more of my process before it was worked in.
 
#15
Hello all,
First, we put the best hair on our all our bows. No matter which level or price range. Good hair will not only grab like crazy, it will also last longer too. (Is there any other kind of hair really??) We actually pre-try the hair to actually play it before we order the whole lot for our bows.

We never pre-rosin bows ever. To pre-rosin or powder it just after it is rehaired, is kind of 'old school'. The guys that rehair violin, viola and cello bows, actually use powdered (violin) rosin to prime that hair. So, it's great for them! The bow 'accepts' the rosin quicker and grabs the string faster this way.

The problem with bass bows is that same powdery violin rosin that helps the hair accept the rosin when new, can actually make it sound scratchy too and it is not so easy to get rid of. At first it grabs beautifully but then you can often hear the violin rosin come to the surface and interfere with the stickier bass rosin.

We also never know what kind of rosin the player wants for this bow or how they use it, so we don't predispose the hair that way either. Addtionally, for us in Phoenix (it's already hot here!) we don't ever want to ship a bow with rosin on it when it is hot. Even with just a little rosin on the hair when shipped hot and can really ruin the hair.

When anyone gets a new bow (or rehair) I always tell folks: "Take it easy the first couple days". Don't give in to trying to saw your bass in half the first day! Just give it enough to get the hair vibrating the string. This way, your hair will not get overlwhelmed with all waxy mixtures they put into bass rosin and the hair will break in nicely. Being patient the first couple of days will really pay off in the life of that hair.

So really, you need to break in the hair the first couple of days.
One of my colleagues in the Phoenix Symphony likes to keep a toothbrush in his bass cover. He brushes the bow hair once a day or so. At first I thought it was way too much trouble, but I can see that he was right in that the hair wouldn't get 'glossy' or clumpy. Here in Phoenix, with the heat, it's worth the exra hassle.

thanks,
Steve
 
#17
Yes, thanks, Steve. I'll try your method when I rehair my own bows, one of which is a Finale that I purchased from you.

Black hair is less than $100 per pound, but the best white hair is over $300. Do you use the best white hair for bass bows, too? I do maybe one rehair per month, and my clientele does not comprise symphony professionals, so I can't justify spending that much for the best hair. My last batch was a grade higher than for student bows. My customers seem to be satisfied with the results.
 

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