Double Bass 'Play' between frog and stick of new bow?

[Scott Lynch]

I just purchased a new Metropolitan bow and am really enjoying it save for one issue, which is that the frog doesn't seem to be perfectly flush with the stick of the bow. When tensioned there is a tiny bit of movement at the frog and screw that causes a clicking sound when the bow moves back and forth.

I find this annoying and want to get rid of the clicking sound. I checked the other two bows in my possession and they do not do this at all. Any idea what's going on with my Metropolitan?

 

[Don Kasper]

If there "slop" in the hole that the Screw passes through, you can wrap the non-threaded portion (toward the "handle" side) of that screw with 3/4" Teflon Tape (see below), found in the Plumbing aisle of your local Home Center/Hardware store.
You'll need to use Trial and Error to get just the right # of wrapped layers of Teflon Tape wound around the Screw to eliminate the "Slop".
Try to get a nice, flat, continuous layer of T. Tape.
I've been using this method for decades to eliminate annoying squeaks/creaks/noise in my German bows.
Good Luck.

 

[Don Kasper]

But Don, you told me you have that magical "kasp-a-tape" that looks just like that! Why'd you charge me $50 for it? You told me it was for the incantation!

JK; couldn't help myself.

Please see your "easily fooled" club membership designation in your signature.
Thank$!
P.T. Kasper

 

[Sean Riddle]

You might need to take it into someone who works on bows. I recently purchased a Finale carbon fiber bow and got it rehaired. When I picked it up the person who did the work told me that there was something up with the frog and tightening mechanism, but she fixed it. I don't exactly remember the issue, but she told me that often bows made in a factory can have some frog issues if they aren't inspected by humans. Basically if the bow is assembled by a machine, it's goal is to make bows at a fast rate rather than make sure all the parts are assembled as need be. But it's not an end of the world issue. A good bow repair person should be able to fix those issues. Hope this makes sense!

 

[Don Kasper]

the frog doesn't seem to be perfectly flush with the stick of the bow.

Ooops!
I may have misunderstood your problem. If there is a gap between the top edge of the Frog, and the Stick, you may need to (take the Screw all the way out, to access the eyelet screw) to try turning the eyelet screw 1/2 turn INTO the Frog. This will bring the top edge of the frog closer to the stick. If there is still a gap, you can try another 1/2 turn of the eyelet screw, until the gap is close to "gone". You'll need to be sure that the Screw threads are not binding when reassembling the bow - DON'T FORCE IT. If so, you'll need Pro Help.
Or, take it to a luthier for adjustment or assessment.
Good Luck.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Ooops!
I may have misunderstood your problem. If there is a gap between the top edge of the Frog, and the Stick, you may need to (take the Screw all the way out, to access the eyelet screw) to try turning the eyelet screw 1/2 turn INTO the Frog. This will bring the top edge of the frog closer to the stick. If there is still a gap, you can try another 1/2 turn of the eyelet screw, until the gap is close to "gone". You'll need to be sure that the Screw threads are not binding when reassembling the bow - DON'T FORCE IT. If so, you'll need Pro Help.
Or, take it to a luthier for adjustment or assessment.
Good Luck.

My sleazebay CF bow for $50-ish needed this adjustment, and being what it was, I had no issue with doing it myself. The Adjusting Screw (removed from the bow to release the frog) screwed well into the Eyelet (so the threads are about halfway along their travel) makes a dandy wrench. Check every half-turn, and also be sure the screw is lubricated (but not overly so) when re-assembling. If your comfort level with mechanical fiddling is low, or the bow is costly, you might want a bow specialist to work on it (bow re-hairers should have this one in their wheelhouse) - or ask the vendor to adjust it properly (not sure if your vendor is local and that would be reasonable, or if this is also a "other side of the world vendor" and you are on your own.)

 

[Don Kasper]

"Give a Man a Screw.....Teach a Man to Screw..."
Nicely done, T_Bone_TL!

 

[luisraulmunoz]

I have a Metropolitan I bought some years ago. I think that bows of this price have (10year?) warranties so if this is a manufacturing defect you should perhaps contact the manufacturer/seller and ask for a replacement or fix to the problem.

 

[Scott Lynch]

Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the advice. For whatever reason the issue seems to have subsided with the bow. I’d it creeps up again I have the feeling it will be an easy fixable issue between adjusting the eyelet or trying the trick with the Teflon tape.

 

[robobass]

It definitely sounds like an eyelet screw issue. I'm surprised the problem went away on its own. When the screw is loose, is there play? Like the hole is too big? Otherwise, the brass used to make the eyelet might have been crap, and the threads are stripping out or the box is stretching. It's a zinc content issue which I won't bore you with... Anyway, it's easy for a manufacturer of a product like this to get an order of machined parts which were not made to spec, but the deficiencies were not apparent during the assembly process, and only discovered much later, when there were thousands of widgets out there in the world. In this case, The manufacturer has a choice to make. If it is a cheap part which was faulty, and it is easy to switch out, then I would hope that they would offer a replacement part for free or at least for a very small charge if out of warranty. Otherwise, bow eyelet screws are somewhat standardized. It should not be hard for a big shop to be able to identify exactly what you need and send you a generic replacement.