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Double Bass Question on German bow parts
- Thread starter AndyMopley
- Start date
I believe that this is not a ‘speciality’ of German bows...
and it is often made of leather...
I also think that this is intended as a kind of protection against the ‘constant touch’ of the fingertip.. but for me it hasn't any function...;9 and german bows also work really fine without... I one at least 3 german bows without this "tube"....
and it is often made of leather...
I also think that this is intended as a kind of protection against the ‘constant touch’ of the fingertip.. but for me it hasn't any function...;9 and german bows also work really fine without... I one at least 3 german bows without this "tube"....
Last edited:
I think it's traditional, carried over from violin bows where it kind of has a function as a grip aid.
Some bow makers put a wrap or cushion (?) like that on for balance, but the historic way of making a German bow is without any sort of wrap or wiring. A lot of modern makers like the silk wrap as an ornament however.
www.bassviolinshop.com
HR Pfretzchner, c. 1940s | Bassviolinshop
www.bassviolinshop.com
Thank you, signor Luis!!Some bow makers put a wrap or cushion (?) like that on for balance, but the historic way of making a German bow is without any sort of wrap or wiring. A lot of modern makers like the silk wrap as an ornament however.
HR Pfretzchner, c. 1940s | Bassviolinshop
The "tube" is called a "thumb leather" in the trade, as that neighbourhood is where your thumb goes on all the other bows besides German bass. It can be protective in the sense that some players are quite active with their thumb, some really dig in with their thumb nail, and some are growing a full on talon. Plenty of bows that have seen significant use have that area worn down or filled in with wood or epoxy/other fillers, because the player has worn away at the wood.
On German bass bows, it doesn't serve that purpose because you hold it differently. I have seen a bunch of pearl slides worn down where people put their pinky finger, but for the most part there aren't any fingernails involved on a German bow.
The other big reason for it is weight and balance. The winding can be a variety of different materials with leather, silk, tinsel, "whale bone", and various gauges of silver and gold wire being the most common options, from lightest to heaviest. No winding is obviously the lightest, but on a bass bow where the thicker gauges of wire don't look too crazy, you can get up to 10-ish grams of weight, and hide some more under the leather with things like lead tape. You can really change the playability and feel of a bow with small changes, where with big changes it can feel like you are adding dead weight, the vibrations through the stick feel dampened, the sound can change too.
You can tweak/change/aim for certain things as you are graduating the bow and bringing it down to final dimensions, and different head, frog, and button designs all carry varying amounts of weight in different parts of the bow. A German bow with the same weight and same balance point with a heavy winding and a light button is going to feel different than a bow with no winding and a silver button/cap putting the weight behind your hand, instead of in front of it.
If the bow is round at least the bottom three facets still need to be an octagon at the frog end of the stick, and that transition usually happens where the winding is. Some players/makers like what that looks like, some hate it, and put silk or leather or something that adds a minimal amount of weight, but covers up that round - octagon transition.
There are also some horror stories by makers about players who think a bow should having a winding on it because that is what they are used to seeing who want one added to a bow that was never intended to have one, and then the balance and weight it all off, so the maker would rather put something there themselves that is appropriate than have a repair person say yes to something they shouldn't have.
On German bass bows, it doesn't serve that purpose because you hold it differently. I have seen a bunch of pearl slides worn down where people put their pinky finger, but for the most part there aren't any fingernails involved on a German bow.
The other big reason for it is weight and balance. The winding can be a variety of different materials with leather, silk, tinsel, "whale bone", and various gauges of silver and gold wire being the most common options, from lightest to heaviest. No winding is obviously the lightest, but on a bass bow where the thicker gauges of wire don't look too crazy, you can get up to 10-ish grams of weight, and hide some more under the leather with things like lead tape. You can really change the playability and feel of a bow with small changes, where with big changes it can feel like you are adding dead weight, the vibrations through the stick feel dampened, the sound can change too.
You can tweak/change/aim for certain things as you are graduating the bow and bringing it down to final dimensions, and different head, frog, and button designs all carry varying amounts of weight in different parts of the bow. A German bow with the same weight and same balance point with a heavy winding and a light button is going to feel different than a bow with no winding and a silver button/cap putting the weight behind your hand, instead of in front of it.
If the bow is round at least the bottom three facets still need to be an octagon at the frog end of the stick, and that transition usually happens where the winding is. Some players/makers like what that looks like, some hate it, and put silk or leather or something that adds a minimal amount of weight, but covers up that round - octagon transition.
There are also some horror stories by makers about players who think a bow should having a winding on it because that is what they are used to seeing who want one added to a bow that was never intended to have one, and then the balance and weight it all off, so the maker would rather put something there themselves that is appropriate than have a repair person say yes to something they shouldn't have.
