Double Bass Tip laminate crack + Bow work in NYC

[Eric Swanson]

I took a couple of bows to Salchow when I lived in NY and they did a lovely job. At that time, my teachers seemed to think that they were the most dependable game in town. But then, that was 25 years ago and there are clearly some newer options, listed above. I would follow the recommendations of serious students or working pros in NY, now.

I had a similar crack on my Morizot and somewhat stupidly had it "mended" by someone who was not a bowmaker. Bad, bad, bad.

It took a lot of painstaking work (and money) for an actual bowmaker to undo that mess.

BTW, I used the bow with the crack for several months with no ill effect. My only concern was that the loose ivory might catch on something and snap off, creating further hate. Didn't happen though; I waited until I had the money to do the work, with no additional damage occuring.

 

[Brad Maestas]

I took a couple of bows to Salchow when I lived in NY and they did a lovely job. At that time, my teachers seemed to think that they were the most dependable game in town. But then, that was 25 years ago and there are clearly some newer options, listed above. I would follow the recommendations of serious students or working pros in NY, now.

I had a similar crack on my Morizot and somewhat stupidly had it "mended" by someone who was not a bowmaker. Bad, bad, bad.

It took a lot of painstaking work (and money) for an actual bowmaker to undo that mess.

BTW, I used the bow with the crack for several months with no ill effect. My only concern was that the loose ivory might catch on something and snap off, creating further hate. Didn't happen though; I waited until I had the money to do the work, with no additional damage occuring.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Eric. I have considered visiting Salchow just to check out their operation.

I, too, have seen some pretty careless "mending" in my day, although none that were requested by me. It seems the number one culprit is the handling and choice of adhesives. Many a fine wooden instrument has been either maimed or ruined by the use of cyanoacrylates instead of hide glue. One notable piece in my collection is a 1972 Höfner bass guitar whose previous owner had taken it upon himself to repair the neck which had somehow been completely broken off. He used epoxy for the joint and countersunk a large screw through the fingerboard and into the neck block. I bought it some time afterward. The repair held fine for many years but in the last year the neck has started to move again and is in need of extensive repairs, with most of the labor costs likely to be incurred by epoxy removal.

If people would seek the advice of a seasoned professional at the outset, I'm sure there would be a whole lot of nice instruments (and bows) surviving to this day!

 

[Phil Rowan]

Yup, the Salchow shop's supposed to be pretty top notch too