Carbon fiber bows vs. traditional wooden bows?

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Permalink Reply by David Alston on February 10, 2010 at 7:15pm

I have two carbon fiber bows. One is a braided carbon fiber Stannton, which is sold locally by Atlantic Violin Supplies, and the other is a Cadenza, sold by Eastman. I have one pernambuco bow for my viola and a couple of other bows kicking around.

I would say that for the money ($200-250), they are good value. They both have good balance, and are definitely superior to brazil wood bows that I have and are at least equal to (an admittedly inexpensive) my pernambuco bow. The Stannton is a better quality bow, better balanced and a little livliery.

Both carbon fiber bows are very stable and play the same every time. They don't react to humidity or heat, and I can't say the same of the wooden bows.

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Permalink Reply by Erin Shrader on February 11, 2010 at 10:38am

Well, carbon fiber bows are not necessarily lighter than wooden bows, nor do fiddlers particularly prefer them (speaking as a fiddler, myself, with lots of fiddling friends). Arcus bows, which I like very much, are light. The designer had Mozart in mind, but wanted to be able to play the full range of classical music on one bow. Otherwise, they tend to be in the normal weight range. For example, I have a carbon fiber bow here in the office that weighs 60.7 grams, slightly on the heavy side of average for a violin bow. It handles beautifully, draws a bright, clear, sound and retails for about $100.

I would advise simply buying the bow you like best. Shop around, try lots of bows--you'll learn a lot. Then buy the one that feels best to you and sounds best with your instrument without worrying too much about the material.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Keating on February 11, 2010 at 8:05pm

I was wondering, is one material less bouncy in the middle than another? Or does the bow's weight contribute to the bounce? My technique isn't the greatest, but it's getting better. But when the bow starts to bounce in the middle of the stick, particularly on a single long bow stroke, it's very difficult to stop it until it gets to the end.

Erin Shrader said:

Well, carbon fiber bows are not necessarily lighter than wooden bows, nor do fiddlers particularly prefer them (speaking as a fiddler, myself, with lots of fiddling friends). Arcus bows, which I like very much, are light. The designer had Mozart in mind, but wanted to be able to play the full range of classical music on one bow. Otherwise, they tend to be in the normal weight range. For example, I have a carbon fiber bow here in the office that weighs 60.7 grams, slightly on the heavy side of average for a violin bow. It handles beautifully, draws a bright, clear, sound and retails for about $100.

I would advise simply buying the bow you like best. Shop around, try lots of bows--you'll learn a lot. Then buy the one that feels best to you and sounds best with your instrument without worrying too much about the material.

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Permalink Reply by Fiddle World on February 22, 2010 at 6:44am

Hi Michelle. I've put a lot of thought into this over the years. I am classically trained, but have been fiddling mostly these last 20 or so years. I designed a carbon fiber bow in the late 90s and looked into having it made in wood here in the US, but could not find a company willing to make it. I turned to China in '98 and with help from hundreds of fiddlers world-wide, came up with a final bow I call The Fiddler's Bow, which seems to be quite popular. In fact, Darol Anger, still likes his and finds it very useful for all sorts of styles of playing, not just fiddle styles. I have two favorite bows. My 200 year old pernambuco that i have played with since I was a kid, and my Fiddler's Bow. I like them both, but use the Fiddler's Bow primarily in rehearsals and performances.

What are some things that you are looking for in a bow?

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Permalink Reply by Erin Shrader on February 22, 2010 at 11:29am

Camber (the curve in the stick) and graduations (the taper from frog to tip) will have more to do with that undesireable bounce than carbon vs wood.

Kevin Keating said:

I was wondering, is one material less bouncy in the middle than another? Or does the bow's weight contribute to the bounce? My technique isn't the greatest, but it's getting better. But when the bow
starts to bounce in the middle of the stick, particularly on a single
long bow stroke, it's very difficult to stop it until it gets to the
end.

Erin Shrader said:

Well, carbon fiber bows are not necessarily lighter than wooden bows, nor do fiddlers particularly prefer them (speaking as a fiddler, myself, with
lots of fiddling friends). Arcus bows, which I like very much, are
light. The designer had Mozart in mind, but wanted to be able to play
the full range of classical music on one bow. Otherwise, they tend to
be in the normal weight range. For example, I have a carbon fiber bow
here in the office that weighs 60.7 grams, slightly on the heavy side
of average for a violin bow. It handles beautifully, draws a bright,
clear, sound and retails for about $100.

I would advise simply buying the bow you like best. Shop around, try
lots of bows--you'll learn a lot. Then buy the one that feels best to
you and sounds best with your instrument without worrying too much
about the material.

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Permalink Reply by Emmanuel G.M. on March 12, 2010 at 12:32pm

I think that having a carbon fiber bow is definitely a plus, especially as a second bow. It has the benefit of a better spiccato; easy to handle and care; harder to break :)
The coda bow diamond NX is pretty good. I don't think is worthy to spend more on the SX or GX. This website offers a free rosin and free shipping in the USA with the bow: www.gostrings.com

Good luck with that.

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Permalink Reply by Michelle Millier on March 12, 2010 at 1:52pm

Thanks! I'll look into that! :)

Emmanuel G.M. said:

I think that having a carbon fiber bow is definitely a plus, especially as a second bow. It has the benefit of a better spiccato; easy to handle and care; harder to break :)
The coda bow diamond NX is pretty good. I don't think is worthy to spend more on the SX or GX. This website offers a free rosin and free shipping in the USA with the bow: www.gostrings.com

Good luck with that.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Grantham on March 14, 2010 at 6:14pm

Isn't there another good reason for using carbon fiber bows? It reduces the demand for trees from endangered forests in the Amazon.

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Permalink Reply by Fouts on March 17, 2010 at 1:27pm

I have had a Coda violin bow for a number of years and I'm really happy with it. it cost about three hundred dollars I think. I forget which model it is but I think the only difference between the models is the appointments. I regularly switch back and forth between that and my pernambuco, which cost a lot more. The wood stick brings out some different tones, but I wouldn't say one is really better than the other.

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Permalink Reply by Nate Tabor on March 24, 2010 at 2:06am

I have had mostly bad experiences with these bows. General rule with anything regarding strings: wood is always better. ;)

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Permalink Reply by Fouts on March 24, 2010 at 9:03am

On the whole, I would say that Nate is right. However, I think the advantage of the carbon fiber bow is that it makes a great secondary bow for when your number one bow is in the shop.

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Permalink Reply by Nate Tabor on March 24, 2010 at 11:40am

Fouts said:

On the whole, I would say that Nate is right. However, I think the advantage of the carbon fiber bow is that it makes a great secondary bow for when your number one bow is in the shop.

Yep, or perhaps if you live in a humid climate, say Bangkok Thailand or New Orleans ;) - In this regard I have had several rather beautiful bows warp from the humidity. Also a fine viola simply melted apart like ice cream. Things are better in high altitudes of northern Italy !!;)

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