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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Carbon fibre bows?

12 replies

IrishViking · 25/03/2019 14:22

Does anyone out there know anything about or have a carbon fibre bow that they would recommend? DS is a cellist age 11, has just moved on to a very lovely antique German full size cello and is going to be off to senior school on a music scholarship in September so will be doing a lot of playing every day. Currently he's at somewhere between grade 6-7 standard but is still using a cheap 3/4 basic student bow so I need to get him a better, full size bow. For various reasons he wants a carbon fibre bow. Having read up a bit about the different makes there does seem to be a consensus that for the money (ie sub £600) you get a better carbon fibre bow than you would buying a wooden one in that price range but beyond that I'm a bit stumped as none of his teachers has ever owned or used one. The one that I'm drawn to is the CodaBow Diamond NX which seems to be well reviewed on various sites but I've also seen good things about the JonPaul bows and their "Standard" model also seems well reviewed and is over half the price of the CodaBow. I'm planning to borrow some on trial from a London retailer for DS to try with his teacher but at the moment I can't even narrow down which ones to order on trial! Any experiences would be very gratefully received.

OP posts:
Moominmammacat · 25/03/2019 17:18

Go to the shop, if you can, and see what he likes the feel of!

NeleusTheStatue · 25/03/2019 18:08

Please don't go to a shop without your DS, and also, don't forget to bring his cello to the shop. You can't pick a bow without DS trying on his own cello. He can narrow down to a few bows after trying lots at a shop, take them home for more trying and comparing, showing the teacher for more testing, etc, before making the final decision.

Re, wood vs carbon, there are pros and cos for both. However, both brands you named are a reliable maker, so if your DS likes one of them, I don't think it'll go too wrong. At some point he may benefit more from a wooden bow. But a carbon bow is always good to have as a spare. So you might as well start with a carbon fiber bow for now. It's robust so perfect for school use.

folkmamma · 25/03/2019 20:58

We recently bought a CodaBow violin bow and are really pleased with it. Chose it (with teacher's approval) over 2 other wooden bows which were about 3 times the price!!!! I'm a bit of a traditionalist so was sceptical, but it's certainly working for DD.

ZakStarkey · 25/03/2019 22:48

CodaBow bow diamond NX here- violinist dd. She likes it and has tried some very nice antique wooden ones recently- they had to get to £1400! Until she noticed/liked the difference in feel though!

SarahBeeney · 25/03/2019 22:57

Hi. Professional violinist here.... I bought a carbon fibre bow today on EBay! Just as a spare bow though,I don't need to try it as it won't get much use.

The prices vary so much,definitely get your son to take his cello,you can also get a shop/dealer to send you some to try it that's easier.

Best of luck,I think it's harder to find a great bow than a great instrument. Quite a few professionals use carbon fibre full time,and will often buy high end bows for investment even if they don't play on them.

Mitsouko67 · 25/03/2019 22:58

We need a new double bass bow so interested in this thread. I think the bow DS has which needs replacing is a French bow.

Not sure what the options are.

Mother87 · 26/03/2019 00:05

Missing point of thread When I saw the title, I was thinking 'aaaaw traditional sports are making a comeback' - bow and arrowsBlush

Original poster
IrishViking · 26/03/2019 10:18

Really helpful, thank you everyone! I did wonder if just taking DS and cello to the shop would be easier so that we can then take a selection on trial from there. Good to see that the CodaBow is getting some votes though. SarahBeeney, I will probably get him a Ebay bow for an emergency spare as the one he has now is an Ebay "Carbon fibre" (more likely resin given it cost about £30!) one and to be fair to it, it has been ok and has survived 3 years of daily use from a child whose main source of inspiration in terms of playing style is 2Cellos but the balance isn't great, it's tip heavy so DS finds that he's fighting against it all the time and is tending to bias his playing towards the heel of the bow because the tip is hard to control and produce a good sound with. As you say, not an issue for a spare but not good for everyday use!

OP posts:
SarahBeeney · 26/03/2019 21:05

Yes it's all about the weight and the distribution.
Bows are of course extremely important however,I am of the opinion that if you can make a good sound then you should be able to do that no matter what you're playing with.
Yes I'd buy a 50k bow if I was a millionaire but I wouldn't get a massive loan to buy one like I have seen some of my colleagues do.
Hopefully your son's teacher can help you out. I don't actually teach so I'm no expert on these things 😀

BikeRunSki · 26/03/2019 21:12

I thought this was going to be about archery....

Mother87 · 26/03/2019 22:44

BikeRunSki - me too😳

242Mummy · 27/03/2019 21:20

Both my boys use Coda Diamond GX bows. Bought them when DS1 and DS2 moved to full size violins and after doing lots of researcg. DS1 got on very well with his even though his violin teacher pooh-poohed carbon fibre (this was about 6 years ago). By the time DS2 got his, she was asking where I bought them as she wanted one for herself!

Beautiful sound and I'm not too stressed when the DS2 forgets to loosen his bow after practice. Would highly recommend.

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