A colleague was playing his violin in the subway when a passerby bumped his bow. The bow flew out of his hand, landed on the concrete floor, and broke. He knew better than to play in the subway with an expensive bow, and the one that broke wasn't worth a lot; but it was an old favorite, one that felt good to use and pulled a big tone. Good sounding, inexpensive bows are hard to find, and he's doubtful he'll be able to replace it.

Many situations accelerate wear and tear on bows, and all of us, like my friend, know there are times when saving our treasured antique bows and using a less valuable bow is preferable. Traveling to different climates increases the chance of a stick warping, playing in crowded public places means a bow can easily be bumped, and anyone who teaches young students knows they often move quickly, without looking first. This can cause disaster!

We often have to choose between playing with a less satisfying bow and sacrificing the quality of sound, or putting a favorite bow at risk. This choice can be self-defeating. The solution for many plovers lies in synthetic bows (see Shoptalk and Market Report, May/June 1996).I have tried two brands, from CodaBow of Winona, Minnesota, and from Benoit Rolland in the French cities of Vannes and Paris. Both companies make bows of carbon fiber composite; both models are readily available in the United States. The bows are virtually indestructible: they are impervious to climate changes and won't warp, and they won’t crack or break when bumped or dropped. These makers, using fine wooden bows as their models, leave spent years developing bows that feel good to use and produce a good sound, mitigating the need to choose between quality and durability.

Composite materials also offer other advantages. These makers initially decided to explore the possibilities of new materials because of the scarcity and expense of good pernambuco, the wood traditionally used for making bows. Student bows in the $500-$1,000 price range are made of lower grades of Pernambuco, which have inconsistent density and grain structure. This makes the sound and response of the stick uneven. The stiffness and acoustic transmission rate of carbon composite, by contrast, can he strictly controlled guaranteeing a uniform quality.

CodaBow is the latest company to introduce a carbon-fiber composite bow. The company is really two people - Stan Prosen and Jeff Van Fossen, two researchers in the field of advanced materials. Prosen, one of the pioneers of composite materials, first bccame interested in developing a composite violin bow in the late '70s, when a violinist friend asked if it were possible. At the time, Prosen recognized that the technology wasn't available. He returned to the idea three years ago at a symposium, where he met Van Fossen, who specializes in the structural characteristics of advanced materials. The two men discovered their mutual interest in classical music and agreed that the time was right to develop a composite bow. According to Van Fossen, their goal was to quantify the characteristics of great wooden bows and manifest them in something a student could afford.

Prosen and Van Fossen began by studying bows bv Peccatte, Lamy, Nurnberger, and Tourte. They then designed and circulated a prototype composite violin bow to bow makers and violinists. Incorporating the feedback they received, they made a violin bow that came on the market this past spring. Their future plans include cello, viola, and bass bows.

Another carbon-fiber composite bow, the Spiccato, has been available in the U.S. for about two years. The prototype was made in 1989 by the French bow maker Benoit Rolland, a student of Bernard Ouchard. Well known for his pernambuco bows, Rolland wanted to make a high-quality bow that advanced students and young professionals could afford. Like Prosen and Van Fossen, he concluded this was only possible using a substitute for pernambuco.

All three makers are very clear about the role for composites; they don’t intend them to replace fine wooden bows. Their use will, they hope, stretch the existing supplies of pernambuco, provide better-quality bows for players who can't afford fine pernambuco bows, and protect valuable bows by providing rugged, replaceable alternatives for risky playing conditions. These are noble motivations indeed. But how successfully do composite materials reproduce the sound and feel of wood?

For the past month, I have had the use of two CodaBow prototypes and two different Spiccato models. I have had the opportunity to get to know them, show them to colleagues, and hear my students play with them. The consensus is that these bows are wonderful. The most enthusiastic response was from my advanced students, who found all of the carbon-fiber bows easier to play than their mid-range pernambuco bows, and we all agreed they made their instruments sound noticeably better. The reaction from colleagues was more mixed. Players who are used to fine bows missed the suppleness of wood, though they felt the bow handled well. They liked the tone, however, and agreed that a composite would be a good second bow for orchestra gigs, teaching, and travel.

The Spiccato bow is available in three models: the Classique, the Solo, and the Super-Solo. The stiffest, the Classique, is analogous to a typical German stick. The Solo is a bit less stiff and more like a typical French stick. The most flexible of the three, the Super-Solo, resembles a transitional (from Baroque to modern) stick. All of these sticks are hollow, with a Kevlar thread running through the middle. When you unscrew the frog, there's a metal fitting inside that is attached to the Kevlar thread. It's possible to adjust the tension on the thread, and the bow's camber and flexibility, by turning the metal fitting with a key that's provided.

I tried two Spiccato bows: the Solo and the Super-Solo. Both are very light and have a good balance. They feel good in the hand and track beautifully on the string. The Solo gets a brighter sound. The stick is stiffer than wood, and, preferring a fairly flexible stick, I adjusted the camber. Indeed, the bow did feel more flexible. The "transitional" Spiccato bow is more flexible still, and it has a slightly darker sound. Both produce a big, even sound, bounce cleanly, and are very easy to control. A lot of care has gone into the aesthetics: the finish is quite nice, and the proportions of the stick and the tip are elegant. Designed in the French tradition, the tip is elongated. The hand-carved ebony frog is silver mounted and the wrapping is silver foil thread.

The Spiccato violin bow costs $1,500 and is guaranteed for life. Plans are set for viola and cello bows, and Rolland has also recently started making carbon-fiber violin and viola bows with a fixed camber. These will also be available by the end of the summer and will cost around $900. Peter Paul Prier of Salt Lake City, Utah, distributes the Spiccato bows in the U.S. and Canada and will ship them for approval. The company's telephone number is (800) 801-3651, and the fax number is (801) 364-3652.

The Spiccato bow is distributed by Yamaha in Japan and by the Societe Benoit Rolland in Europe; for more information, contact Rolland in France by phoning (33) 97 47 IS 0-5 or by faxing (33) 97 47 14 13.

The makers of the CodaBow and the Spiccato have tried to reproduce the suppleness and response of a pernambuco stick, and both come very close. But there is a difference in the feeling. A good pernambuco bow will almost tell you what to do; the composite bow is a good listener, but it doesn't speak first. The main differences between the Spiccato and CodaBow (besides the adjustable-versus-fixed camber) are the thickness and stiffness of the sticks, the balance, and the tone they draw. The CodaBow produces a dark, rich Sound, and it has a thicker, springier stick. It is evenly, but differently, balanced. The CodaBow weighs between 59-1/2 and 61-1/2 grams (different frogs account for the different weights). All of the Spiccato models weigh 60 grams, yet they feel lighter. Like the Spiccato, the CodaBow bounces easily and cleanly. It has a square, Tourte-style tip, comes with a silver mounted German frog, and is available in a black or brown finish. The violin bow (with case) sells for $675, a price that puts it in the middle of the student-bow price range. To keep costs down, the CodaBow is not being sold through retail string shops but is marketed directIv by Nova Musical Products, which will ship the bow for a two week trial approval period. The company's telephone number is (800) 668-2911; the fax is (617) 232-9299.

The Carbow is another French made carbon bow, sold by Stephane Vaiedelich and Jean Grunberger. Although I did not have one to test for this article, other players have said they are well crafted and worth trying. Write the makers at 15 rue Demolombe, 14000 Caen, France, or telephone them at (33) 07 55 80 59; their fax number is (33) 31 86 02 18.

Another carbon-fiber bow, the von Bennigsen model, is available through an English distributor, David Stone Assoc., Ltd., at Great Dowles, Stone St., Canterbury CT4 6DB, England.

Finally, Michael Duff, in Bloomington, Indiana, makes the synthetic Berg bow for violin and cello (viola and bass models are forthcoming). The violin bows range from $1,200 to $3,000; the cello models range from $1,400 to $3,200. For information about retail outlets in the U.S. and overseas, contact Berg Bows, Inc., PO Box 6235, Bloomington, IN 47407, or call or fax (812) 336-8994.

If you have limited resources or play anywhere your bow can be bumped, you should try one of these composite bows. If you are considering buying one, I can strongly recommend that you test both the Spiccato bow and the CodaBow. They feel very different, and one may suit your playing better than the other. Though a player may have to get used to the feel of a non-wood bow, there is no question that both of these are far superior to comparably priced Pernambuco bows: they're better balanced, the stick is uniform, they bounce more easily, and they produce a bigger, clearer sound. They're also more durable. In short, the developers of composite bows have accomplished what they set out to do: they have provided a useful, sensible, and high-qualitv adjunct to a string player's collection of bows.

-Vicki Citron

This article originally appeared in STRINGS MAGAZINE, March/April, 1997. It is reproduced here (scanned and reconstructed by Caere Omnipage OCR software) as an informational service to string players.

Composite Cello Bows

There is a brand-new cello bow on the market that is well worth checking out. Called the CodaBow, it is made by Coda Composites Co. and marketed by Nova Musical Products (425 Washington St., Suite 5, Brookline, MA 02146; telephone (800) NOVA 911; fax (617) 932-3234). Like the (CodaBow for violin (Market Report, July/August 1996), the cello bow is made of a graphite composite material. While it does not look like a wood bow -- it has a distinctive black color -- it feels and handles like a fine pernambuco bow. And as pernambuco becomes more scarce, new alternatives are always welcome. There are many advantages to composite bows: They are very strong and won't break when dropped or sat upon. While wood can fatigue over time, losing vitality, and also may warp due to changes in temperature and humidity, the molded composite bows are immune to these problems. The CodaBow's design is an amalgamation of the fine characteristics of many great bows. While there is quite a bit of variation in wood bows and no two produced by a single maker will sound or handle exactly the same way, all CodaBows will be alike. If you try a CodaBow (they may be reserved for a two-week trial), like it, and order one, you know exactly what you are getting, and it is very reasonably priced at about $900. I found the CodaBow to be extremely easy to handle on any kind of stroke, producing a clean, clear, direct, and loud sound. I imagine that many a student who starts off with a CodaBow would find that it would grow along with him or her. Because of its direct sound, it would also be an excellent orchestral bow.

If you are curious about composite cello bows, you should also consider another one: the Berg Series Three cello bow has been available for seven years and is a very fine bow. Berg bows are beautifully crafted and look amazingly like pemambuco. One of my students recently bought one, and I never would have guessed from its appearance that it was not a wood stick. Instead of using any particular pernambuco bows as templates for the Series Three bow, Berg used math and computers to develop the "ideal" bow. It comes in a variety of weights, from 80 to 88 grams, so that if you prefer a lighter or heavier bow, you can get one to fit your needs. While the exact composite material of the Berg Bow is a company secret, it does contain an advanced soundconducting fiber. As of this year, the basic Berg Bow costs $1,500, while deluxe ones with fancier fittings (one comes with gold fittings, for example) are more expensive. The Berg bow is easy to handle and produces a full, robust sound. It is beautiful looking, fun to play, and it sounds very good. Berg Bows, Inc., is at PO Box 6235, Bloomington, IN 47407; phone (800) 762-8994, fax (812) 3363033, or E-mail bergbows@aol.com.

While both composite bow companies are experimenting with alternative substances, they currently use ebony for their frog material. I am partial to the sound of my old French bow, and I happen to like a lighter-weight bow than those currently offered by either of these companies. However, I definitely enjoyed trying both of them, am tempted to get one as a second bow, and would recommend them to amateurs and professionals alike.

-Sarab Freiberg

Go to the STRAD October, 1997 article

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