How much should I pay for a bow?

[Mottlefeeder]

I don't have an EUB yet - but there are a lot more posts on that topic. I couldn't find any threads just about bows.

I am assuming that the same rules apply here as apply to HiFI and many other things - at the bottom of the price range, a small increase in price gives major improvements in performance, but at the top of the price range, a large difference in price gives an improvement so subtle it would probably be wasted on me.

One suggestion I heard was that a bow should cost about 25% to 33% of the cost of the DB, but does this still hold good for an EUB with less range of tone and subtlety?

Another suggestion was that carbon fibre sounds as good as wood that is twice the price - is that a point that is generally agreed, or only agree above a certain price point, or just plain wrong?

I suppose the answer I want is that for an EUB starter, with a new budget EUB, or s/h mid-priced EUB, reasonable bows start at £x, and the law of diminishing returns starts at £y.

[Sibob]

It depends really! All I can say about when I purchased the bow for my EUB, is that I spent around £120. Brazilwood with an Ebony frog. Size will make a difference to the price as well, full size, 3/4 etc...mine is a 3/4. Any smaller isn't really worth it, you can't get the length of notes needed!

What I will say though, is that the chances are that budget EUB's aren't going to allow you to bow as well as a better quality one due to the shape of the fingerboard!
The stagg ones for example look impossible to bow on, much flatter fingerboard, there are plenty of users of that EUB on here though, so maybe they can comment!

My Shuker EUB is for sale in the FS section (page 3 i think lol), it's in a higher price bracket, but due to it's true upright fingerboard and bridge, you can bow on it as well as any acoustic double bass.

Hope this helps
Si

Edited October 20, 2008 by Sibob

[dougal]

I had an EUB for a while which I bowed. I bought one of [u][url="http://www.gollihurmusic.com/product/1410-BRAZILWOOD_DOUBLE_BASS_BOW.html"]these[/url][/u]:



Bear in mind that not just the fingerboard radius (as per above) but also the pick-up type will have an effect: mine only had a magnetic pup - which is useless for bowing.

Jason Heath has reviewed a (relatively) cheap carbon fiber bow [url="http://doublebassblog.org/2008/07/finale-bows-from-the-string-emporium.html"][u]here[/u][/url]. I can't comment on it's availability in this country.

[Sibob]

Yeah my Shuker is a transducer pickup under the bridge, much like an acoustic DB.

Here's a video of me bowing it (about halfway through the song)....decent speakers will help you hear it the bass!

[url="http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=4034454"]http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseacti...videoid=4034454[/url]

Si

Edited October 20, 2008 by Sibob

[Guest subaudio]

One tip I have discoverd is dont buy the really cheap (if you can call £80 cheap) fibre glass bows, they are fine untill the hair goes, at that point you discover that you cant re-hair them, and have a very expensive back scratcher lol, better to spend another £50 minimum and buy a wood bow (or carbon fibre).

[daflewis]

[quote name='Sibob' post='310771' date='Oct 20 2008, 07:37 PM']My Shuker EUB is for sale in the FS section (page 3 i think lol), it's in a higher price bracket, but due to it's true upright fingerboard and bridge, you can bow on it as well as any acoustic double bass.[/quote]

There are a couple of things worth mentioning - Sibob makes a good point - I have an NS Designs and you need to have a really light touch with a bow or you'll just strangle the note, but I've also played a Cetus Bridge, and that bows just like a real upright. There are huge differences between different makes so it's really worth trying before you buy. as Sibob also says, I've tried one that was like a bass guitar - completely flat across the strings so impossible to bow.

On the subject of carbon fibre bows, if you're a beginner then a wood bow will be much more forgiving than a carbon one - apparently it's because the carbon stick is much stiffer than a wood one so you tend to get more "squeeks".

[Mottlefeeder]

Thank you all - some useful stuff here.

David