NickA Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 8 hours ago, Bloopdad1 said: As I've said before, plucking a bass is only about 10% of what it can really do... he's right if course; but I really like that 10%. 😁😁 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 21 hours ago, MacDaddy said: As someone new to EUB (4 days in 😆) who would like to try arco, this thread is making me very sad... 😉 Don't panic! If you're fancying a try then seriously anything is better than nothing. Even a very basic bow will let you know whether you fancy pursuing it further. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 On 28/08/2024 at 14:51, Bloopdad1 said: Playing the Bottesini is made so much easier with a quality bow... It gets interesting about halfway through... The bow is an extension of your arm and should require no effort to keep it under control. It always has to be in perfect contact with the string to draw out the tone and power the top of the bass to "sing". As I've said before, plucking a bass is only about 10% of what it can really do... I got really into Bottesini duets, way above my ability but great listening and quite inspiring. My bass teacher once I knew I wanted to get more out of the bow followed the Bottesini method; actually really nice studies in their own right, and after a few you start to pick up on what each one is aimed at. Here's the Gran Duetto Nr.2, which I originally heard transcribed for db and viola. This is two double basses, pretty intense! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickA Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 On bows... again. I was at Oxford Violins today to see and pay for the restoration of my dad's cello. Got to play it with my own bows and: A new bow by Mark Yakoushkin... Flexy, quite nice. A WE Hill bow from around 1920..priced £8.5k... lovely A Tubbs bow from 1880... Just...wow.. and very much not for sale ( but they're £10-20k if you find one to buy. They all made my £1300 arcus t4 seem a bit basic Sadly I'm wondering if there is something about these "lovely antiques" after all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 Slippery slope...... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilp Posted September 21 Share Posted September 21 When I gave up serious competitive sailing about 10 years ago, I turned my beautiful, highly competitive but elderly (relatively) Flying Dutchman dinghy into a new bow from Andrew McGill. Its a thing of beauty, and when I demonstrate to students the difference between an OK bow and the real deal, it always leaves them open mouthed. Do make sure you have anything you're considering on trial with something to compare it with, it took me 3 weeks for the McGill bow to grab me, but when it did.... It will never be for sale!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloopdad1 Posted September 22 Share Posted September 22 14 hours ago, neilp said: When I gave up serious competitive sailing about 10 years ago, I turned my beautiful, highly competitive but elderly (relatively) Flying Dutchman dinghy into a new bow from Andrew McGill. Its a thing of beauty, and when I demonstrate to students the difference between an OK bow and the real deal, it always leaves them open mouthed. Do make sure you have anything you're considering on trial with something to compare it with, it took me 3 weeks for the McGill bow to grab me, but when it did.... It will never be for sale!! Exactly. The importance of the bow is often misunderstood and usually ignored. I know many players who save up for years and trial many basses, eventually settling on their dream instrument costing +£20k and not think if their bow is suitable for the new bass ... Then after 6months state that their bass "isn't speaking" as they'd like.. The bow is the double basses amplifier and how you can express your personality and musicality through the bass. (but you also don't have to spend thousands on one either.... It just needs to suit your style and bass). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacDaddy Posted November 25 Share Posted November 25 On the Amazon, the first page of results for 'Double bass bow' has DB bows priced from £17.55 to £3,732.71. Where's a good place to start for a tightarse beginner? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilp Posted November 25 Share Posted November 25 27 minutes ago, MacDaddy said: On the Amazon, the first page of results for 'Double bass bow' has DB bows priced from £17.55 to £3,732.71. Where's a good place to start for a tightarse beginner? Step away from the computer! Telephone Thwaites, or Malcolm Healey, or Caswells, and talk to a person. Better still, go to Thwaites and give them a budget and see what they have 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickA Posted November 25 Share Posted November 25 Not Amazon. Not e-bay. Don't buy anything you can't try first. Budget bows ... Creswells will send you 6 to try at home on your own bass. Bowspeed in Bristol may do the same. Look on their websites, then contact them with a price range. Then try them all without looking at the prices. No point in spending a fortune. Like HiFi, you double the price and it gets a bit better. Sweet spot for starters is probs wooden bows around £120. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted November 25 Share Posted November 25 I did a trial of bows valued up to around £1500 with Caswells and ended up buying a £300 model that felt best of them all to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zbd1960 Posted November 26 Share Posted November 26 I agree - it's going to be similar to cello bows. Go to a string dealer/shop/luthier and try some out - including secondhand ones. Avoid Amazon, E-bay etc. Get a wooden one, do not get fibreglass type ones as they're awful. Also avoid the dirt cheap carbon fibre ones as they're also usually rubbish. Decent carbon fibre are the same price as equivalent wooden bows. My spare cello bow was £80 from the local luthier and is secondhand. Perfectly serviceable. Only used when main bow which cost £450 is in for a re-hair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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