Why do violin, viola, cello and double bass bows cost so much?

Why are violin bows so expensive? Here's a quick explanation.

People often ask why bows are so expensive:

"Is 1,000 yuan too expensive to buy a piece of wood and a few hairs?"

"It's all marketing and trying to increase value based on egotistical perceptions. Period."

"It's a joke to spend more than 1,000 yuan to buy a small piece of wood and a few hairs."

We wanted to answer some of these questions and explain the art behind the bow.

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Simply put, bows are handcrafted by highly trained and skilled craftsmen. If made correctly, a single bow will take three full days to complete, while higher quality bows will take a full week.

Once we examine how the bow is made, we need to consider the cost of the valuable materials used by the bow manufacturer. A large piece of Pernambuco costs about 250 yuan, and depending on the quality, the price may be lower or higher. Brazilian wood, the outer wood from the same tree, is used in student and mid-level bows because it's a lot cheaper and still does a good job. The bow maker also needed ebony, silver (the maker actually cut, melted, welded and shaped the silver parts like a real silversmith) leather, hair (very expensive), bone or mammoth ivory, mother of pearl. Once you add up all of these items, you'll understand why quality bows are expensive. Generally speaking, if you shop with a reputable business, you get what you pay for.

How is a bow made?

This is a very complex process, which we've simplified below.

Almost all wooden bows are made the same way, even the most affordable ones. The difference is the quality of the wood and other materials used in construction; the speed of fabrication; and the attention to detail. Attempts to mechanize the process were hampered by the need to taper the bow correctly towards this point, which factory machinery could not manage efficiently. It has to be done by hand. The frog is also too complicated to assemble and needs to be made by hand.

stick:

The stick is made from a "blank," which is a piece of wood that is first cut to the desired size.

The long part of the stick is hand-shaped using carving tools, including a special plane, tapering to a curved end called the bow, and finally tapering again to the tip. In the rough preparation stage, the rods are shaped into hexagons. The bow head is also hand carved using wood carving knives, files and special files.

The flame heats the stick so it bends into roughly the right curve. After the bow is installed (after the initial rough cut), the bow undergoes final shaping, including very careful attention to the gradient of the taper. If the finished bow is intended to have a round rod, the fillets will be completed at this stage. The sticks usually have a hex left on the end for the mounting nut or frog.

After final trimming and shaping, the sticks are chemically treated with nitric acid and then exposed to ammonia to give them the characteristic color of Pernambuco or Brazilian wood. Pernambuco is a dark, oily wood that does not require painting. After treating the sticks, French polish them with oilcloth, using shellac and some other gums and resins to protect the wood and add extra shine.

The headstock panel, or headstock board, is made from two parts, using a thin ebony veneer and a bone outer surface (or plastic in cheaper bows). These are glued together to the tip of the bow. Traditionally, ivory was used for tip veneers, but of course this is now restricted internationally. Mammoth bone was a common substitute, but other materials such as silver, gold, shell, and various synthetic materials were also used.

The board is suitable for creating strength to the wood around the tips and mortises where the hair is secured. If it is damaged or cracked at any time, it must be replaced: otherwise you risk further injury to the bow tip.

The process of installing tip veneer is delicate and requires delicate care using knives and other delicate tools. If you do need to replace it at any point, you can also disassemble the existing headplate in the same detail. Other work required to make the sticks includes cutting the mortises that secure the frog; drilling holes to accommodate the screws; and hand-fitting the silver windings and leather pads.

frog:

The Frog is a very specialized item that requires your bowmaker to be a metalworker, carpenter, and silversmith as well. Frogs are usually made of ebony, but other materials are also used.

Before carving the frog, the luthier prepares all the metal parts. The ferrule is made from two pieces of silver, one flat and the other semicircular, which the manufacturer welds together. The screw is made from a threaded shaft; the adjuster (handle) is made by the luthier from ebony and silver, turned on a lathe and carefully filed into a hexagonal shape.

Other items to be made are the silver lining; the frog's back plate; the eyes - either cut out of mother-of-pearl and set on their own or also set with a silver ring; the pearl slide.

The frog is cut from a small piece of ebony and shaped by hand using planes, chisels, knives, chisels, drills and very fine metal scrapers. Since each item is mounted on the frog and the frog is mounted on a stick, there are a lot of adjustments that need to be made using these different tools.

When the stick and frog are ready to be assembled, the hair will fit perfectly and the final trimming and polishing of the stick and frog is complete.

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Bow hair:

Carefully select the correct amount of hair and tie it at one end with a strong, thin string. The end is dipped in powdered resin and placed in a flame to expand, then it is pressed into the mortise and tenon of the bow head and held in place with small wooden wedges (usually maple).

The hair is then measured and cut to the correct length for the frog. Many luthiers get their hair wet at this point. The hair is then combed and rearranged for correct placement, the ferrule is slipped through the hair, and this end is then also tied to the frog's mortise in the same manner as the tip, held in place with a maple wedge.

Then insert the slider into the hair, holding the ferrule part in place, and insert a third maple wedge between the frog's tongue and the headband, holding it neatly over the flat part of the ferrule. This is called a spreader wedge. Some luthiers install the hair in reverse, first at the frog and then at the tip.

All three wedges are freshly cut, or at least trimmed specifically to fit your bow during installation preparation. They expand and contract with the weather, just like the body of your instrument, and can deteriorate over time. This is part of the reason why you need to re-hair your bow frequently, due to constant use.