GeorgeH

You sure about that? Seller said it was French. It has a French label in it. How are you so sure it is 100+ years old? It was purchased from a crook. You can't be sure about anything from these crooks. They are good at what they do.

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions! They have all lead to some interesting reading. Much appreciated. To be clear, I am not looking to reproduce an historical sound or performance. I just want to try a baroque style bow to see if I can use it to create some different expression and color, particularly on string crossings on triple and quadruple stops in Bach partitas on my modern violins. So I ordered an early 20th century pernambuco Baroque-style bow made by a good German maker. It seemed to fit the specifications I was looking for after reading the information I was pointe

Yes, deliberate forgeries. They are buying cheap modern violins (Romanian or Chinese), taking the tops off, adding labels and brands, tarting them up appropriately, thus turning them into forgeries to sell to unsuspecting and gullible buyers. They are not "nice" violins.

They are deliberate forgeries, that is the problem. If they're such "nice violins," there would be no reason to add fake labels and brands to jack up the price.

Be very careful. F-wings and wing tips can break easily. Best to use the endpin hole.

OK, @Delabo, how about "Mittie?"

Would a Baroque bow that feels like a modern bow be a good "Baroque" bow? I assume that a good Baroque bow would not (should not?) feel like a modern bow. Maybe that is a wrong assumption. I remember @martin swan saying once that many people tended to buy a new bow that "feels like" their old bow (with all its faults), rather than getting used to the performance qualities of a new better bow because it initially feels different. So that is part of my quandary. For example, I like 60g modern bows, but I have been told that a good Baroque bow should be 50-52g. Thanks, I'

An 18th century plastic one, of course.

Thanks, Deans. For example, I want to be able to play the 3 and 4 note chords in Bach partitas the way Rachel Podger does.

Actually, it wasn't used at all. Neither were antibiotics. Nor airplanes. Nor cars. Nor a gazillion other things. But I am sure there are good CF Baroque bows as there are good CF modern bows. I know you hate CF bows, but please don't hijack this thread with a rant against them. I really want to learn about Baroque bows, CF or wooden, and others might want to, too.

I'd like to buy a good Baroque bow for playing Bach, but I have never played anything using one. What qualities does one look for to determine if a Baroque bow is good or not? Are there any brands of good carbon fiber Baroque bows?

Another acronym: COD = "Catch Of the Day"

There is no evidence the OP's violin is the same violin that Aunt Minnie had insured for $500 in 1931.

I generally use Evah Pirazzi on my fine violins, but also flavors of Warchal and Larsens occasionally. I have not tried John Pearce Artiste on any of those violins. I like Obligatos to darken the tone of bright fiddles, but I rarely use them anymore. Kaplan Amo will also do a good job of darkening tone. Kaplan Vivo are synthetic strings that are absolute screamers, very bright, and will out-perform even metal strings in volume and response. I have recommend/used Pro Arté or Zyex strings as my preferred budget synthetic string, but I will probably buy a stash of John Pearce Artiste wh

You're the one who made the claim that you could by a Strad for $500 in 1931. Prove it yourself.