Bow with unusual frog

[Soundboot]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...A%3AIT&rd=1

I thought this was interesting

[Brad Dorsey]

I've seen a few like that, and I had one once.

[T_Rocca]

I have no interest in that. to me it is like a composite bow and worth like one

[Brad Dorsey]

I do not think these are good-playing bows. They are bizarre curiosities. I sold mine to a man who collects weird bows.

[Soundboot]

I think it goes to show that creative things can be done with the frog. The violin world tends to be terribly uncreative for the most part.

[T_Rocca]

yes indeed, but however creativity without playablility means they could be sent to an art museum, not a music one or be played as one.

This reminds me of a interesting thing, if you can get to see the bow Sartory made for The French violinist Jaques Thibaud. It is shown on the book. "bows from France" if I translate correctly.

[Soundboot]

I can't speak for the playability of this bow but I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand. The point I want to make is that the frog does not have to be exactly identical to every other frog. The shape won't make that much difference.

Look at these:

http://www.beckley-violinbows.com/pages/gallery/post.php

http://www.archet.com/archet.htm

[T_Rocca]

I got your point.

They are cool designs, just that it seems to be something a bow maker will do when the pernambuco blank was damaged, or head broken, or not to waste the smaller frog blanks.

Dont get angry, its just out from my wild imagination too.

No 2 frogs are identical to me, just similar.

The farthest I can accept is a cornerless violin.

for violas, I have a better tollerance.

[Soundboot]

Not angry, just bewildered by the general reaction to such things - that it even has to be a matter of tollerance.

[fiddlecollector]

Regardless of the frog the stick doesn`t look too bad to me.

[miles]

>the stick doesn`t look too bad to me

Since you mention the bow, I wonder how to determine whether the stick is good?

In addition, someone mentioned the stick of a bow was good because it was straight. But when I took a look at, the bow is certainly curved. So what's meant by straight? Grain is straight although the shape is curved?

[Brad Dorsey]

"So what's meant by straight?"

Bows should be curved in a plane that passes through the center of the stick and the middle of the hair ribbon. This curve is usually called the camber. Bows should be straight in a plane that is parallel to the hair ribbon.

If this doesn't make sense, imagine an archery bow. When the archer draws the bow and looks past the string at the bow stick, the stick will appear straight. But someone looking at the bow from one side will see a curve.

[miles]

>If this doesn't make sense, imagine an archery bow. When the >archer draws the bow and looks past the string at the bow >stick, the stick will appear straight. But someone looking at >the bow from one side will see a curve.

Ah, did you see the bright light bulb on top of my head? Thanks a million.

[ornati]

I like the Beckley frog. I'm not too crazy about his tip. I've seen that style in "art furniture", just not my cup-o-tea.

Subtly different is good. Tastefully different is good. An amazing departure from the norm, artistically done, is great. But, different for the sake of different is not for me.

[Soundboot]

Same for the sake of being the same is not for me either, there is too much of that. If departures from the norm have no affect on sound/performance then why not? Certain departures may even improve upon sound/performance or indeed give us an alternative sound/feel. Let's dispense with the unnecessary dogma about mere decorative aspects of the instrument. If a maker has the courage to do something creative then I think they deserve our applause and encouragement. Allow them to leave their 21st century legacy. Variety in the violin world is incredibly lacking. If you want standard equipment there is plenty of it.

[ornati]

Dont get angry

[Soundboot]

I'M NOT ANGRY!!!!!!!!

[johnsr]

Are you sure that you are not ANGRY???

[guta]

Heard through the grapevine--- On one of the few occasions that Heifetz visited the Hans Weisshaar shop in L.A. he became interested in an aluminum bow by J.B. Vuillaume, and wanted to purchase it. Weisshaar refused, and Heifetz walked out angrily, not to return.

P.S. Almost every violin shop in L.A. has Heifetz stories to tell.

All Best, Larry.

[rarecellos]

Whew, that's an ugly frog!

rarecellos