Bow Restoration Devaluation

[Mark Neukirchen]

A friend of mine is considering the purchase of fine old Peccatte viola bow, however its nipple and inner bore have been bushed. I was just curious how much of a price impact this type of restoration will typically have on a bow of this caliber?

[Dwight Brown]

Wow! A viola bow by him would be very rare. I don’t think I would venture into those waters without my own expert!

DLB

[Andrew Victor]

Out of about 255 auctioned Peccatte bows listed by Tarisio I could find only one viola bow sold in 1971 for $655. Record auction price for a Peccatte cello bow is around $225,000 in 2018.

[duane88]

Bushed because of a crack that needed repair, or wear?

[martin swan]

As Duane intimates, how you devalue the bow depends on why the work was done.

If the nipple was a bit worn and the adjuster off-centre, then i would't devalue at all. If it's because of a crack in the handle, then a small devaluation would be in order, but I wouldn't think more than 5-10% since it's not a vulnerable part of the bow. 

The average retail price for a historic bow assumes a certain amount of wear and maybe even some very minor restoration. If a Dominique Peccatte was genuinely mint then I would expect it to sell for quite a bit over the standard retail price.

DP viola bows are very rare - even rarer to find one with all its original silver parts, in fact I only know of one which is in original condition.

[Wood Butcher]

It would seem in the realm of Peccatte viola bows, there isn't really going to be much choice, or even chance of another example to try without waiting years.
Therefore, if the second and third opinions on the bow are good, and it comes with respected paperwork, provenance etc, they will probably just have to pay the price.

[fiddlecollector]

Where does the OP specify Dominique ,could be Francois or Charles !

[Wood Butcher]

A very valid point, which could change things significantly!

[martin swan]

Good point!

I suppose most times when people talk about "a Peccatte" they mean Dominique ... but there are so few DP viola bows on the market right now it's more likely not.

 

[fiddlecollector]

Many of the viola bows ive seen by ``Peccatte`` have been by Francois or jointly showing the hand of D and F. Also most of these were of ironwood ,abeille or amourette and nickel mounted.

They certainly arent all like this  https://beinfushi.com/product/vnb9558/

[Mark Neukirchen]

The information I have on the bow was obtained only in passing, however it is my understanding that it's a Dominque. I do not know the reason why the bushings were installed or the credibility of the individual or firm claiming its authenticity. 

Thank you all for your comments...and a special thanks to Martin for sharing his knowledge so generously.

 

[GoPractice]

22 hours ago, martin swan said:

As Duane intimates, how you devalue the bow depends on why the work was done.

If the nipple was a bit worn and the adjuster off-centre, then i would't devalue at all. If it's because of a crack in the handle, then a small devaluation would be in order, but I wouldn't think more than 5-10% since it's not a vulnerable part of the bow. 

The average retail price for a historic bow assumes a certain amount of wear and maybe even some very minor restoration. If a Dominique Peccatte was genuinely mint then I would expect it to sell for quite a bit over the standard retail price.

DP viola bows are very rare - even rarer to find one with all its original silver parts, in fact I only know of one which is in original condition.

Collector pricing can be extreme for rare, truly original, instruments and bows. For that reason, there are many of us who will look or try for curiosity but would never consider making it a purchase.

Would that price difference be significant enough that a player would best take that money to look at better instruments/ bows or a 2nd instrument/ bow? Or save it?

Personally, I feel better if an older bow is properly bushed as the overall life of the bow will be extended and its performance maintained. If the bushing is done well with known tools ( repeatability ) and the bow plays well, I would like to believe that it was properly maintained. Recently, in speaking with a bowmaker, we were discussing "micro" bushing and also sleeved bushings, where a bushed bow would be rebushed with a smaller core if the screw were to deviate more than .5mm. Or a sleeve of another material be inserted to maintain a straighter travel. Thinking about having a Swiss bow reworked. 

A friend purchased a Sartory several years ago and it played great and was bushed. He payed way over what other Sartory bows were priced at the time, but the playability and the sonic benefits to his instrument was significantly better. Both the dealer, the previous owner and the new owner understood the value of the bow.