questions Gotta have it? Or being had?

[RobotJim]

Im contemplating placing a bid on this bow, but there is great hesitation. Its a Meinel Pernambuco- or so claimed. Heavily reduced price. But, is it just me, or does it look ..well..bowed?  I’ll be getting my first violin soon, and have read that id be doing myself a favor to replace the bow. So here we are. About to start a bidding war. But unsure if its for naught. Feedback is appreciated *curtsy*

[Strad O Various Jr.]

looks like a nickel mount trade bow that would sell new for $200-300, not very old, no idea about the quality of the wood although the nickel mount models were often brazilwood, not pernambuco

[Guido]

The bow looks cheap and new(ish). I guess someone who shouldn't replace faces has done so on this bow.

Get your first violin first, acquire some experience, then look for a bow.

Ebay is a trash dump for the most part, be aware.

[Brad Dorsey]

4 hours ago, RobotJim said:

…does it look ..well..bowed?…

If you are asking if it”s well-cambered, the answer is that it’s impossible to tell from your pictures.

[Derek Law]

1 hour ago, Guido said:

The bow looks cheap and new(ish). I guess someone who shouldn't replace faces has done so on this bow.

Get your first violin first, acquire some experience, then look for a bow.

Ebay is a trash dump for the most part, be aware.

Agreed. If I were you I’d play the new violin for some months, have that well adjusted / test what strings / tension sound good on the violin, and then go bow shopping because the bow will need to work well on the violin.

[ctanzio]

If you are just learning to play, the main characteristic of a bow that will negatively impact playing is softness of the string, i.e, slight pressure on the bow causes the strings to greatly deflect and no amount of tensioning the screw will stop it from excessively deflecting.

A decent quality carbon-fiber bow is more than good enough to start and will not break the bank.

Once you can produce a full tone and start learning them fancy bowing techniques, the hunt for a nicer bow can commence.

[Delabo]

7 minutes ago, ctanzio said:

If you are just learning to play, the main characteristic of a bow that will negatively impact playing is softness of the string, i.e, slight pressure on the bow causes the strings to greatly deflect and no amount of tensioning the screw will stop it from excessively deflecting.

A decent quality carbon-fiber bow is more than good enough to start and will not break the bank.

Once you can produce a full tone and start learning them fancy bowing techniques, the hunt for a nicer bow can commence.

When you use the term "strings" are you referring to the violin strings or bow hair?

[Jeffrey Holmes]

Post moved to auction scroll by moderator.

[RobotJim]

Hmm…If im understanding this all correctly, not only is it unlikely to be the pernambuco bow i thought it was, its also advised that i not look for a second bow until i have spent time learning the basics. And should i (after some time) decide i want another bow, i should go for carbon fiber?

Am i on the ball?

[Rue]

Well...I think it's important that you do you! .  Having said that...

Carbon fibre is fine. If that's what you want. Probably not a bad choice for a first "decent" bow.

Personally, I dislike carbon fibre. In my (admittedly limited) experience they never sound "right"; be they cheap or expensive.

Plus, bows are much more "personal" than violins. Everyone handles a bow differently. A bow has to feel "right" for you...weight, balance point, etc.

It's difficult to find that best fit without trying out a number of bows in your price range.

Also...as I found out recently...a rehair can affect how a bow handles. My last rehair (quality work) changed the bow. Not to the good either. 

So buying a hairless bow at auction...hmm.

My advice for purchasing a first bow, if you can't try them out first => buy a new quality wooden bow from a reputable source, in your price range.

A. It will do for now...or even forever, if you luck out. Fingers crossed. 

B. It will give you a starting point to make future comparisons from.

C. It will always serve as a backup bow should you buy another bow down the road.

[ctanzio]

22 hours ago, Delabo said:

When you use the term "strings" are you referring to the violin strings or bow hair?

My apologies for the confusion. When I said strings I meant the bow hairs. 

From working with kids with inexpensive rental violins and violas, when they attempt dynamic changes from mp to f, they struggle to keep from hitting two violin strings at once. Rapid string changes become a nightmare and even a simple, light brushing spiccato is near impossible, all things that one encounters by the end of Suzuki 1. 

[Rico Suave]

I recently took up (re)learning to Play (and build) after a 20 year hiatus. Before I dropped both endeavors, I purchased a decent(?) bow (Horst Schicker) from SW Strings (about $300 then). Upon deciding to reacquaint and commit to re-learning, I reasoned and self-justified that I would like to have a really good bow to grow into rather than have a sub-par bow that I had to 'fight' to make it sound right.  I got really lucky and found a 'used' DZ Strad 'Pecatte' Bow on Amazon for 1/2 price. 

I prevailed upon my teacher to do a blind evaluation, comparing my old HS to the new Pecatte and the Pecatte was much better than the HS.  

Point being; in both Luthierie and Playing, buy the best tool you can afford - "Buy once, cry once".  Conversely, "value" is of great importance, too. The Interwebs allows one to search out the "Bestest for the leastest", given time and motivation (and some idea of what one is looking for).

[RobotJim]

I just want to thank everyone for their input. If it werent for you guys, i may have gone for the questionable bow and hoped for the best. But i went to Fiddlershop, scored a sale on one of their Holstein wooden bows which has a 1 year guarantee. I also feel much better knowing i have customer service to contact if something goes sideways. Thank you all for pushing me to keep looking. Like Rue said, “fingers crossed”. 

Edited August 15, 2022 by RobotJim

[Strad O Various Jr.]

The OP bow would have been much better than the fiddleshop Chinese fake pernambuco bow, those German bows are quite good and tend to be worth more now than they did brand new

[Jwillis]

Debatable 

[Strad O Various Jr.]

I could be wrong, but I was thinking of later 20th century commercial bows like Seifert or Dorfler, I thought Meinel was another one of them, they are good student bows and use far better wood than modern Chinese bows

[real expert]

the screw isnt fitted correctly and the bow wood is warped.

[real expert]

The frog is badly fitted as well, the bow is thrown together from parts left on a workbench. I think the fake stamp which is deliberately blurred may say Mickey Mouse.

Hope that helps.

[martin swan]

real expert the stamp is "Meinel" as the OP told us in their first post.

To my eyes it's pretty straight and I don't see anything out of the ordinary in terms of fitting for a cheap modern bow.

Isn't it just a used one of these?

https://www.sharmusic.com/Meinel-Pernambuco-Violin-Bow?quantity=1&Select Size=1&Select%20Size=1

 

[Strad O Various Jr.]

15 minutes ago, martin swan said:

real expert the stamp is "Meinel" as the OP told us in their first post.

To my eyes it's pretty straight and I don't see anything out of the ordinary in terms of fitting for a cheap modern bow.

Isn't it just a used one of these?

https://www.sharmusic.com/Meinel-Pernambuco-Violin-Bow?quantity=1&Select Size=1&Select%20Size=1

 

that's going to be a new fake pernambuco made in China Meinel, at that price it couldn't be German or pernambuco, the OP violin bow is presumably on older brazilwood or pernambuco bow made in Germany when the Meinel company still manufactured there, and as a result more valuable though not by a huge amount IMHO

[martin swan]

45 minutes ago, Strad O Various Jr. said:

that's going to be a new fake pernambuco made in China 

I'm not sure - these bows have been around for nigh on 20 years and perhaps the OP bow is just one which has received rough treatment

[Strad O Various Jr.]

I was thinking Meinel was an established German company but its just a trade name mostly used by the EH Roth factory in the earlier 20th century, and none of them were just stamped Meinel, but were stamped Oscar or Eugen Meinel etc

[real expert]

Mr Swan, you are of course entitled to your opinion.

[Rue]

We are all entitled to our opinions.

However, I tend to prefer informed opinions to er...  well... hmm...the other types of opinions. 

[martin swan]

1 hour ago, real expert said:

Mr Swan, you are of course entitled to your opinion.

No offense, but if you join Maestronet with a name like "real expert" you're going to get shot down before you take off