Buying a bow, how to spot a good bow online? or just better to get from a reputable shop?

[yoyogogo]

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1525264838338549

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1394985234711556

So i have been trying to source a second hand, but nice violin to learn on, im a dad of three. Many have repeatedly mentioned the importance of a good bow to get good sound out of the violin. 1/3 of price shoudl be on the bow.

I am curious, how to find a good bow. is that even possible via just pictures online, Or I must go to a reputable shop to get a decent bow. 

I found these two on FB in New Zealand. All i see is simply two bows and nothing else. Bows have no markings, no brand or model. So I honestly have no idea what to look for. Advices and tips would be great appreciated. Love learning these new things about the violin world. 

Thank you kindly for your advice.

[David Burgess]

I'd say that the first bow, ending with the digit 9, was much higher quality initially (which could mean something or nothing when it comes to sound and playing properties). But it needs to be rehaired, so you would still need to have some interaction with a luthier.

Online, no way of knowing without trying them. Different examples of the same brand and model number can be all over the map.

[M Alpert]

No offense intended, but if the bow should be 1/3 of the price, and you're looking at 50$ bows, that means 100$ violin??

So either you have to win the lottery or be content with rubbish...

I agree with Maestro Burgess, the first of the two was initially better, but now even missing the tip plate...

If you have a luthier locally, support him/her!!

[yoyogogo]

unfortunately i live in a small town, so the nearest luthier is about 2 hours drive away.  

and no offense taken. I just want to learn and thus i want to ask questions.

with the first bow being nicer, is it possible to tell from pics if its a good quality bow to start with? 

I guess there will be many sellers out there who woudl be in a similar position to me, and only see a bow, and just sell them quickly and for cheap to clear up space. Thus, if I understand more, there could be a good bargain somewhere out there

[David Burgess]

The US also has lots of small towns, and there are some people who do stellar-quality rehairs via mailing the bow back and forth.
Apologies, but I have no idea if there are or are not similar options in your part of the world.

[yoyogogo]

2 minutes ago, David Burgess said:

The US also has lots of small towns, and there are some people who do stellar-quality rehairs via mailing the bow back and forth.
Apologies, but I have no idea if there are or are not similar options in your part of the world.

So if one ask for repair what should I be asking for please?

[martin swan]

Why are you looking for a bargain? Why not buy an inexpensive but reliable carbon fibre student bow online?

If you buy a wooden bow without trying it out, there's a 90% chance that the wood will be unusably soft, the stick will be warped or broken etc.

[yoyogogo]

13 minutes ago, martin swan said:

Why are you looking for a bargain? Why not buy an inexpensive but reliable carbon fibre student bow online?

If you buy a wooden bow without trying it out, there's a 90% chance that the wood will be unusably soft, the stick will be warped or broken etc.

may i please ask, what is the advantage of the carbon fibre bow?

[martin swan]

3 minutes ago, yoyogogo said:

may i please ask, what is the advantage of the carbon fibre bow?

If you're looking at very inexpensive bows the material is more consistent.

[Brad Dorsey]

8 hours ago, yoyogogo said:

…I am curious, how to find a good bow. is that even possible via just pictures online[?]…

It is not possible from the pictures you put up here.  As David said, the first bow looks better, but its tip plate is missing and its frog thumb projection has been partly whittled away.  While the bow could probably be used, after rehairing, without fixing these two things, there could be other things wrong, not visible in the pictures, that would make either of these bows beyond economic repair.

Given your situation, I think the carbon fiber suggestion makes sense.

[Woodland]

5 hours ago, martin swan said:

If you're looking at very inexpensive bows the material is more consistent.

Bingo. Not worth doing windings, grips, rehairs on iffy wooden sticks. If you're looking for safe, reasonable and more consistent, this is my favorite for under $100 USD :

https://www.gewamusicusa.com/item/a71n60/p_bows-violin-gewa/

 

 

[Zeissica]

If I may... I want to suggest that a 2- hour drive to the nearest good shop is probably worth it. If you are looking for a bargain, there is still nothing better than trying the instruments & bows yourself or bring a friend who has more experience to help you choose. There are "diamond in the rough" instruments and bows that may have little resale value - maybe they are ugly, or have no pedigree, but play and sound pretty good. The only way to know is to pick through everything in a shop and see what you can find. 

I do agree with the idea that today's carbon fiber bows can be a bargain, and are often much better than the average cheap wood bow. I still think it is worth trying them - different models from the same maker can be quite different. 

[Rue]

Keep in mind that bows vary a great deal...and are much more "personal" than violins.

It's really hard to know if a bow will suit the player without trying it out first...regardless of price/quality.

This is why I have quite a few bows...

Having said that...the YitaMusic bows I have, even the really inexpensive ones that came with the instruments...have been very playable. Not my favourites...but if it was the only bow available to me, it would be fine.

 

[yoyogogo]

so many great advices, thank you so much.

[Mat Roop]

why would anyone sell a $1200 bow for $50?.... something fishy if you ask me!

[Geoffrey N]

On 2/18/2024 at 1:58 PM, yoyogogo said:

may i please ask, what is the advantage of the carbon fibre bow?

In the $50-100 price range you're talking about you can easily find carbon fiber bows that are decent playing bows capable of all normal bow strokes that sound reasonably good from frog to tip. They will likely compete pretty well against wood bows up to $2,000 or so. Once you get to $5-10K (especially for a good bow made recently), wood bows will usually handle and sound better but it's pretty shocking to me how good cheap carbon fiber bows can be (especially in contrast to Glasser fiberglass bows of the 1980s that were the cheapest bows of their day).

Not everyone will agree with this perspective, of course, but many/most will I think.