Why are violin bows so expensive? How much should I spend?
Don't be intimidated by the high price of violin bows anymore, you can get better bows at the lowest cost. Please refer to some of my suggestions below to avoid spending excess budget on bows.
What determines the price of a violin bow?
Compared to the violin, the violin bow sometimes has a very high price as an accessory, which is incredible. Don't be surprised, some violin bows are indeed more expensive, but they are not suitable for us to buy.
Many factors determine the price of a violin bow, but there are four main factors:
1: The material of the bow
Good materials do not necessarily make good bows, but good bows are often made of good materials. The material of the bow is mainly divided into three parts, the material of the bow shaft, the material of the bow hair, and the material of the accessories. Among them, the materials of the bow shaft and the bow hair have a great influence on the performance of the bow, but the materials of the accessories are more for decoration. So if you want to buy a better bow at a cheap price, you need to carefully identify the materials of the accessories when buying and don't use expensive materials such as ivory or gold. To learn more about bow materials, read What are violin bows made of?
2: The craft of making
The craftsmanship of modern bows is derived from the father of modern bows, the French master bow maker François Xavier Tourte (1747-1835). Subsequent producers have more of their understanding of bow production, but the standards are the same.
A handmade bow will of course be more expensive than a machined bow, but that doesn't mean there's a big gap between the two. Especially for beginners or students, this gap is difficult to distinguish. However, bows made by master bow makers will have better performance and higher prices. This is not only due to the master's superb skills, but also the added value given by the master's reputation.
3: The brand of the bow
Good brands tend to have more stable product quality, but this requires a higher brand price. There are many shopping guides for violin bows on the Internet. The bows they introduce cost thousands of dollars. Even for beginners or students, it is recommended to buy violin bows for about 500 dollars. This is misleading. Because the high price will make many violin lovers worry too much about the budget to start learning the violin, and a large part of the price is a brand premium. This is not to say that expensive violin bows are bad, just that they are not suitable for beginners or students. Of course, if you have the budget, you can do whatever you want. Otherwise, you need to choose the violin bow that suits you.
4: Antique bows or reputable second-hand bows
There is no specific price for this category of the bow, and its price depends on what the buyer is willing to pay for it. If you need to buy a bow of this level, you must bring your violin for testing. Only a violin bow that can be combined with your playing style and violin is worth any cost. Or it is also a good choice for investment or collection.
Violin bows for beginners or students
For violin beginners or students, the beginner's violin purchased is often an outfit, which will include a bow. The bow included in the set can meet the needs of daily practice. Of course, they are just suitable, but not the best. Therefore, at this time, you need to choose a bow separately for your solo or performance.
The bows purchased separately must be more expensive than the bows included in the set. Generally, a beginner violin outfit cost $100-$600, and the higher the price, the better the bow included, but bows tend to be under $100.So, if you need to buy it separately, you can choose a violin bow for around $100-200. A violin bow at this price will still work even after your violin has been upgraded. They can still play flawlessly with a $1,000+ violin.
Beginner violin bow recommendation:
The beautiful peacock series violin bows are available in three styles, black peacock, red peacock, and round peacock. Available in a variety of sizes, whether it's an adult or a child, you can find a size that's right for you. Made of Brazilian wood and Mongolian horsetail hair, it is soft and hard, and easy to play with.
Original price: $159
The Violin Bow for Professional Playing
With the improvement of playing skills, sometimes you need to perform solo or concert performance, then you need a better violin bow. Generally speaking, the budget for a violin bow is 15%-30% of the price of the violin. So if the price of the violin is about 3000-5000 US dollars (the violin at this price is very good in terms of acoustic performance and appearance), the budget that needs to be allocated to the bow is about 450-1500 US dollars. Bows at this price point can be used professionally or as a spare bows.
Recommended violin bows for professional performance:
Solo Colorful Winding High End Violin Bow B115
The bow is made of Pernambuco wood, which is currently a protected tree species, so there will be fewer and fewer such bows in the future. The bow hair uses AAA-grade pure horsetail, selected male Mongolian horsetail hair. The actual weight of the bow is 62 grams, and the balance point is 26.5cm. The bow is straight, with good elasticity, no side bending, easy to grasp the strings, and can adapt to complex playing skills.
Original price: $479
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