How do I identify an old violin bow?

How do I identify an old violin bow?

A valuable bow should be made of Brazil wood and have a deep, rich color. The bow should also be lightweight, about 56 to 64 grams, and the shaft should be six-sided. Check for good balance. Most valuable, high-quality bows have a whalebone or silver wrap just above the frog on the shaft for good balance.

How much is a Tourte bow?

An 1825 silver and ebony mounted violin bow, by luthier François Xavier Tourte, set a new world record on Monday when it sold at auction for the equivalent of $288,960, the highest price ever paid for a bow at auction.

What are violin bows worth?

A beginner’s bow can cost between $50 – $200, while professional bows will cost thousands of dollars and antique bows even tens of thousands. If you’re an advanced student studying violin as a potential profession, don’t balk at paying anywhere from $500-$1200 for the right bow.

Are expensive violin bows worth it?

A single violin bow can be worth tens, even hundreds of thousands, of dollars. Much of its value comes down to the skills of the bow maker, who can spend as long as one week producing just one bow. …

What is a Tourte bow?

The Tourte Model Bow. Francois Tourte (1747 -1835) has been called the father of the modern bow and the Stradivari of bow makers. The important features of the Tourte bow are its gentle curvature behind the head coupled to a head capable of rotating forward when pressure is placed on the hair.

How do you tell the quality of a violin bow?

The bow shouldn’t seem too light or heavy in the hand. It shouldn’t be too weak or soft: It shouldn’t collapse easily on the hair when playing, or flex too much laterally. And it should be straight when viewed down the stick. Play a combination of bowing styles, including legato, spiccato, sautillé, and so on.

What is the most expensive violin bow?

The bow in question was made by Francois Xavier Tourte, a member of one of France’s distinguished bow-making families. Tourte’s bow sold for $288,960, a world record price at auction. Reports are it was purchase by a professional musician.

How do you know if your violin bow is good?

How do I know if my violin is worth money?

How do I know if my violin is worth money?

1. Flame of the Wood. The back of the violin is a good indicator of the quality of the instrument.
2. Craftsmanship. The craftsmanship of the violin is the greatest indicator of the quality of an instrument.
3. Label.
4. Sound and Ease of Playing.
5. Materials.

What does a Tourte bow do to a violin?

The Tourte style bow activates everything on the violin and will cause your audience to experience music more viscerally as the bow pumps energy out of the violin. Because the Tourte style bow holds the string so well and itself vibrates harmonically, it produces less noise and more tone than later bows.

Why did Tourte make the Tourte model bow?

He worked in Paris at a time when Italian violins were coming into vogue and being played before large public audiences for the first time. The virtuoso Viotti made a sensation playing his Stradivari violin and turned to Tourte to design a bow which could bring out all the violin’s interpretive powers as well as its sheer projection in large halls.

What is the weight of a violin bow?

The bow is octagonal and silver nickel mounted. The weight is 58.4 gram. It has an ebony frog with an inlaid pearl on both sides. The button is in 3 pieces of nickel silver and ebony. The head is very elegant.

Can you make a spiccato stroke on a Tourte bow?

In the Tourte bow that zone widens to a full inch or even more, making spiccato a much simpler stroke to achieve. With a little practice and ingenuity, it is possible to make a spiccato stroke over a much greater distance on a Tourte than on any other modern bow.