Adventures in violin shopping, part 1

December 29, 2005 at 7:09 AM

The two major violin shops in my area (Ifshin Violins in Berkeley, and Kamimoto Strings in San Jose) are in opposite directions from where I live, so I decided to split the shopping into two separate days. Today was Ifshin, since I also needed to go up there ASAP to return my daughter's rented 1/16 that's still too big for her.

The sales staff at Ifshin is very competent, but also a little intimidating. I've never shopped for violins or bows before in my life. The instrument I've had for twenty years is one I got when I was about 13, and I had a choice of two that my violin teacher found after my parents told her their price range. So going into such a well-known shop to spend a large sum of money on my own was rather daunting.

As with anything, though, you get more comfortable as you get familiar with the routine. I told them my price limit and they brought out six violins. After playing a variety of things on each of them, I started to get a feel for what I wanted. Surprisingly, although all of the instruments were at least twice the cost of my current one, many of them had a very dull sound in the lower register, especially when I played high on the G string. They all, however, sounded beautiful on the upper strings. There was only one violin, an American, which I liked enough to consider purchasing, even after the sales guy brought me five more to try.

By this time my ears were tired and I contemplated leaving without even trying any bows, but I figured that since I was there, I should really take advantage of the opportunity. So I asked for a few bows, not even really knowing what I should specify as a price range, figuring I'd just try a few for posterity and go home.

WOW! I've heard that a bow can make your instrument sound a lot better, and I did once try an expensive bow and noticed a very slight difference...but this was amazing. I expected to feel a difference in the ease of spiccato and all that, but I didn't expect the bow to make the upper register of my violin sound gorgeous. And the funny thing was, when I tried these bows on the expensive violin I'd liked, I didn't like the violin nearly as much. So it really is true that bow and violin must be matched.

The final thing I wanted to accomplish was trying out a carbon fiber bow. Again I expected to do this only for completeness...and again I was wrong. I was quite impressed with how they sounded, enough to consider buying one instead of the two wooden ones. I'm not such a purist that I insist on wood, and in fact since I did my doctorate in the area of hard materials, I sort of feel compelled to champion new technology. :) The only problem is that they're UGLY! The Coda Conservatory I tried was passable, but the Arcus Veloce which I liked better looks like it's made out of rubber or something. However, the Veloce is the lowest-end model, so maybe they do make nicer-looking ones which I didn't get to try.

I decided I'm probably not going to buy a new instrument when I can get a sound I like at 1/4 the cost just by buying a new bow. So I took two wooden bows and the Arcus Veloce home on trial, and made my husband do a blind comparison. He's not a string player, but he's got an excellent ear, far better than mine. I was impressed! He guessed correctly which was my current bow (it sounded "dead" compared to the others), described the carbon fiber bow's sound as "very full and rich" whereas the wooden bows were "pure and floaty". His opinion was that each bow was suited for a particular type of music but neither would be ideal all the time. So maybe I'll buy two bows after all, or maybe I can find a higher-end carbon fiber that's more versatile.

That's the report for today...more tomorrow, after I visit Kamimoto Strings.

From Pauline Lerner
Posted on December 29, 2005 at 7:27 AM

I'm enjoying reading this. I, too, have found that a bow can make a very big difference in sound; that the bow and violin have to be matched to each other and to your body; and that you can sometimes get a considerable upgrade in sound by buying a new bow, which is cheaper than buying a new violin. I was trained as a scientist, so I'm also interested in bows made of nontraditional materials. I wrote about my trial of an Incredibow in my blog dated 8/29/05. As for having a husband who is so musical that he can hear and understand a lot about the sound of a violin even though he doesn't play violin...I have an ex-boyfriend like that, but, unfortunately, we didn't turn out to be a long lasting duo.

From Marcianne O'Day
Posted on December 29, 2005 at 12:52 PM

I enjoyed your entry and Pauline's comment.

I tried out a bow at The Loft Violin Shoppe in Columbus, OH once that left me hating anything I could actually afford. Some day...

I settled on a carbon-fiber bow and it has been good to me and I'm pleased that it has such an extensive warranty. Because of the high-humidity of the climate here in Tennessee, I've had some problems with wooden bows warping so on my budget carbon-fiber was the only way to go. My instrument has a very bright, cutting sound (perfect for bluegrass) and the new bow added so much depth to the sound. I found the 'instant improvement' in my playing very encouraging and it got me out of a real slump.

Like my friend Blane says "You have to have an instrument that inspires you" and I would add "and a bow to match!".

From Evil Linda
Posted on December 29, 2005 at 2:46 PM

Yes, I understand how bows can be different too. Just last night, I was trying out various bows. We started with a German. Very weak. Then he gave me a French. The spicatto was so easy. It flowed beautifully. It was the first time a bow ever felt like an extension of my arm. And then there's the price. Ekk.

From Eric Stanfield
Posted on December 29, 2005 at 3:38 PM

I tried the carbon fiber bows and really liked them at first (plus they are much less money). Then I went back the next week to confirm and ended up not caring for them. Wonder how you will fare.

From Samantha Hiller
Posted on December 29, 2005 at 4:14 PM

I just got a new violin, and am in the process of looking for bows....I however did not like the way the carbon-fiber ones sounded or felt....oh well....it definately has to do with the violin it is matched with!

From Clare Chu
Posted on December 29, 2005 at 5:36 PM

Yesterday I was a Kamimotos and they pushed me to try a $4200 French bow. I did not want to try it for fear of what it'll do to me. Finally I begrudgingly tried it only on a few measures of Mendelssohn cadenza. Of course it was nice, and of course it made everything feel effortless, and yes, I had better control and could shape the tone, and could vary the touch easily. Okay, but the price... eeek!

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Adventures in violin shopping, part 1

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