Fuzzy/buzzy sound after bow re-hair

October 6, 2008 at 09:05 PM · I'd sooner guess you over rosined--depending on what rosin you use this can be far to easy to do....it could also be bad hair....from the "fuzzy" sound you're hearing

All of this presumes of course that the violin is in good shape....the "buzzy" adjective is what gets me wondering about this.....

October 7, 2008 at 03:29 AM · Assuming the bow has the correct amount of rosin, then I would

look at the amount, and the quality of the hair used on this latest job. Too much or too little hair can change the way a bow responds. Ask your repairer if he used the same amount of hair.

October 7, 2008 at 12:30 PM · At first by the title of this discussion I thought I was reading the childrens rhyme "Fuzzy wuzzy had no hair". But I agree with what the others said, plus check the length, if you're in a very humid climate you might need to get the hair shortened.

Craig

October 7, 2008 at 04:28 AM · I also wonder if it could be the type of rosin, and how it holds to the hair. I had a bow I cleaned, and when I first tried to use it, I thought I ruined it; it had a similar sound. After a week or so, it seemed to relax, and was back to the sound I was used to. I suspect there may be something in the rosin and how it clings to the hair that is not simply too much or too little.

October 7, 2008 at 03:26 PM · Have you used two different brands of rosin? One on top of another?

October 7, 2008 at 11:14 PM · Giovanni,

no, I've used only one type of rosin. I was surprised, based on previous experiences with rehairing of other bows, at how little I needed to apply before the bow began to "work" again. It's the same rosin I've always used with this bow.

I'm hoping for improvement in the coming days.

October 9, 2008 at 05:16 PM · The luthier probably pre-rosined it for you and the rosin may be too soft. It has happened to me. Now I specify not to apply any rosin after the rehair.

Wipe it off gently with a soft cloth. Play a lot. It will get better. Unless it was the hair.

Good luck.

October 9, 2008 at 06:19 PM · Michael,

it definitely had no rosin on the hair when I got it back. I am continuing to play it every day (for an hour or two) without adding more rosin and there seems to be a slight improvement--it's only been a few days, so..,

October 10, 2008 at 03:37 AM · Look right down the barrel of the hair and see if there are a lot of crossovers. This can cause a rough sound, and it's a symptom of a not-that-great rehair. A fabulous rehair looks like railroad tracks off into the distance: neat and parallel, with perfectly straight hair. Cheaper hair has more wobble along its length, and this can make a rough sound, too.

Not discounting rosin--too much of that is noisy, also. If you whap the bow on your arm and a white cloud comes off into the air, you're over-rosined.

October 10, 2008 at 04:52 AM · or you have bad dandruff....