Pernambuco

February 5, 2017 at 06:27 AM · As far as I know, exportation of Pernambuco is legal. You may want to check with the store when it comes to transit insurance and return policy. If you have any further questions, feel free to PM me. W. Dorfler, Knoll, G.Werner are good choices, although you may want to try one before making a purchase.

February 5, 2017 at 07:59 AM · From what I've seen most of the "pernambuco" bows sourced from China are not really genuine pernambuco, but rather a similar orange brown wood with totally different grain patterns, or lack thereof.

Gautam is right, the German sourced bows are a good option IMHO.

February 5, 2017 at 12:37 PM · You are wrong, Taylor, pernambuco wood and "brazilwood " ( the source of most Chinese bows) is the same wood: Caesalpinia echinata (syn. Guilandina echinata).

Pernambuco "authentic" (and thus more expensive) wood is taken from different part of the tree than brazilwood, the denser and slow growing heartwood of the tree.

February 5, 2017 at 02:10 PM · Try Pierre Guillaume, or his workshop bow, called JP Bernard. Made from fine pernambuco.

http://www.guillaume-archetier.com/uk/serv.html

February 5, 2017 at 02:51 PM · Also John Stagg in Bristol, England, http://www.johnstaggbows.co.uk

February 5, 2017 at 03:20 PM · Nicolas, no I am not wrong, most of the Chinese bows are neither pernambuco nor brazilwood.

February 5, 2017 at 03:50 PM · In support of Lyndon (imagine that!! LOL), a great many things that we buy these days are counterfeit. For example, fish. The "red snapper" you had last night suffered a significant chance of being some other species. With apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan, the days of skim milk quaintly masquerading as cream are long gone. Now melamine (a toxic, nitrogen-rich ingredient used to make certain plastics) masquerades as milk protein. The consumer just doesn't have the means to investigate.

I would add that if the spruce top of the violin has to be grown in a particular climate, and if maple has to be "Carpathian," and if the best horsehair is Mongolian and the best rosin originates from a small grove of trees in some equally exotic place, then shouldn't it matter additionally whether brazilwood is actually Brazilian?

And if the wood is taken from a male tree, does that make it bro-zilian?

February 5, 2017 at 05:38 PM · What is a "concert performance quality Pernambuco bow?"

I have a number of pernambuco bows from 15 to 150 years old. They are not equal to one another.

February 5, 2017 at 05:57 PM · Have a pro play on it and ask his opinion. Weight, balance, response..etc.

February 6, 2017 at 01:21 AM · The Sound Post has 2 violin shops in Canada, the original and largest one is in Toronto.

The Sound Post has a good reputation and has excellently trained staff both in Toronto and Ottawa. I think their prices are very reasonable.

I have bought a violin there which was excellent. Also had a French bow repaired - a Dupuy - that needed work on the frog.

David Tamblyn did an outstanding job and it didn't cost an arm and a leg. He was trained by Salchow which is about as good as it gets in North America. He is also involved in the purchase of bows.

Not sure what characteristics you are looking for in a bow playing classical carnatic music. Looking at some videos to me it looks like you might want a somewhat more flexible rather than a stiffer bow.

Professional quality violin bows generally start at close to 4000 dollar Canadian but you might find a good older German bow around 2000 if you are lucky. Personally I have found some of the Brazillian bows - Raposo and others - to work pretty good but you have to try a few, they vary. Price around 900 - 1200 here.

Bows are a personal thing, need to match your style of playing and need to match your violin. Have a pro play on it is good advice but are you going to send bows back and forth until you find the one you like?

I could try and ask friends in Toronto to try some for you; they are not professionals but play at a pretty high level.

February 6, 2017 at 03:04 PM · Thanks a lot for all your replies. Really helpful. The Sound Post is indeed a good store.

February 6, 2017 at 03:11 PM · And to answer Mr.Andrew Victor's question, what I mean by a concert quality Pernambuco Bow is one which is better than an advanced student's bow and which can be reliably used for playing concerts (carnatic classical music).

February 6, 2017 at 03:22 PM · Considering that I live in Chennai, India, which is a long way from Canada, I cannot afford the luxury of trying different bows from the Sound Post before purchasing one. After E mail exchanges, they are suggesting that I buy a Knoll silver mounted bow.

Any comments?

February 6, 2017 at 04:45 PM · Considering that Indian classical on the violin doesn't involve a lot of bowing techniques like ricochet, sautille, detache, spiccato etc, you should be fine as long as the bow helps you in getting a smooth legato without inappropriate jumps. Proper balance is far more important than weight. There is no way to figure that out unless you pick one up and play. I personally prefer the round bows and avoid the octagonal ones as the latter tends to be stiffer, creating a one dimensional tone.

The German made budget Pernambuco bows like Knoll, Dorfler, Otto Durrschmidt are reputable, so you should be fine unless there is an inherent manufacturing defect.

February 7, 2017 at 03:58 AM · Thank you Gautam. I guess I will purchase the Knoll Silver mounted Bow.

February 7, 2017 at 06:21 PM · "And if the wood is taken from a male tree, does that make it bro-zilian?"

You probably meant to say "bra-zillion" because Queen Victoria was the first (and last) to use the wood for extra support while reviewing the troops. It's why the UK briefly invaded Brazil in 1871.

Hence the brand name "Victoria's Secret."

Now you know.

Your'e welcome.

February 9, 2017 at 05:15 PM · Hello! My name is Kamalakiran Vinjamuri. I play Carnatic Classical violin and come to India twice a year (December Season) and in the Summer from the beginning of July to the end of August. I use a bow made by Mr. Douglas Raguse, and he really makes amazing bows! If you need anybody to bring a bow to India, I could always bring something.

February 10, 2017 at 06:47 AM · I bought a silver mounted Knoll from SoundPost past summer. Within the same price range, they were all well made, and pulled different flavour of sound on my violin. I luckily had the opportunity to blind-test 9 of them + 4 Cocabows all varying in prices once, and then also 4 ~$550Cdn bows the second time and picked the one I liked the best.

I cannot claim that some are superior/inferior or another, but each will give different sounds to different instruments.

You should mention to SoundPost where you are located and mention the humidity and that the hair length may need to be adjusted, because my bow was a little tight.

With my personal taste, I seem to historically prefer octagonal over round. I haven't particularly felt difference/trend in round/octagonal because I blind-test my potental bows. One of the things I do like octagonal over round however is that I have a very good visual key to how much tilt I have on the bow, which I pay attention to from position to position(higher position=less hair=more tilt).