My New NuBow

Edited: December 20, 2025, 6:16 PM · I’ve spent the past two weeks practicing with my new NuBow, purchased from Fred Oster Violins in PA. My particular bow is light amber in color and weighs just under 59 grams. The fit and finish are lovely - especially the Sonowood frog with its Sanwa synthetic opal - and it’s haired with a nice, wide ribbon. The stick is quite supple compared to the composite bows I’ve been using for the past few years, so I adjust the bow with a little more clearance than I’m accustomed to.

I’m an intermediate-level amateur violinist, so value for the dollar is very important to me. I recently sold a very good JonPaul bow that wasn’t meeting my tonal expectations, and I can say that the NuBow handles similarly well but draws a much richer sound from my instrument both under the ear and in my teacher’s studio.

My teacher compared the NuBow to his (much more expensive) pernambuco bows and came away duly impressed by the performance. The aesthetics were not to his taste, but I happen to like the unconventional appearance. My particular NuBow does have a pronounced “shaky” region that requires a little finesse to draw clean detache strokes through, but the JonPaul had a similarly nervous region in a somewhat different location. My teacher simply said “the bow is telling you where to ricochet.” We both agreed the NuBow is a keeper for me. From a learning standpoint, it provides me with instant feedback when I’m being too forceful or have insufficient flexibility in my right wrist. As such, I think it will help me advance my technique more quickly.

It will be interesting to see what the Mohr family comes up with in the future. For now, I’m very satisfied with the current NuBow design, performance, and value for money.

Replies (9)

David Burgess

December 20, 2025, 6:17 PM · Rodney Mohr ain't no dumby.

Nickie McNichols

December 20, 2025, 6:20 PM · Congratulations Ben! Isn’t it nice when we find something that really works for us?

Richard Jackson

Edited: December 20, 2025, 6:49 PM · I like the sustainability features of it, but the price seems quite high; $1200 is more than a Codabow Diamond NX and is about what I paid for my ~140-year-old Charles Nicolas Bazin Pernambuco bow not long ago... it's quite easy to get new Pernambuco for that price as well (German Seifert and Swiss Finkel, plus Arcos Brazilian made bows all start around that price).

Of course, what matters most with any bow is that the player likes it :)

Ben Furman

December 20, 2025, 7:37 PM · I appreciate the comments. I agree that MSRP puts the bow up against some stiff competition. The JonPaul cost more though….

Richard Jackson

December 20, 2025, 8:28 PM · Yes, some of the JonPaul are more expensive; I tried one a little less expensive than the NuBow and did not like it at all; I wound up donating it to a non-profit that supports underprivileged students with musical instruments and lessons.

Nickie McNichols

December 20, 2025, 9:21 PM · Thank you for doing that Richard. That was most generous of you.

Gene Wie

Edited: December 20, 2025, 11:23 PM · I think the Avanti model is the sweet spot of the JonPaul bow lineup. It plays very well and is a reasonable price (under $800), certainly better than most wood bows one would find in the range.

I like the NuBow aesthetic. It would be awesome to see NuBow or even Arcus license the Tête-Bêche design from Gilles Nehr, and offer alternative material bows with the same advantages: Tête-Bêche

Richard Jackson

December 21, 2025, 2:35 AM · Thanks Nickie; I've supported them for years; great organization that does so much good for the community.

Scott Furbeck

December 21, 2025, 10:20 AM · Anything Rodney and Kate Mohr will make will be well thought out and made to the highest quality available at that price point. I have a conventional bow made by Kate Mohr and it is beautiful.

My New NuBow

Replies (9)

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