Features:

  • Fiddlerman Handmade Carbon Fiber Violin Bow
  • Quality Mongolian Horse Hair
  • Nicely Decorated Copper Mounted Ebony Frog
  • Great Balance and Weight Distribution
  • Nice Arch with Good Bounce and Action
Wow.

Well add me to the chorus that is singing praise about this bow. This was intended to replace a bow that came with a student outfit (Stentor II). The Stentor bow was...ok, I guess, but it just didn't have a balanced feel to it, which wasn't a surprise. I think the packaging bears mention, though there is a fine line mentioning that in an Amazon review. I was disappointed that it was only secured in the box with some crumpled up paper. The bow was rattling about in the box some, but fortunately this is a strong bow (how strong? Check out Fiddlerman's video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOjs84ShSp0) and it didn't seem the worse for wear. Still, I'd prefer that it were packed a little more securely. The bow I received was a little different than the photos...the "Fiddlerman" name is simply engraved, no gold to it or anything. However, it was in good shape. I have to say, when I picked it up it seemed much lighter than the bow it was replacing, so much so that I had to weigh it. Nope, came in right around 60 grams. That's what proper balance is going to get you...the bow is going to feel much lighter than it actually is. I found it quite easy to hold with no pinkie strain at all. I decided to go dark rosin with this bow, and though the hair was not pre-rosined (really, thanks Fiddlerman for that...I like to be able to pick my own rosin) it only took me about five minutes to get it all set up. And then, heart in my mouth, I drew some notes. Wow. In the back of my mind throughout this process, I confess to thinking "how good can this thing *really* be?" Had I fallen for a gimmick and cheap marketing talk? Am I doomed to wander the Earth forever in search of a decent, reasonably priced bow? Well, it's pretty darned good and there is nothing oversold about this bow. It's balanced. it's agile. The weight is appropriate and drawing it is effortless. In short, it's a dream to use, and before I knew it, a half hour had passed with me just jamming on the violin. That's when I knew I could not give this to my kid. Or at least...I'd have to get another one. After all, if you're going to learn, why not learn with a great bow? I don't know how I found this bow. Honestly I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to these things and wasn't looking for a bow made of space-age materials. But found it I did, and I couldn't be happier with this. It's a very good bow.

Fabulous customer service

I actually ended up returning this bow, but I think it had more to do with the match between my son's playing style and his violin than the quality of the bow. He's only played with wood bows but now plays with a student orchestra and we wanted a carbon alternative that was less likely to warp or break if he was in not so great conditions. He's never tried carbon before and this bow bounced and was a bit heavy in comparison to his wood bow. I emailed Fiddlerman to see if we were doing anything wrong and they said it was probably due to the fact that he was used to less of an arch. That is probably correct, but try as he might, my son couldn't get used to the bow. And after patiently exchanging emails, they happily took the bow back. And they were so nice about it. I would not hesitate to buy from this company again. Ultimately, I took his wood bow in for a rehair and when I did, we tried a no-name non-branded very light carbon bow that acted more like his wood bow. (It was more expensive than this one, of course.) My son is probably just very used to the wood bow and is stubborn about not wanting to change. However, this company is wonderful. Frankly, this bow looks better than the one from the shop which was more expensive. But ultimately, for my son it came down to what was closest to his wood bow that he's already used to, even though it's pretty cheap and probably subpar. It's just what he's grown accustomed to.

Great bow construction

Review Edited and improved to 5 Stars on July 09, 2016: Awesome customer service! After being contacted by Michael Holstein after giving my review recorded below, I received a replacement that is in nearly every way superior to the first one! The bow construction itself is better! The texture of the hair is consistent and the placement is even from the frog to the tip! This will provide a consistent sound I will look forward to playing and hearing! Thank you so much for this wonderful service! Original Review at 3 stars on June 20, 2016: Great bow construction. Only beef was with the hair, if I have to remove even one hair for crimps or kinks that is really no good. I do not even want to know what that would have sounded like! I had to remove three individual hairs, one with multiple abrasive spots. I would pay to have this bow re-haired in a year or so, but I wouldn't buy another getting hair like it came with! Sorry!

Glad to be proven wrong on this one

Okay, first of all I have to admit I ordered this bow with a great deal of skepticism. I've been playing the violin for...gosh, over thirty years now, and my degree is in music ed. Bows, while admittedly a mixed lot, tend to be a "you get what you pay for" kind of thing, and a decent bow at this price range tends to be scarce as hen's teeth, as they say. I was pleased when I first pulled this bow from the box with its appearance--the black carbon fiber is very sharp-looking, especially with the clean fittings. But when it comes to bows, looks aren't everything--or even the most important thing. I compared this bow to three other bows, and admittedly some of the comparisons weren't fair. I used a student-level Erich Steiner bow, an intermediate Josef Schuster pernambuco bow, and a fine pernambuco bow. The results were not what I expected. This bow outperformed the Steiner bow, hands down. What surprised me was when it outperformed the Schuster bow as well--I did not expect that. This bow had less bow hiss, and better handling. While a good bite could be gotten from either bow, it was easier with this bow. The fine bow did outperform this bow. That I would have expected. I was surprised to realize that, unless you are willing to spend several times what this bow costs, you are probably better off with this bow. I used this bow only for several days' worth of practice, and found that when I returned to my fine bow, I could handle it better, and it was easier to achieve the sound and techniques I wanted. The only negative I found with this bow was that it arrived with broken hairs--somewhere between 3 and 6 if memory serves. I just clipped them close to the ends and didn't worry too much about them. If the bow continues to lose hair, I'll adjust my review accordingly. For any student, this bow is a step up from what likely came with your instrument. This also makes a great backup bow, practice bow, or bow for outdoor or otherwise unpredictable performance venues where you wouldn't want to take your fine bow. Update 6/10/2016--This bow has been in daily use since its arrival, and has become my go-to bow for most practice sessions. I haven't had any further trouble with hair loss. I have also noticed that the bow tends to hold rosin longer than my other bows; it doesn't need to be rosined as often and produces less dust when it does. Still happy!

This bow is fine as a replacement for a wooden violin bow

This bow is fine as a replacement for a wooden violin bow. After using this for a few weeks I noticed it did not "release" when the tension was taken off after use. The Frog did not slide when the adjuster screw was undone. I had to tap it with a hammer to get the Frog to release the tension on the bow hair. This is irritating on a bow that otherwise performs fairly well in the price range. I am considering returning this as it was really no that cheap a bow. I will keep this bow. It is a very good bow considering the price and performance. I would suggest putting some oil or WD-40 on the threads of the adjustment screw..that solved my issue. Just make sure you are in fact releasing the tension on the bow.... Update: Fiddlerman was very responsive to my review and offered to replace the bow. Since lubing the threads on the adjustment screw it has no longer been an issue. I will keep the bow as it is my current favorite among several that I have. This company is caring of their customers and very responsive, I will buy again from them as should everyone.

Violin teacher gives it 2 thumbs up

I'm a brand new beginner to violin and got this bow based on amazon reviews. When I brought it in for my second lesson, violin teacher was super impressed and said he was going to get one for himself and also recommend it to all his other students. He was especially impressed at it's low cost considering that it's carbon fiber and that it makes such a great sound. Seeing as I'm a beginner and this is the only bow I've ever used, I don't have anything to compare it to, but I trust my teacher's assessment (he's been playing for 30 years)! Highly recommend!

Even Experienced Players Can't Go Wrong with this Bow

I can't believe how good this bow plays. I just purchased a Yamaha 5-string electric violin and needed an additional bow. I was struggling with my Codabow to get used to crossing strings, especially with the new low C string, and the lower arc of the bridge than on my acoustic. But the Fiddlerman bow, even though it costs 8 times less than my Codabow, plays perfectly and the weight and balance are excellent for accurate string crossing. The tone is also excellent and my playing is much more free with the new bow. I'm an experienced player (over 40 years) and play mostly contemporary, folk rock, jazz and christian. This bow is great! I'll get another to keep in my case.

Surprisingly Good Bow!

I bought this bow for my 12 year old son to use when busking and he loves it. Even so, I thought maybe he ought to have a Pernambuco bow for orchestra performance. I brought home three bows from my local luthier to try, and had my son play a passage with each one along with his Fiddlerman while I closed my eyes. Guess which bow seemed to pull the most sound from his violin? Yep, this one! Furthermore, when my son played with his eyes closed, he also chose the Fiddlerman! Well, I am embarrassed to admit that even though I also play violin I hadn't really given this bow a try on my own instrument. I own a couple of very fine bows, but I travel form coast to desert and really needed a sturdy backup bow myself. Lo and behold, this is a really good bow! It is a tiny bit heavier than my favorite wood bow, but it is very nicely balanced and responsive. My husband plays in orchestra with me, and he too is impressed! Now we will all be using these for outdoor performances and travel. A phenomenal deal! Highly recommend!

Buy this, don't worry it's totally worth it.

So I've play with this bow for about a month now. Easily as good as my coda bow which I played for over a decade. I do lots of outside shows and the tension has held up so far. I am very impressed. For the price this is the best bow on the market. Thanks Fiddlerman! I never write glowing reviews but this bow deserves it. I've tried a few other bows in a similar range over the past few years and they sucked compared to this one. I'm getting 2 more as soon as the playing season is over so I can have one for each of my fiddles.

Extremely happy with this bow.

I purchased this bow after many views on Fiddlerman. Feels great and helps stop my bounce as I am a beginner. Anytime I called them, there advice has been amazing for a beginner like me. I will probably purchase only from them going forward. Great company and very nice bow. Buy it. You wont regret it.

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