Frequently Asked Questions

1) "I have a bow which needs new horsehair. Is rehairing it a project I can do myself?"

The answer is a resounding: "no." Rehairing a bow is a very fine art, which requires training, many hours of practice, and hundreds of repetitions. A person must be dedicated to bow craftsmanship and willing to spend months and years learning the rehairing procedure before they are competent for the task. Bows are extremely fragile, and highly susceptible to damage if worked on by an amateur. Many otherwise valuable bows have been ruined in this way. Seek out the best professional bow specialist available to accomplish this service for you -- and the money will be very well spent. 

2) "How often should my bow be re-haired -- and how can I know if it needs to be?"

In part, this depends upon how much a bow is used, and for what type of playing it's used for. If the player uses it aggressively and tends to break the horsehair often, then the bow needs to be rehaired in order to replace the hair which is lost. Once more than about 15% of the hair gets broken, it most often results in uneven tension on the wood of the bow stick, and will eventually lead to warpage. Warping from uneven hair tension is less of a problem with bows of man-made materials -- but in either case, the bow will not function properly without enough horsehair.

As a general rule of thumb, a bow should be rehaired about every year if it is used regularly, and without much breakage of the horsehair. Breakage or not, the hair will gradually lose its ability to take rosin, and therefore lose its effectiveness in providing the friction with the string necessary in order to draw tone out of the instrument.

3) "What sort of rosin should I use?"

There are many different brands of rosin available, both natural and synthetic, of various formulas, brands and prices. There is no one type or brand which will be universally ideal for every player, and finding the best rosin for your needs will require some experimentation. In general, softer and stickier rosins work best in colder, drier climates, with the harder rosins better for warmer temperatures and higher humidity. Asking the advice of a local professional and/or trusted music retail business is a good place to start.

4) "How do I rosin my bow -- and how often should I use rosin?"

Rosining the horsehair of a bow is something which should be done carefully, and only as necessary. Too little rosin on the hair will allow the bow to "skate" across the strings, and produce insufficient sound; but too much rosin will effectively clog the hair, and impede the playing capabilities of the bow itself.

Rosining is usually done at intervals of a few hours of playing. It's a matter of drawing the cake of rosin across the hair of the bow relatively slowly and methodically back and forth, most often a total of 8 or 10 times -- but this is just a general guideline, because how much rosin a bow needs has mostly to do with how the bow feels to the player.

5) "How can I find someone to do repair or restoration work on my bow?"

If you live in a large metropolitan area, then there are likely to be choices of violin businesses, many of which will have specialists on staff who are dedicated to working with bows. There may also be independent bow makers in the same community, and whom have particular expertise and many years of experience. In smaller cities, there is less likelihood of finding someone who is a specialist in violin bows exclusively -- but depending on where you live, you may have some luck with finding a competent craftsperson with experience in bows. If your bow has antique and collector value, then seeking out the most professional and elite services is paramount.

6) "I have an older bow in my possession which I don't know much about, and I don't know how to have it appraised. What should I do?"

Many people inherit bows and instruments, or find them in places like antique stores, pawn shops and thrift stores. The odds that any given bow with a lack of provenance (proven history) will be particularly valuable is very low -- but worthwhile bows are discovered now and then, which have fallen into disuse and disrepair over the years. 

It requires a trained and experienced eye, in order to assess a bow for condition, the materials it was made with, country of origin, authenticity, and value. A dedicated bow maker or bow expert is the ideal person to seek out; but a reputable business in the general area of the violin family of instruments should be of help. Use local references -- and where possible, soliciting a second or third opinion is never bad advice. 

7) "How do I shop for a bow?"

This is highly dependent upon your purposes for the bow, what sort of playing you intend to do with it, and what is your price point or budget. Serviceable bows can be had for as little as $40 or so; but bows meant for professional playing, and hand-made of the best materials by contemporary makers, can cost several thousands of dollars. Bows with antique and collector value by famous makers of the past will often cost many times that.

As a very general rule, it's best to determine what is the outside limit of what you wish to spend on a bow -- and then look at every possibility there is available, beneath that threshold. Working with well-established businesses in the violin trade is where most people begin to look for a bow; and most often, these businesses will allow bows to be taken out for approval, prior to sale. That allows the prospective buyer to try out the bows, and decide if they will be happy with a purchase.