My own experience has mostly been playing with bows well below the level of the instruments I was playing on, because of ignorance about bow price ranges for the first 10 years or so. In retrospect, using cheap student bows probably kept me from getting the best out of the instruments I had and is most likely one of the reasons my bowing technique has lagged behind my left hand technique.

I started on my late great-uncle's violin, an advanced student violin worth somewhere in the area of $1,500 -- but because the bow was missing from the case when my uncle brought it to me, he went out and bought a cheap fiberglass bow to replace it. After a year or so, I tried to get it rehaired and was told a rehair would cost more than the value of the bow, so I ended up buying a low-end pernambuco bow (about $200), which is still the only violin bow I have because I switched to viola around that time and rarely played violin after that. I'm now considering upgrading my violin bow anyway, because the student bow doesn't have the bounce I want and feels quite dead compared to my main viola bow.

I started playing viola on a loaned instrument, and at some point bought a second bow (again, a student bow) to use as a spare. Then, when I returned the borrowed viola and bought a professional-grade viola, I didn't buy a new bow immediately because I already had one. It wasn't until about five years later that I got around to bow shopping, which meant that for several years I played a professional viola with a $250 student bow. Eventually I went shopping with a $2,000 budget but ended up buying a $500 hybrid bow because I felt it was better than anything else I could find under $2,000 and comparable to bows I tried that cost up to $2,500. I still use the hybrid as my main bow and haven't felt the need to upgrade; it does everything I ask it to do quite easily, as long as it hasn't been too long since the last rehair. Besides, if I ever upgrade, it would likely be to a high-quality pernambuco bow in the $4,000-5,000 range in order to get significant improvement, and I don't want to spend that kind of money at the moment.

Gordon Shumway said

AndrewH said

The conventional wisdom is that a bow of equivalent quality costs about one-third as much as the instrument itself, though the emergence of high quality carbon fiber bows has thrown that into question somewhat... 

In the case of carbon, my teacher's rule of thumb is a quarter.

But what's this thread about?

If Cid had said, "I've bought a better viola," I'd have said, "Joy of your new viola to you!"

But it didn't go that way.

I've spent the thread wondering if Cid is only considering forums, or if her family and friends have contributed thoughts. Cid totally disagrees with something and yet feels guilt. Strictly speaking, I'm not sure that's possible.

Is Cid hoping an abstract discussion will justify the specific?

Trying to make sense of her words, the message seems to be, "People say a better instrument won't automatically make you a better player. I agree with that - I'm actually getting a better instrument because it will enthuse me, and that will lead to more practice and better playing in the long run."

It all boils down to the Doetsch viola's tone. Cid talks of intonation, but she doesn't talk of vibrato depth and speed, and she doesn't talk of bowing technique, both of which are essential for good tone (or if you're a baroque no vib enthusiast, let's just talk about bowing technique).

Pierre uses dark rosin to "dig the notes out of the instrument" (I think I'm quoting him). Digging for tone is like digging gold out of the ground. Digging is a good metaphor. A good instrument is capable of good tone, but it doesn't give it up without effort. I have googled Doetsch instruments, and they seem pretty good to me. Pro level, according to Fiddlershop's price criteria.

Someone in the thread doesn't like third party demonstrations because style is different. It isn't about style. It would be nice if a pro could play Cid's Doetsch to her to show her what she could be aiming for.

Heinz Holliger plays a Rigoutat oboe. This is, coincidentally, the cheapest make of pro oboe. It starts around $7 000. And guess what, a beginner won't sound like Holliger on one, or on any other.

  

I believe that, in the past, Cid has mentioned being told that she wasn't good enough for a better instrument. That's something I've rarely if ever seen people say, and something I disagree with entirely.

Although I don't typically hear people describe Doetsch instruments as pro level, they are common in serious amateur orchestras and semi-pro orchestras, and among conservatory students, which means a lot of excellent players use them.