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By: Sporksies
I received FM's bow this morning and thought I would write up a little review here for anyone that's curious about it.
First thought when husband brought it in the door…. A PVC pipe + duct tape = I LOVE Pierre. If not for anything else (which you know there are tons of other reasons!), because of the sheer redneckness of it. Had me giggling before 8am. We have a good start. It took me a minute to get through the duct tape. I didn't want to slice down the center of it, as I was unsure how long the bow was in there, so I took my time. Upon getting the duct tape off, I had a second thought… PVC pipe + duct tape + stuffed with paper towels = I REALLY love Pierre. Had a really good giggle session on that one. Between the giggles and opening it up, it took me probably fifteen minutes to get to the bow. Pure awesomeness. He gets a gold star for that!
The bow itself was wrapped in plastic. I took the bow out of the plastic and noticed there was rosin dust all the way down the length of the bow. Pre-rosin: Gotta love that! It was loosened all the way and the hair is absolutely beautiful. The hair is uniform in color and thickness from top to bottom. There were no broken hairs, no missing hairs. I tightened it up and could really feel the tension building up, then I loosened it back up and I could feel that action as well. Also, the decoration of the bow (the mother of pearl) is stunning. I fell in love.
I had also ordered some dark rosin, as I've heard it grips strings better and doesn't leave behind so much residue, so I cut into that with some sandpaper then rosined up the bow. Love the rosin, by the way!
The first notes I hit were open strings. I proceeded to make the "OMG WOW" face, and my husband did as well. The sound was nothing short of perfection. I played Twinkle Twinkle next and it sounded far more sweeter than it does with my other carbon fiber bow. I also noticed I didn't have to work so hard to balance this bow and my pinky didn't get so worn out. The weight is nice and even throughout and its not nearly as heavy as my other one.
Here's a side note about my other carbon fiber… I put the two side by side to do a comparison. The other carbon fiber has a skinnier hair section (if that makes sense), while FM's has a wider hair section. Also, my other carbon fiber is about 1/4 of an inch longer than FM's, which isn't a huge deal, but as far as the balancing act goes, I'm loving FM's shorter length.
In conclusion… my other carbon fiber is going into the case and staying there unless I absolutely need it. So far, though, I can't see that I will ever need it again. Might as well make a cat toy out of it!
WOW, your's didnt try to jump back in the case like mine did... that' awesome!
I had the exact same feelings when I received mine too! Gotta love Pierre and his redneck packaging... but really... could you come up with a better shipping method to get something that fragile across the country in one piece that was better?! (me neither. LOL)
I loved mine as well the first moment I touched a string. Although my backup is my 90 yr purnambuco wood bow, the CF I got from FM is at the top of the use list now.
Glad you like yours... I highly recommend them to anyone who might think their e-bay Chinese bow is good enough for now. It'll be the best $60 bucks you spent.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Regulars
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Thanks for the reviews everyone... Sounds like I need to get my hands on one of these famous bows!
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Yeah.. I'm in love. I wonder if the state would let me marry a bow.
It didn't jump back in the case, but it did threaten my other bow within an inch of its life to stay away from me and never come back. It was almost a blood bath. I have no doubt FM's would have won. Feels great to be fought over.
The redneck packaging is the best thing I have seen in a long time. Seriously. It had me rolling, and its a damn good idea! Being a redneck myself, I have an infinity for duct tape. Its like the force.. it has a light side, a dark side and holds everything together!
Everything this bow is, I can't believe its only 60 bucks. That part absolutely floors me. My husband asked and when I told him, his jaw hit the floor and he started convulsing. Either the price shocked him or it was dinner last night finally making its way through. He was expecting the sound, the feel and the look to be so much more than it was.
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Nice review! Looks like I'll have to keep that in mind for when I can afford a new bow.
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LOL, Sporksies! Great Review! Totally agreed with You about everything! I love this bow too =)
Ordered another one recently for the other student of my teacher... I guess it won't be the last one XD
Happy fiddling!
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Sporksies said
I have an infinity for duct tape. Its like the force.. it has a light side, a dark side and holds everything together!
I'll have to remember that one
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Sorry about moving the topic in a clumsy way. I started by moving the first post instead of moving the topic. Couldn't combine them after that.
I love your review and I would be super happy if you pasted it here on fiddlershop.com/Fiddlermans-Carbon-Fiber-Bow under "Write a Review"
Thanks again. Appolgize to your husband from me about the price
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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You are most welcome, FM. Your products continue to astound me. 
Don't worry about "screwing it up", FM... live, learn, then shoot yourself in the foot.
I tried to paste it in the review section of the store for the bow, but it told me it was too long. Gotta love a long-winded woman, huh? I'm trying to condense it down to get my point across without missing anything valid. Its not easy. 
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+1 on having to trim the review!
I spent like 20 minutes writing a great review and when I got done chopping and hacking, well... it wasn't quite the review I had hoped to post. LOL FM needs to fix that or at least put on a counter that keeps track of how much you have left to write...
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Yeah, FM needs some webmaster help but gosh darn he makes sure any product that you get through him will be good quality and not damaged. He's a passionate guy and want's to share to the world about violin playing....:-)
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cdennyb
Need some words of wisdom.
I know this could get tricky but I wonder .........
How would you describe the action of your pernambuco vs. the FM bow?
My current taste is running towards "lighter" action".
I have both pernambuco (round) and a light hex brazilwood but both are warping and need rehair.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
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hmmm, Oliver... describe the action... welll....
I would say the carbon fiber has a more consistent flex about it, the wood appears to flex differently and not in a linear fashion from frog to tip. Does that make sense?
The carbon appears to flex progressively less and less as it nears an end but smoothly, either frog or tip. The center has max flexibility as I would expect it to, longest span between supports for the hair.
I also notice a slight bouncing feel in the wood almost like it reacts equally and opposite of what you put into it. The CF tends to feel like it dampens the tendenancy to bounce.
Again, make sense?
That's the best I can do for explaining.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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Do you notice that either requires a little more pressure to play?
Which do you think is easier to bend ? (best guess).
I do understand your report and I think I would prefer the action of the wood bow but that is a generalization under the circumstances.
TNX
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
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I honestly can't tell the difference to that degree. Same pressure and same technique for me but it takes a very expensive wood bow to equal the quality of the less expensive good CF bows.
I use my Fiddlerman CF bow very often now.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Are there any extra care measures to the CF bow?? I'm seriously considering the FM bow but I'm not up to speed on carbon fiber products! LOL
I guess, what I'm trying to ask is, how do outdoor temperatures and climate changes affect the FM CF bow compared to a standard wood bow?
I plan on doing a lot of outdoor playing during the summer and often worry about how my fiddle and bow are going to react!
And yes, I know, I can be difficult! LOL
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” ~Benjamin Franklin
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Oliver said
Do you notice that either requires a little more pressure to play?Which do you think is easier to bend ? (best guess).
I do understand your report and I think I would prefer the action of the wood bow but that is a generalization under the circumstances.
TNX
I think the wood requires a more constant attention to the pressure thought process, the CF tends to just stay constant without so much need to readjust my tension and pressure while in motion. (Make sense explained that way?)
I think the CF has a stiffer section modulus and the wood more flexible (wood fiber chain vs resin rigid) so I'd have to say the wood is easier to bend but the CF is easier to bend more accurately. LOL
I thought the wood would be preferably as well but I find myself playing the day switching back and forth between the two bows and really can't find a definate reason to choose one over the other except the CF is smoother as I bow full length. I think the constant flexibility factor over the wood allows me to concentrate more on the left finger position and lets my mind sync up with the sound and makes it easier for my hand to control the bow... less thinking involved on bow technique and more concentration on fingering the notes.
"If you practice with your hands you must practice all day. Practice with your mind and you can accomplish the same amount in minutes." Nathan Milstein
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I've only been using mine since I made the first real purchase of the product that I was satisfied with, I guess 7 months now..... and so far it seems to be exactly the same as when I bought it. Though my wood bows don't change much either. I guess in 20 years I've only had to have my great, expensive bows reshaped every 5-10 years. It really varies. I guess you need to research what others say about Carbon Fiber bows in general..... The history of the FIDDLERMAN CF bow is young.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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@cdennyb
I know exactly what you are talking about. I have come to want a lot of feed back from a bow.
I have to think that a CF bow can be made to match any wood bow given the right taper geometry and it's irritating to me that the industry does not publish any specs about a bow's mechanical properties.
It happens that I have 2 crooked wood bows right now and one is out for repair. $40 re-hair and $15 for straightening.
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.
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Wow, you could have just paid $55 to me and almost had your Fiddlerman Bow with new hair and all. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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