Welcome to our forum. A Message To Our New and Prospective Members . Check out our Forum Rules. Lets keep this forum an enjoyable place to visit.

Check out our 2023 Group Christmas Project HERE

AAA
Avatar
Please consider registering
guest
sp_LogInOut Log Insp_Registration Register
Register | Lost password?
Advanced Search
Forum Scope




Match



Forum Options



Minimum search word length is 3 characters - maximum search word length is 84 characters
sp_Feed Topic RSSsp_TopicIcon
FM's Carbon Fiber Bow (A Review)
Topic Rating: 4.7 Topic Rating: 4.7 Topic Rating: 4.7 Topic Rating: 4.7 Topic Rating: 4.7 Topic Rating: 4.7 (3 votes) 
Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
November 11, 2012 - 5:03 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
61sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Nice to hear Joe. I'm really glad that it didn't snap in two either as you previously suggested. LOL

Hope you grow to love that bow.

Thanks for the review.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Avatar
JoeP

Advanced member
Members
November 11, 2012 - 10:21 pm
Member Since: November 4, 2012
Forum Posts: 96
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
62sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Fiddlerman said
Nice to hear Joe. I'm really glad that it didn't snap in two either as you previously suggested. LOL

Hope you grow to love that bow.

Thanks for the review.

OK, I love the bow!

FYI to others who buy the bow... it comes ready to play, already rosined.  I didn't realize that and rosined the heck out of it like you're supposed to on a new bow with no rosin.  Lots of dust and scratchy sounds resulted.  Once I got that taken care of, it sounds as good as it feels.  I'm thrilled!

joe

Avatar
wanabfidler
Buffalo NY

Advanced member
Members
November 28, 2012 - 6:25 am
Member Since: October 20, 2012
Forum Posts: 65
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
63sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

oh man got home after 19,000 miles to a brand new c/f fiddlerman bow. thank you oh wise man of the fiddle not only is it the best bow i've ever touched but its mine being a noob all i've played with is a entry level 120 dollar commbo out of china but what a diff sounds top shelf anyone on the fence take the jumpthumbs-up

Avatar
Fiddlestix
Michigan, USA

King
Members

Regulars
November 28, 2012 - 7:23 am
Member Since: January 21, 2012
Forum Posts: 2647
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
64sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

wanabfidler said
 anyone on the fence take the jumpthumbs-up

If you mean, has anyone else bought the CF bow,,, plenty in here have.  smile

Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
November 28, 2012 - 10:25 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
65sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Glad you like it wanabfidler :-)

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Avatar
wanabfidler
Buffalo NY

Advanced member
Members
November 29, 2012 - 11:51 am
Member Since: October 20, 2012
Forum Posts: 65
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
66sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Fiddlerman said

Glad you like it wanabfidler :-)

Like it? I love it it unmasks all of my errors I think the elcheepo rig I was using was absorbing all the bad soundviolin-1267

Avatar
HP
Trondheim, Norway
Members

Regulars
November 29, 2012 - 12:24 pm
Member Since: October 11, 2012
Forum Posts: 404
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I got my FM carbon bow for, I dunno, a month ago maybe. Till now the bow haven't lost a single hair as far as I know. My brasil bow shades like a horse, so that's a relief. Overall I'm happy with the bow, it seem well-balanced as far as my experience go. Earlier, when I was looking for a new bow, I tried some different bows here. Some carbon bows and a pernambuco bow, and I feel like the FM bow have overcome them most. It's just one thing, and that's the bow are a little heavy. (Or its not heavy, its just heavier then my other bow. Maybe because of my brasil bow not having a ebony frog, but painted wood?) But I can live with a few gram. Its definitly a bow that I recommend for beginners. thumbs-up

'Armed with theory, practice becomes meaningful. Through practice, theory becomes fulfilled.' - Egon von Neindorff.

Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
November 29, 2012 - 3:18 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
68sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Thanks for the reviews guys :-)

It's all good.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Avatar
tamlin
Denver, CO

Advanced member
Members
November 30, 2012 - 3:08 pm
Member Since: September 25, 2012
Forum Posts: 92
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
69sp_Permalink sp_Print
4

One more note of happiness regarding the FM Carbon Fiber bow... was at a Scottish jam with a bunch of "old-timers" who indicated (not without a bit of condescension) that it was unlikely I could stick a barrel ("birl" or "triplet") with "that carbon fiber bow"...

Well, you can indeed hammer a solid, tight triplet with the FM Carbon Fiber Bow.

Scorecard: FM Carbon Fiber Bow: 1 John Henry: 0

Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. Charlie Parker

Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
December 4, 2012 - 10:06 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
70sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

You or one of the "old-timers" Tamlin?
Thanks smile

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Avatar
tamlin
Denver, CO

Advanced member
Members
December 5, 2012 - 9:03 am
Member Since: September 25, 2012
Forum Posts: 92
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Fiddlerman said

You or one of the "old-timers" Tamlin?
Thanks smile

Yours truly.

* with the carbon fiber, compared to the old-timer's move with pernambuco bow, I tilted the bow a wee bit more and added a teensy dig/push with my fingers with a lean on the index finger

* also have a klaus becker - with this bow, the finger dig doesn't seem to assist in initiating the percusive "bounce" - different action and maybe bigger action is required - seems to be more easily initiated with a squeeze from mid-back/bicep. Still poking around with this. It may just be that with a solid core bow, this move could be initiated with a bigger/faster finger dig than I can muster, as yet.

The old timers say this trick can give one tendonitis -- so I added a little finger motion to both styles. My thinking was to engage more muscles by the small push with the fingers... and by activating more muscles, better absorb the shock up the arm. Like landing a jump. (I'm a polestar pilates master - could analyze this kinda stuff to death.) My hunch is the carbon fiber bow is less likely to cause repeated use injury - but that's just a gut feeling based on the way the vibration feels in this move. BTW, if you sold a solid core carbon fiber bow, I'd buy one and try it out.

Music is your own experience, your own thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn. They teach you there's a boundary line to music. But, man, there's no boundary line to art. Charlie Parker

Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
December 5, 2012 - 7:49 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
72sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Cool,

I actually don't know that I can get that. The problem is that they need to weigh about 59.5-61 grams. I am not sure if solid carbon fiber can be that light. I'll try to find out.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Avatar
Worldfiddler
Members

Regulars
December 6, 2012 - 2:38 am
Member Since: April 22, 2012
Forum Posts: 488
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
73sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Can someone tell me what the make and model of Fiddlerman's CF bow? I'm curious. I like CF bows. I can't seem to find a reference to it in the thread.

 

Mr Jim dancing

Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
December 6, 2012 - 9:35 am
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
74sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Chinese and specifically made for moi, Fiddlerman :-)
I tested 5 bows in the right price category, picked the best one IMO, made some requests about balance, weight, and the arch, had to commit to a large amount of bows and voilà. They are hand-made so they are not 100% the same from one another but pretty close.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Avatar
Fiddlestix
Michigan, USA

King
Members

Regulars
December 6, 2012 - 10:55 am
Member Since: January 21, 2012
Forum Posts: 2647
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

I'm happy the subject of the CF bow has been brought up. I have refrained from commenting on the CF bow I ordered from Fiddlershop and had to return.

The bow was really nice, had great sound, but just a bit too heavy for my liking. When I returned the bow to FM, I put a note inside "The Tube" along with the bow. I had it weighed at the post office along with three other's. I misunderstood what the lady at the post office told me that each bow weighed. I heard her to say that the CF bow weighed 7.2 oz which is 204.117 gm. My god, that's almost a half pound. My Pernambuco bow weighed in at 6.9 oz, or 195.612 gm.

Trying to figure where the mistake was made in what I was told by, Mike, at the Fiddlershop, on the phone, each CF bow weighed 61 gm's, I just, yesterday, took all my other bow's back to the post office and had them reweighed. Two of my  bow's weighed 2.2 oz or 62.369 gm, which was the same weight, (now that I recall) as the FM/CF bow and the Pernambuco bow weighed 1.9 oz or 53.864 gm. I attached a piece of paper to each bow stick and wrote down the weight of each bow as she gave them to me, which I didn't do at the original weigh-in.

I really feel ridiculous thinking of what Pierre must have thought when he read the note enclosed in the tube, about the weight of the bow.

My Pernambuco bow is just a wee bit light at 54 gm, but the 61 or 62 gm are a bit heavy. I would like a bow weighing abut 56 gm, or as close as possible to that weight. After the holiday's i'll try a different approach.

 

My apologizies to FM and his staff for (my) messing up on the bow weight.

Avatar
Kevin M.
Nicholson, Pa
Members

Regulars
December 6, 2012 - 11:26 am
Member Since: September 10, 2011
Forum Posts: 1973
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
76sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

When I weigh a FM bow without hair it comes to 56g the hair weighs 5g and beleive it or not the rosin on the bow can add 1g to the weight so I find the bow without rosin does weigh 61g and rosined up, as Fiddlershop does, it brings the weight to 62g.

Avatar
Fiddlestix
Michigan, USA

King
Members

Regulars
December 6, 2012 - 1:10 pm
Member Since: January 21, 2012
Forum Posts: 2647
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline

Maybe I should order one at 56 g, without hair, wudda ya tink, Kev.  Then it will be about the weight i'm looking for.  roflDo I have to have hair on it ? 

Avatar
Fiddlerman
Fort Lauderdale
December 6, 2012 - 10:33 pm
Member Since: September 26, 2010
Forum Posts: 16429
78sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

They weigh between 59 and 61 grams. Usually 60.5
These are weights that I feel most comfortable with and are most similar to the best and most common wooden bows. Everyone is different but I tend to endorse what I like and what is most common first.
Don't worry Fiddlestix, it's really no trouble at all.

"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."

Avatar
Feathers
Colorado, USA
Members

Regulars
December 7, 2012 - 1:29 pm
Member Since: November 22, 2012
Forum Posts: 342
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
79sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

Very helpful reviews.

Just ordered one of Fiddlerman's CF bows about 20 mins ago, and already can't wait for it to get here!

"Music is what feelings sound like." ~ Author Unknown

 

Avatar
telltom

Member
Members
December 13, 2012 - 7:07 pm
Member Since: November 23, 2012
Forum Posts: 11
sp_UserOfflineSmall Offline
80sp_Permalink sp_Print
0

I just got my Fiddlerman CF bow. I really enjoy playing with it. I have a Codabow Conservatory and i've been switching between the two. More and more i'm leaning to the Fiddlerman's bow. I also have a Concert Master violin, so now i have both of FM's recommendations. Best purchases i've ever made. Love the bow and fiddle. Now i need to ask him what rosin to use, ha ha.

Seriously, if you're in need of a decent bow look no further.

 

Forum Timezone: America/New_York
Most Users Ever Online: 696
Currently Online:
Guest(s) 104
Currently Browsing this Page:
1 Guest(s)
Members Birthdays
sp_BirthdayIcon
Today None
Upcoming Sofia Leo, TKDennis, FiddleDetroit, CookiesViolin, JPferrman, Designer 88, LyleA, Stephen, Dorque, Trisha, Elaisa, wonderputz, Gordon Shumway, dougga, Russionleo, JohnG
Top Posters:
ELCBK: 7761
ABitRusty: 3915
Mad_Wed: 2849
Barry: 2690
Fiddlestix: 2647
Oliver: 2439
Gordon Shumway: 2425
DanielB: 2379
Mark: 2149
damfino: 2113
Member Stats:
Guest Posters: 3
Members: 31662
Moderators: 0
Admins: 7
Forum Stats:
Groups: 16
Forums: 81
Topics: 10590
Posts: 134223
Newest Members:
SoCal335, Jan Howard, edwardcheng, Oscar Stern, bryanhanson, bittruster, fiddlecastro, jackdaniel, romanmills08, creativestringsinfo
Administrators: Fiddlerman: 16429, KindaScratchy: 1760, coolpinkone: 4180, BillyG: 3744, MrsFiddlerman: 2, Jimmie Bjorling: 0, Mouse: 5309