well, unless you want to produce some "chuckles" at a music store I'd rosin that thing up and tighten it up until the hair's about a pencil thickness off the bow and play it!Play it like you stole it!

Ain't nothing wrong with those bows, they're fantastic!

After you've been playing for a year or two, then you can wonder about looks of the hair. Until then, one thing at a time and you just need a lot of time. LoL

When looking at a NEW bow, even an old bow that is just new to you, here's some places and things to consider.

1- Is the bow straight? (Does it have any twists or bows in it as you look down from the frog towards the tip with the hair on the top as you look at it under tension. Don't confuse the required "camber" with being straight.)

2- Is the clamp band secure and positioned all the way up on the frog? (Is the hair completely restrained and has no loose areas)

3- Does the tightening screw move easily? (Is the screw all the way to the limit of it's travel or is there a lot of threads left when tightening the hair up. Maxxed out is an indication of stretched hair or slipped hair in the frog or tip holes or just plain ol wore out hair strands.)

4- Is the hair properly layered across the whole width? (Hairs missing would show up as a thin portion on one side or the other or even in the middle. Depending on the quality and age, the number of hair strands should be in the 220-250 range as built. Some have an exact number in their head but seldom will you find a bow that we (beginners can afford) get that will adhere to that standard. High end, (several thousand dollars) bows will be more in line with the industry standard of qty.)

5- Are there a lot of broken hair stubs sticking out from under the frog band or at the tip? (Lots of broken hairs could indicate an old bow with hair that needs replaced, or a bow that's been hammered during playing like you get from Charlie Daniels or Doug Kershaw type bluegrass playing!)

6- Looking at the tip does it have any indications of a past repair? (Cracked tips or broken tips can be repaired but you're not buying or getting a perfect player if it has. A lot of repaired bows will sound just fine and you would'nt even know they had been broken and repaired unless someone told you.)

These are just some of the things that would catch my eye when inspecting a bow. Although you need some education as to what and how much are acceptable conditions that are different from one bow to another, for the most part, you won't find anything "wrong" with a FM carbon fiber bow. Use it as a measuring stick against others you might get to look at.

The good thing about "everybody" here on FM.com is that we've all had the same issues and found the same conclusions and answers as we have progressed. In the future please don't suffer thru something like the rosin thing, jump on here and ask!

We all love to help out so if you wonder about something, have a "what you think is a stupid" question just remember someone on here has already been there and done that...you ain't the first.