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Okay, so tinight I am getting ready for rehearsal. i have my violin tuned, I am putting it in my case, i go to losten my bow and viola' it loosens by itself. I try and tighten the hairs and fine the mechanism (the main screw) is stripped and I cannot build enough bow tension to play.
Soo... I need a new bow immediately. I am thinking of ordering Fiddlerman's carbon fibre bow. I have hears lots of good things about it. Hopefully if I order now I'll have it for next weeks rehearsal.
Any feedback from others who use it ? How do you like it. from what I read it sounds like a nice bow.
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Well, I took the plunge and ordered the CF bow from Fiddlerman. Looking forward to trying it out when it arrives.
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You will NOT be disappointed!
I love mine...in fact... fiddlerman selected one from his inventory that matched my 90 yr old Pernambuco wooden bow exactly in gram weight.
The hair on mine was flawless and beautiful and the second I drew it across the strings I knew I had found my number #1 bow to be using on all 3 of my violins.
It's shipped in a 'bulletproof' container too.
"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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You will NOT be disappointed. The FM CF bow plays very well!
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Sounds great. I am really looking forward to receiving it and running across the strings. I am sure I will like it. I really needed a new and better quality bow anyway. My old bow was an inexpensive wooden bow and while they work they often leave much to be desired. I am sure I will be happier with a new and better quality bow.
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Thanks for the order Crazymotive,
I'm sure you saw that it was shipped yesterday.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman said
Thanks for the order Crazymotive,I'm sure you saw that it was shipped yesterday.
Yes, I received shipping notice by email yesterday. Thank you for shipping so fast. I am sure I will like the bow.
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I received the bow on Saturday so I have had a couple days to practice with it. So fat I like the bow. First it's an attractive looking bow and I love the "FIDDLERMAN" insignia down near the frog. The bow is light, well balanced and seems to ride the strings nicely ranging from heavy bow pressure to light bow pressure I am getting a good response.
How does it rank with my brazilwood bow ? Both are similar in many ways, actually my brazilwood bow wasn't bad at all. However, I think the Fiddlerman bow has a little better of a response. Also it seems to play smoother and with less harshness. I am noticing particularly when I am crossing strings I tend to get less harsh notes and less tendency to screech (not that I screech often) when I am transitioning between strings. I guess the best way I can describe is to say that the Fiddleman bow seems to play cleaner and smoother than my old bow.
It also got complements from family members. They have said my music sounds seems to have a smoother sound than when I was using the old bow.
So all in all I give the Fiddlerman bow an A+. It plays really nice and is well worth the very reasonable price.
I also like the way the bow shipped. Very clever to use the PVC tubing sealed at the ends as a mailer. I am saving the tube. It may come in handy should I need to ship a bow off for re-hairing or repair.
Also, thanks you for the Fiddlershop pencil. 
Awesome! =)
Congratulations!
Happy fiddling now!
I have that bow also, know what You're talking about =)
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I'm anxious for mine to arrive. I ordered mine last Friday and got shipped email message today.
glad you like yours crazymotive. I think everyone who ordered one, does.
"The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work." - Mark Twain
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MikeV said
I'm anxious for mine to arrive. I ordered mine last Friday and got shipped email message today.
glad you like yours crazymotive. I think everyone who ordered one, does.
I think you will like it. It is a very nice bow and very reasonably priced too.
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You sure can't beat the price. I don't know how FM can do it, but I am greatful that he does. I wouldn't be able to afford upgrades!
Crazymotive, do you think the improvement in sound might be due to more and better quality hair on the bow? I noticed that my brazilwood bow doesn't seem to have a lot of hair on it. It also seems to be wavy in some spots.
"The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work." - Mark Twain
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Fresh new hair and fresh rosin will definately make your notes more smoother and refined.
I'm so glad everyone loves their CF bows... makes my review have more merit!
I wasn't kidding when I dsaid you'd LOVE IT...
"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
I just sent my wife a link to the bow. A kind of Christmas wish list.
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MikeV said
Crazymotive, do you think the improvement in sound might be due to more and better quality hair on the bow? I noticed that my brazilwood bow doesn't seem to have a lot of hair on it. It also seems to be wavy in some spots.
Yes, I think it can make a big difference. If there are irregularities, such as warping or waviness, I think that can also add to overall difficulty and depreciation of overall performance and sound quality. My brazilwood bow (which is still good) seems to have been pretty well made. Nice curvature, straight, no signs of irregularity or warping. It is an "Eastman" bow and it came with my Eastman violin It gave me very great sound but I think I still like the Fiddllerman bow better. The Fiddlerman bow seems to have more horsehair and it just seems better balanced. The FM bow seems to be more forgiving for example, even if I screw up it doesn't seem to screech or deliver harsh notes. String transitions seem smoother and, it seems to have far less tendency to bounce than my other bows. yet at the same time the bow is light enough where I can bounce it along the strings when i want to.
I have read of violin players who have sworn from experience that different bows will deliver different qualities of sound. I guess there is truth to that considering that the string, the bow hairs, the stick, the violin itself all comprise a complex vibrating system. Many violinists seem to feel that the ultimate bow is still a good quality pernambuco wood bow. However, good quality pernambuco is often out of the budget of most beginner / intermediate violinists. Many players however seem to feel that the carbon fibre bows are a great trade-off between the high priced / high quality pernambuco and the brazilwood bows. While they may not be a match for quality pernambuco they tend to fare better in quality and performance than many of the brazilwood bows. Again, this is based on stuff I've read. I haven't had enough experience with different types of bows to be able to speak from personal experience. perhaps someone with more experience with different types of bows can offer some hands on advice.
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MikeV said
You sure can't beat the price. I don't know how FM can do it, but I am greatful that he does.
I prefer to do business with Fiddlershop whenever I can. So far I have ordered my bow and all my strings from Fiddlerman. Fiddlerman has given so much time and effort and inspiration to the violin community thus I prefer to give him my support and my business. Not only does he provide a great selection and variety of product but he knows, tests, and stands by many of the products he sells.
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Thanks for your answer crazymotive. It makes it that much harder waiting for that pvc "package" to arrive. 
My brazilwood bow is in pretty good shape too, except for the hair. It is not warped and has a nice curve. The winding came loose. Looks like fishing line. I reglued that. It doesn't seem to be balanced well. Heavy toward the frog. It makes playing on the upper third of the bow challenging. After I have a chance to practice with it, I will post my critique. Should get it tomorrow.
"The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work." - Mark Twain
Well, all this talk about new bow's...sheesh, I had to order one to go with the new Concert Master I got last week.
I really like the violin, very easy to play no complaint's. I guess I'll wait till the bow arrive's to do a video review on both, if it's ok. I'll be lookin for my new tube in the mail.
I have four bow's now and I found out that the more flex in the stick, the more there's a tendency to bounce.
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Thanks guys. Your support is much appreciated.
I didn't know you received your violin Fiddlestix. Look forward to the reviews. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
Yes, Pierre, I received it on Friday and played all weekend. I did change string's and put on the Zyex string's that I ordered awhile back, make's a nicer sound now. I hope you won't feel offended by what I did but, the extra set included in the violin box, I sent them to the other side of the world to a young man in the Philippines who doesn't really have the resourse's to get decent string's. They went to Ozmous, I figured he could use them more than I.
Thank's for the speedy delivery service and now I'm waiting for the PVC tube with the bow I ordered yesterday the 15th.
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