It is not a surprise that you are not satisfied with the bow that came with your violin. Most of these are made of fiberglass and are worth as little as $25. A fiberglass bow is a very poor substitute for wood. These bows are very weak and will collapse at the middle with very little pressure. The hair is sparse and of low quality. These bows are sometimes on the heavy side, and can have a club-like feel and appearance. It is very limting to have a fiberglass bow, and a very large upgrade is possible by spending around $100-$150, as I will discuss a little later.
Below are two bows. The red bow on the left is a fiberglass bow made by Glasser. The bow on the right is a fine 19th century French Bow (by Dominique Peccatte).
As you can see, the red Glasser bow has a thicker, heavier (plastic) frog. By pulling the hair further from the stick, this design helps prevent the bow from collapsing completely with the slightest pressure. However, a bow with this design is very difficult to control and cannot produce a clean sound, particularly during rapid passages that require agility and a slightly off the string bowing technique. I would go as far to say that you might as well be playing tennis with a frying pan!
The finest bows in the world are made of wood. Specifically, pernambuco wood. This wood is quite rare and expensive, as it is taken from the center of the tree. Brazilwood bows come from the same tree, but are not the center cut.
A little about bow prices:
19th and early 20th century French bows made of pernambuco wood are considered the most valuable, and it is possible to spend over $100,000 for the finest examples. It is quite common for professional musicians to spend between $10,000 and $30,000 to obtain a fine French bow. Some of the most famous French bowmakers: Eugene Sartory (who made strong, powerful sticks favored by many soloists for their ability to produce a large sound that carries well), Francois Tourte (possibly the inventor of the "modern" bow, also favored by soloists for its incredible sweetness and smoothness.) and Dominique Peccatte, another maker of choice for soloists, known for its exception balance and richness of sound. The Sartory might go for $20,000, and the Tourte and Peccatte upwards of $50,000!
Besides the French School, there are two other schools with a rich history of bow making. The first is the English School, from which bows made by Tubbs and those stamped "W.E. Hill" are the most well-known. Fine English bows usually sell for around $5,000 to $15,000. The second is the German School, which is significantly less favored than the other two. Bows by this country's most famous family of bowmakers, bearing the name of Nurnberger, are "comparatively cheap." But even a Nurnberger will probably cost you at least $2,000.
There are also several contemporary American bowmakers who are doing excellent work. One of these is Roger Zabinski, a luthier who lives and works in Minnesota. It is possible to commission from him a new bow designed to meet your needs, or to match your violin. But you should expect these also to be priced somewhere in the range of $2,000 to $4,000.
But wait! You only have $500 to spend! So let's examine your options.
1) Fiberglass. Fiberglass is out. Don't even think about it.
2) Brazilwood. Although you probably would need to spend over $1,000 for a genuine pernambuco bow, you will find many Brazilwood bows priced at or below $500 and as low as $50.00. The quality of these bows is very hit and miss. Even if they bear the same stamp, each is unique. If you want to go with a Brazilwood bow, consider trying a lot of them. By a lot, I mean at least a dozen. Consider taking a couple home so you can spend more time with them. It might be good to go to a couple different shops. Brazilwood bows are a dime a dozen, so hold out for one that you really think is special. Remember that wood bows can be quite fragile. If you tend to be hard on your equipment you might want to consider a different material. Expect to spend at least $100.00 for one that will perform quite well.
3) Carbon Fiber. The original manufacturer of the carbon fiber bow is CodaBow. CodaBow offers many different bows at many different price levels, (starting around $250.00, and makes claims about how each model handles in comparison to the others. But each coda bow, no matter the model, is unique. Why? The answer is wood. Namely, the ebony wood frog. Since each peice of ebony differs in density, coda bows actually do vary both in weight and in the location of the balance point. The best bows usually come in at around 60 grams. But I have seen coda bows that weigh as little as 55 grams and as much as 65 grams. And some of the cheaper models actually sound better than the more expensive ones. Be prepared to try several different models and ask to compare different bows of the same model as well. At the very least, CodaBows should be more consistent than wood bows. And they certainly are sturdier. Below is CodaBow's new flagship model, the "weaved" Diamond. I have seen Diamond models on the Internet for a little over $500.00. Remember, however, that their cheapest offering, the Aspire, might sound just as good or even better! And there is a relatively new carbon fiber bow on the market made by Glasser (yes, our fiberglass friend!), called a "braided" carbon fiber bow, that is very well priced (around $325), and designed to compete with CodaBow's Diamond.
