"My teacher said to buy a wood bow"

We have the privilege of helping students and professionals acquire bows that match both their instrument and their playing style.  One of the most frequently heard comments from students is, “My teacher told me to buy a wood bow.”  It brings up several points to consider.  What I hear when a student says that is something closer to, “My teacher told me to buy a GOOD bow.”  The gold standard for violin-family bows is still pernambuco, a wood that suffered from over-forestation in recent years.  The scarcity of quality wood has driven the cost of quality pernambuco higher and higher.  Because of this, inexpensive student bows made out of wood are rarely made from quality material.  This results in warping, splitting, or overly flexible sticks.  At Encore, we made the decision to only offer wood bows made from pernambuco of high enough quality to ensure that our customers receive a bow with performance that matches the price tag.  We feel we serve our customers best by offering synthetic bows at introductory prices – fiberglass and carbon-fiber.  Whether the budget is $50 or $5,000, we select the bows that offer the highest value.

A note on these pictures – pernambuco is a beautiful wood that can have wonderful variations in grain and color.  Pictured is a cello bow with particularly striking grain.  While irregularities in the grain can have adverse effects on playability and longevity in certain parts of the bow, some variations are harmless.