The differences between bows

This week’s discussion of the differences between bows will feel like a bit of a repeat of last weeks’ discussion of instruments.  In the end, workmanship and material quality are two of the biggest differentiators when it comes to the cost and performance of a bow. ...
(Re) Introducing: John Rihani

(Re) Introducing: John Rihani

As we begin the second month of 2022 and look out at the horizon – hopefully at a post-pandemic world – we decided it would be a good idea to reintroduce the members of our team.  My name is John Rihani and I am the manager of Encore Orchestral Strings.  Paige’s Music...

Humidification on the go!

As we all brace for the coming weather, it’s a good moment to review the importance of humidifying our instruments.  In my experience here in the shop, the larger instruments (cello and bass) are even more susceptible to humidity-related damage than their...

Synthetic core strings for cello?

As with nearly everything else in life, trends come and go.  For as long as I’ve been playing cello, most professional-caliber instruments were set up with steel core strings.  The tungsten-wound Spirocore strings from Thomastik were nearly ubiquitous for the G...