hi people
i was just wandering what kind of bow is best for a budget of £100 - £180
it would really help me if someone would answer!!! please

O that`s an impossible one, it depends so much on your personal preferences as regards weight etc. For example I adore Glassers because I can spiccato with anything and am only interested in feeling that the bow is not about to bend if I play fortissimo, and hate the lightweight bouncy Chinese bows because to me they seem so flimsy, but most of my customers go for the lightweight Chinese ones because they like a bouncy stick.

I assume you`re well off the beginner level?

What you want is a nice friendly trader who offers excellent value and is prepared to send you five bows on approval at a time ... give me a call

Liz

thanks liz
i dont really like light weight bows because I can`t stand bows that bounce when you play them.i want 1 that I can be in control of and feels good to play with and produces a good sound on my dominant strings.
And I have been playing for nearly 6 years now so i am not really a beginner! i have just done my grade 5 actually but it didn`t go to well! i cant wait to get my results!
thanks for your help

Then go for a Glasser carbon fibre, you will love it.

I bet the exam wasn`t as bad as you thought, they rarely are!

Liz

thanks liz for all your help!
how much is the bow ans where can I get 1 for a good price!
are they popular aswell because I really want a reliable bow!
Are there any particualr shops I could get it in because I live in Scotland near Aberdeen I would really like to try it out before I buy it

We`re probably the only regular stockists in the UK, I do not know of any other. These bows are popular in the US where they are made. Certainly Aberdeen (and Scotland in general)does not seem to be a good source for anything violin related in terms of price: we sell a lot to Scotland for precisely that reason.

It`s much cheaper to simply get a bow sent on approval than to drive miles to try it, unless you`re talking of spending thousands of pounds on a bow and can find a shop which is big enough to carry a lot of them in that price range. A bow costs less than £2 to post including recorded delivery and as I said, we frequently post out five in a tube at a cost of less than £6 even if we use Special Delivery.

We`re at

http://www.elidatrading.co.uk

Liz

Composite bows are are good choice for your price range.

However, try out some of the cheap wooden bows if you can.
I once played a bow with a half-lined frog, fake eyelet, nickel winding, and rubber grip. But it played like bows around 700USD
I asked how much it was, it was 80USD. I bought it.
SO try out the cheap ones. You might get lucky.

but where can I try out the cheap ones harvey? because the place I got my bow that I have now is owned by a proffesional and no way would he have cheap bows because he likes realy good quality for a high price. I live in Scotland you see as I said before and this man I was telling you about above live 30mins away from me so I would be best going to him but I really want a good bow as everyone else I know who plays the violin produces a lovely sound and its not my violin because it was really expensive and a popular one and its not my strings because I have just got them changed to dominants and it sounds a litle bit better. Iknow I am being fussy but I just want a good bow that I can control for a good price.

What`s your violin? Perhaps if Dominants only make it sound "slightly" better, you need to try some different strings.

Have you tried anyone else`s bow? I mean, you say everyone else makes a lovely sound on your violin. if by "everyone else" you mean better players, such as your teacher, then a better player WILL make a better sound, on any violin.

Your reluctance to contact a mail order supplier and get bows on approval is surprising, because I really don`t see what other alternative you have, short of taking a long trip down to Edinburgh and paying a lot of money at a certain renowned shop! The advnatage of taking such a trip, of course, is that you could try an awful lot of bows while you`re there, but you WILL pay a lot for whatever you buy.

Liz

thanks liz but I have just starting looking for bows and I have really just thought that it might be that that is the problem and there is nothing wrong with my violin and i have no `reluctance` to do anything

No-one`s suggesting that there is anything "wrong" with your violin. There may not be anything "wrong" with your bow either. We don`t know because you haven`t told us what it is. If you want help, tell us as much as you can. For example, there`s little point in paying a couple of hundred pounds for a bow to improve the tone if that is the only reason you want a new bow and if tit turns out that the bow is not what`s causing the problem.

You say your violin sounds better when others play it. Have you tried asking someone if you can try playing it with their bow, or if they can play it with your bow?

Liz

and yes i have liz
i have tried a lot of things and i have come to the conclusion that there actually isnt anything wrong with my fiddle. It is just that it has not fully matured yet because i have only had it for about a year and a half. Or maybe it is just the way i play it and i ma expecting to much from it because maybe my violin sounds good to others but i want to believe that it is rubbish so thats what i hear. thanks any way liz for your help.

Hmm. A violin which has a good tone in it anywhere should be playing very well after a few weeks let alone 18 months. To be honest I suspect you may be just being over critical of yourself which is not a bad thing at grade 5 after all.

Have you had your exam result yet?

Liz

nope not yet but it should be soon

I GOT MY RESULTS!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!
i passed with 116! i know it is not the best score but at least i passed by quite a bit!
WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i got 26,25,25 for my pieces and 16 for my scales. 12 for my sight reading (sp i failed that part ) and 12 for my aural tests! they arent as much as i have received before in other grades but i have still passed! YEAH!!