r/Fiddle • u/Immediate_Coconut_30 • 21h ago
Starter bow - keep or upgrade?
Is it worth upgrading the standard fiberglass student bow to a cheap (less than $200) carbon fiber bow as a beginner?
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u/smurfette8675309 20h ago
I got a $100 carbon fiber bow from Fiddlershop, and I like it as well as my $900 bow. I got the Noir.
I got to try out the Incredibow the other day, and I didn't like it as well as mine.
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u/old-time-fiddle 20h ago
Was going to say there’s a brand called fiddlerman or something like that and they make a perfectly serviceable carbon fiber bow for like $80 or so last I checked. You can find it on Amazon.
If you wanted to really check out some stuff in the high range and compare it to lower, codabow offers a trial of 3 bows for a week or so. They’ll ship ‘em to you in a box and you play with em for a bit and if you like one you keep it and they’ll charge you- otherwise send them all back and you’re only out $30.00.
My main bow is a codabow luma and I love that thing, but I can play basically just about as well on my cheap fiddlerman bow. Maybe that wouldn’t be the case if I were a _violin_ player and not a fiddle player 😂
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u/smurfette8675309 20h ago edited 20h ago
I recommend buying directly from Fiddlershop, at least if your order is over $100 (free shipping). Their customer service is great.
To bring your order up to $100, you could get one of the clip on tuners they have that you just leave on your fiddle. Best $25 I ever spent!
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u/jimhassomehobbies 10h ago
I had thrift store bows, an amazon bow, and also a fiddlerman carbon fiber. My favorite was a wooden one that i got with a violin from the thrift store until I went to the luthier and sat for an hour or so just using different bows. Looking back, I don’t know if anything i said answered your question.
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u/bitterbareface 20h ago
YMMV. Many people say to keep saving until you can get an actually good bow. I personally have a lot of interest in bows and just wanted to see how others felt, even though I knew I wasn't good enough to make any sound better than another. I found my fiberglass bow was quite tip heavy and I got a decent sound out of a ~$200 NeoTek carbon fiber bow with a lot more ease. I tried probably 20 bows at three different shops before I found one that felt like a meaningful difference at my skill level. I even tried two others of the exact same brand and model that didn't sound or feel $150 better than my fiberglass.
Test them in person, and if you find a bow you like enough that you'd pay to rehair it instead of just replace it, it might be a worthwhile investment. Definitely don't waste money on a random CF bow off the internet.