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ecmlee
Registered User
Posts: 2
(7/21/01 12:47:31 pm)
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J. MARTIN
Bow
Is there anyone using the J.MARTIN Bow? It is a octagonal bow made
from Pernambuco wood (Brazil). Seems that it is a very good deal in
this price range (around $150). Eddy
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ecmlee
Registered User
Posts: 4
(7/23/01 3:36:46 am)
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Which bow should
I choose? Silver or nickel mounted?
Recently I saw 2 bows from the same maker and I don't know which
one is better for money. Their information is follow. Please
advise.
1. An octagonal, nickel silver mounting bow made from
ultra dense pernambuco wood. The ebony frog has a multi colored
mother of pearl slide and the ebony buttons silver bands are pinned.
It is wrapped with pure sterling silver wire and black leather. It
costs $150.
2. An octagonal or round, pure sterling silver
mounting bow made from selected, highest density pernambuco wood
than the one above. The ebony frog has a special silver lined
multi-colored mother of pearl slide. The back of the frog is also
inlaid with silver lined mother of pearl. The buttons sterling
silver bands are pinned and it has mother of pearl dots inlaid on
the ebony facets. It is wrapped with English style whale bone and
leather. It costs $250.
Now it's the question. Is it worth to
pay extra $100 for the 2nd bow? It used a better wood, with silver
mounting, and the frog looks more elegant. Does silver better than
nickel mounting?
If I choose the 2nd bow, should I choose
octagonal or round body? I am a beginning on cello but I want to buy
a good bow that can last for many years of playing. Please
recommend.
Thanks a lot!
Eddy
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TerryM
Registered
User
Posts: 470
(7/23/01 7:15:42
am)
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Re: Which bow
should I choose? Silver or nickel mounted?
There have been quite a few of these bows on eBay over the past
year, but I would have a reservation in spending this much on a bow
I could not try out first. I have no idea of the quality of the
bows. Usually, a nickle mounted bow is a bow of lesser quality. Some
of the qualities of a good bow rest in its response across the
length of the bow, balance in the hand, ability to get a good volume
of sound when needed, the ability to play a quiet pianissimo without
a lot of hair/string noise and its ability to "grip" the string.
For the most part the quality of the wood, the carving and
general balance determine whether the bow will be outfitted with
silver and a better quality frog with a Parisienne eye. This is not
to say that lesser quality bows may be dressed up to make them
appear as higher quality. You really have to have a bow in hand to
know if it is right for you and your cello/string combination. The
quality of bow that your playing will require will change with time,
experience, the kind of music you are playing (baroque vs romantic)
and your playing ability. It is best to buy a good quality bow and
then move up to a higher quality once you find that you are unable
to get the desired response from that bow. As control and expression
become a major part of your playing, you will know when your present
bow is not giving you the response you require.
You could
"test drive" the Martin bows at Cellos2Go www.cellos2go.com and in
that way get a chance to try out the bow at your leisure and in your
own playing environment. Bows by the same maker can vary in playing
quality and what one player might like another would not. It is
really best to get your hands on a few and then play with them. Your
hand and your cello will tell you which one is right for you. Your
teacher can also assist you with some of the finer points, if your
own playing is not yet advanced enough to appreciate the
differences.
Terry
Edited by: TerryM
at: 7/23/01 7:39:10 am
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ecmlee
Registered User
Posts: 6
(7/23/01 8:18:27 am)
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Terry, please
advise. Thanks!
Terry, thanks again for your advise. I am from Hong Kong so I
couldn't try the bow before buying it. Actually I have won the
auction on the cheaper model for $147. But I did some
research in
advance by checking the feedback of the seller before placing the
bid. He has 257 feedback on selling bows and all of the customers
are very satisfied with what
they paid for (a lot of them said
"excellent bow in low price"). So now I have to decide which one to
pick, the nickel mounted, or the silver mounted with better wood.
There is a difference of $100. So, please give me some advise.
If I choose the better one, should I get the octagonal, or
the round model? What's the difference?
Thanks very much!
Eddy
P.S. The bow weighs 81.8 grams. It is 28 1/4" in
length, with balance at 9 1/4" from the end of the stick (not
including the button)
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TerryM
Registered
User
Posts: 471
(7/23/01 9:54:40
am)
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Re: Terry,
please advise. Thanks!
I am no expert on these things and so take my comments with that in
mind. I would go with the better quality bow and hopefully that will
be the silver mounted one. You never know when you buy through eBay,
just what you are getting until it arrives. Some of the more
reputable eBay dealers will give you the option of returning items
that do not meet your expectations. Other dealers sell to unload
things that they have not been able to sell through their shops. You
get what you pay for, in most instances.
It is always best
to start off with the best equipment you can afford. The limiting
factor to your playing, in the early stages, will probably not be
equipment (assuming that you have a properly set up instrument), but
a poorly set up cello and a cheap bow will limit your progress. As
your playing skills develop, you will recognize the limitations of
your present instrument and bow. If you play with a better quality
bow at some future date and you can recognize that it is superior to
your present one, then it will be time to change.
As far as
round or octagonal bows go, I believe that it is purely esthetic
factors that determine the choice. Some people, myself included,
prefer the looks of the octagonal bow to the round bow. You will
find that either geometry will play equally well depending on the
other qualities of the bow.
Good luck!
Terry
Edited by: TerryM
at: 7/24/01 7:01:35 am
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Todd
French 
Moderator
Posts: 217
(7/24/01 12:10:57 pm)
Reply
 |
Regarding
quality of pernambuco/fittings
Not trying to be the devil's advocate here, but regarding bows of
this price point, the mountings really don't qualify the quality of
the bow. Each of these J. Martin bows is a factory bow (probably
Chinese), and they are more than likely exactly the same whether you
were to choose nickel, silver, or tortoiseshell and gold. Because
they are factory bows, they are made en masse, so the sticks are
just later matched to fittings - some silver, some nickel. If you
pay more for the silver mounted bow, it's only because silver costs
more than nickel.
With old French masters of the past, the
nickel bows were sometimes those with inferior sticks, and given
that fine metals were even more expensive then, the makers would
only reserve the best fittings for the best sticks. Also, modern
makers often choose the finest cuts of pernambuco for their best
fittings - not always - but for bows priced less than $1,000
(factory bows), the fitting is more than likely not representative
of the quality of the stick.
Terry is right, you might very
well get several to try, as the differences of the same bow brand
and model can be monumental - only it is often difficult to do this.
Sticks are usually selected at random and set up with whatever
fittings the craftsman is working with at the time, so you might
just get lucky and get the best pernambuco stick from the workshop
set up with nickel fittings and not even know it.
Edited by: Todd
French at: 7/24/01 12:11:27
pm
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TerryM
Registered
User
Posts: 475
(7/24/01 1:01:53
pm)
Reply
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Re: Regarding
quality of pernambuco/fittings
Good points Todd. Even though the sticks are probably the same, I
think the re-sale value would be higher for a silver mounted bow and
they look better too. I understand that the Martin bows are made in
the Czech Republic.
Terry
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ChristRocker
Registered User
Posts: 3
(7/24/01 8:57:36 pm)
Reply
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Re: J. MARTIN
Bow - I have one . . .
Just so you know if that bow is from Jim Laabs Music it is a nice
bow. I also have a brazilwood bow and have had an interesting time
comparing the two. I have found that the brazilwood bow produces a
brighter sound whereas the pernambuco produces a darker, heavy
sound. The pernambuco is much heavier - but you probably already
know that. 
I
have also compared this bow to other pernambuco bows at music stores
and this one seems to be much nicer.
The one I have was the
$150 J. Martin bow from ebay.
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Mongkol
![]()
Registered User
Posts: 63
(7/26/01 5:43:44 am)
Reply
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I am using
one!
As a beginner playing cello for 1 year, I am pleased with this $150
J. Martin. As I live in Bangkok, I have mailordered the $99 Glasser
fiber-composite and used it for a while. But this J. Martin is much
better in handling and sound. Of course, it can't be compared with
my teacher's French pernambuco which is much more expensive. Todd, I
am not surprised that the bows at this price are made in China. I
think China as well as Sri Lanka have done a good job in suppling
the world good instruments and bow at affordable price.
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