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Laura
Wichers
Moderator
Posts: 1062
(7/12/01 12:10:38 pm)
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$$Bows &
cellos$$ at Encore
One of the best parts about Encore is the many instrument dealers
who bring toys for us to try. Playing all the famous stuff is so
much fun, not to mention educational. Among the bows I've played
with so far: Sartory, Hill, Fetique, Lotte, Lamy, Hoyer, and Kittel.
There have been quite a few cellos, too, including a Vuillaume from
Shar (I LOVE French cellos!!), a Bulgari, several Hills, and a few
contemporary American and Italian makers whose names I don't
remember. I even got to scratch a few notes on violins by Strad and
Amati. Now if only they had a particular famous Amati cello for me
to play...
I'm curious about the prices I've seen on some of
the bows. Specifically, what do you all make of
these:
Sartory - $22,000 Wasn't as sproingy as I had
expected. Played out, maybe?
Fetique - $15,000 Rose gold
mountings, NICE! Where'd I put that winning lotto ticket?
A. Lamy
- $25,000 Isn't that on the high side?
W.E. Hill - $15,500 I've
never seen such as expensive Hill bow. Looks just like my
Morizot.
And the one that really shocked me,
Nicholas
Kittel - $75,000
Geez. Is Kittel a really well-known maker? I
hadn't heard of him and was surprised given I thought I knew a lot
of the "names." What can any of you tell me about this maker? Is
$75,000 in the correct ballpark? I've never seen or played such an
expensive bow, except for a Piccatte at the Congress, but I think
even that was "only" ~$50,000.
Comments?
Laura
Edited by: Laura
Wichers at: 7/12/01 12:12:22 pm
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karenlee
Registered
User
Posts: 51
(7/12/01 12:15:46
pm)
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what is
Encore?
What were those fancy bows like? find any magic bows?
(Kittel I
know from nothing.)
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sarah
schenkman
Registered
User
Posts: 426
(7/12/01 12:20:34
pm)
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Re: $$Bows &
cellos$$ at Encore
Hi Laura - some of those prices do seem really high. My Lamy is
only insured for $10,000. It might be somewhat under-insured, but
$25,000 sounds like a bit much.
French cellos - I play on a
Simoutre (1865) which I love.
Edited by: sarah
schenkman at: 7/12/01 12:23:10 pm
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Christopher
Chan
Registered
User
Posts: 140
(7/12/01 1:12:16
pm)
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Kittel
The Kittel price is about right. The only non-French maker whose
work is comparable to the finest examples of French bow making is
Kittel, of Russian-German heritage. His bows are very rare, there
are many fakes, and there are only a couple of experts in the world
today who are capable of positive authentication of a Kittel bow.
|
G
M Stucka
Registered
User
Posts: 622
(7/12/01 1:39:19
pm)
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Re:
Kittel
I own an authenticated Kittel and it is a FABULOUS bow!!! I've
always referred to it as my "no excuses" bow because, since it
handles so well, I 'should' be able to do ANYTHING with it. I love
it perhaps more than my Tourte.
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Laura
Wichers
Moderator
Posts: 1063
(7/12/01 8:32:40 pm)
Reply
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Re: Encore &
magic bows
Encore is a summer school for strings (no bass, though) run by the
Cleveland Institute. It is basically 6 weeks of extremely intense
solo and chamber work. I love it!! For more info, you can check out
their website at: www.cim.edu/encore/default.html
I
did find a "magic" bow, and have it on approval. It's a Victor
Fetique and I think I'm going to have to duct-tape it to my hand so
I can't give it back to the dealer next week. It practically plays
itself. If I bought it, it would be (as Gary put it) my "no excuses"
bow. Practicing Sevcik bowing exercises is a complete blast as it
takes very little effort on my part to make the bow do its
thing.
The only thing I don't like about Encore is that they
only serve breakfast from 7-7:45AM. I can't get up that early when
I'm practicing until 11PM! Plus, they don't have real bagels, just
fake-o bake-o Lenders. But everything music is
great!
Laura
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justinkagan1
Registered
User
Posts: 409
(7/13/01 8:17:31
am)
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Re: $$Bows &
cellos$$ at Encore
Welcome to the world of the inexplicable prices...sticker shock
prevails in bows as well as instruments, which shouldn't really
surprise anyone in this biz. And you thought Encore was fun...try
working in a bowmakers' shop! Neddless to say in my few short weeks
with Michael Yeats I've seen an amazing assortment already, most
recently a Tourte which a client was considering buying (authentic,
has to be in the $125K range, although a private
transaction...auctions can be more, especially if the pedigree has
papers from a pretigious source)...it was great playing, beautiful
condition...one can see why they're so highly prized. also a
Dominique Peccatte last week, which was promptly sent out to a
client in Chicago for inspection....also a great playing bow. The
wood in these 125-150 year old babies is the real difference....just
can't get pernambuco like that any more....the quality of pernambuco
coming out of legit sources is sad in comparison, and bowmakers now
have slim pickins'.
Sartory bows has soared since the run-up in
the 70's and 80-'s...mostly owing to Asian inflation. Believe it or
not, many Japanese collectors were very taken with the name (close
kin to Suntory) and it's Rising Sun-sound....there are of course
other reasons for their popularity as well, like playability...but
also a ton of fakes out there, so caveat emptor. As for Kittel,
lucky Gary...Kittel cello bows (and in general all Kittels)are a
real rarity, and many were as great as Tourtes ("The Russian Tourte"
was the appellation given Kittel in the early part of this past
century). My dad is fortunate to have acquired the famousissimo
Heifetz Kittel (the stick has been broken by Heifetz) and it is
truly a wonder, arguably the most perfect graduation ever seen
post-Tourte...he has made some copies using those proportions, with
some very old pernambuco, which turned out fabulously well.
But
certainly expect all bows from the Vuillaume shop-makers to be dear
these days,,,,saw a Nicholas Maire viola recently which was going
for about 50K. The LAmy prices sound about right, given good
condition. Fetique as well....
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sarah
schenkman
Registered
User
Posts: 429
(7/13/01 11:25:38
am)
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Justin?
Are you saying $25,000 for the Lamy was not too high?
|
G
M Stucka
Registered
User
Posts: 623
(7/13/01 12:10:53
pm)
Reply
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Re: $$Bows &
cellos$$ at Encore
FWIW, $125K for a Tourte sounds low (at least according to B+F
prices/appraisals.)
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justinkagan1
Registered
User
Posts: 410
(7/13/01 10:15:19
pm)
Reply
|
Tourtes...and to
Sarita
Private sale figures, but then again I'm only guesstimating. The
bow seems to be authentic, though there was some work done on it,
which might provide some bargaining leeway...but agreed, in super
mint god knows what Tourtes are bringing these days. Plenty of
$25-30K Sartory prices. As for Sarah's Lamy, one would have to see
it, but you're way under-insured. Be not surprised at $25K. We had a
Maire viola bow in excellent condition going for 45-50K. Sick stuff,
but hey, this wood is history....even those bowmakers lucky enough
to have acquired stashes or the occasional odd lot here and there)of
old wood (not much available from turn of the 20th century anymore)
are getting muchissimo $$$ for contemporary bows made of "the good
stuff". Michael was rueing the fact that his last shipment of
pernambuco, from which maybe 10% was really good, might have indeed
been the LAST for a great while, read possibly ever. The Brazilian
trade ministers probably don't know what the overharvesting of the
forests has done to the trade....it's such a small portion of their
export crop. Pity!!!!!
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sarah
schenkman
Registered
User
Posts: 433
(7/14/01 11:12:46
am)
Reply
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Re:
Tourtes...and to Sarita
Justin - thanks for the info. It's hard in this part of the country
to get good work done on instruments and to get decent appraisals.
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