| Author |
Subject |
jekerry
Registered User
(8/18/00 12:25:53 pm)
Reply |
coda
bows
Does anyone know what the
differences between the coda bows are besides price? Is it just the
fittings? Would that really matter on how they handle? The price is
so different -- is the higher priced bow worth more when it comes to
usability?
Thanks,
Jane
P.S. Dreaming of a new
bow now I've got my cello.
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Tracie
Price 
Registered User
(8/18/00 2:32:12 pm)
Reply |
Re:
coda bows
They really are different. I use my
Coda Classic almost all the time now and rarely find something that
is uncomfortable to play with it. Sometimes for light Mozart or
Haydn I'll use my Nurnberger, but otherwise I've found the Coda
works well. The Conservatory is just less refined I believe, I
haven't tried them in depth, and they are great for students, but if
you want something that will be a great all-around bow you'll be
able to grow with, I'd recommend going with the Classic. I wish I
could offer some specific differences for you! But it IS more than
cosmetic.
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matthias24
Registered
User
(8/19/00 4:11:40 pm)
Reply |
Re:
coda bows
I've only played on a CODA Classic,
and wasn't impressed at all, though I'm sure it wasn't the bow's
fault. It had just been re-haired, and obviously the re-hairer did
an awful job becuase the hairs were falling out as I played! Not
breaking, but actually falling out of the bow!! The workers at the
shop were getting pretty ticked at their re-hairer. I wish that I
had the oppurtunity to play on a CODA with a good hair job. Then I
could make an accurate opinion. 
~ aaron ~
Edited by matthias24
at: 8/19/00 4:11:40 pm
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Kent
McDonald 
Registered User
(8/20/00 12:28:51 am)
Reply |
For
Tracie: Arcus Bow?
I am trying and arcus that Ellen
Gunst sent me because of the rave reviews from some contributors to
this board. I have only played it for a day, but it is very light
and has a center of gravity closer to the frog than my other bows,
making it a little difficult to get used to, especially playing at
the tip. The sound is lighter as well, I don't believe I will ever
be able to get the power from it that I get from the J Paulus I've
played with for 15 years or the Fink Bow Woody sold me.
Interestingly, the shape of the hexagonal shaft is almost identical
to the Fink Bow. From their literature, I assume it is a copy of the
Tourte. Have you compared the arcus to the coda?
|
Tracie
Price
Registered User
(8/20/00 12:50:50 am)
Reply |
Hi
Kent!
Hello
Is your email address
still the same?
Anyway, to answer your question, we had an
Arcus at Cello Week, and Eileen (do you remember her? I dragged her
from Denver last year to help out) liked it so much she wouldn't let
it out of her sight! I think it totally depends on what you like
though. My Coda I bought mainly because I could afford it and I was
getting frightened that my bow would break again, so I got it to
beat to death and not have to worry. It turns out that I really have
come to like it for most things. It doesn't have the same finesse,
of course, but with the exception of some really light music, I use
it for everything. I think the Bergs are definitely better, but they
are a bit overpowering for me at times. I was impressed with the
Arcus Eileen ended up buying mainly because it was very much like my
Nurnberger, (I think I keep spelling that wrong) but with a lot more
strength. Eileen bought it because it was a perfect compliment to
her other bow, which is a Berg- but plays quite differently than
Ryan's. I liked it a lot, but after playing with it for a while, my
hand or wrist or something hurt, and I don't know what I was doing
incorrectly to cause that. It drew a very nice sound and was easy to
handle- but definitely would take some adjustment if you are used to
heavier bows, or one with a dramatically different balance. I can't
remember how your bows play, if they are heavier, you might like it
for the sake of contrast. Let me know what you think after trying it
for a while! If you are having difficulty at the tip, maybe you can
pronate your hand a bit and lean into the first finger a little more
to add some weight to compensate.
So to sum up, for me
personally, the Coda was a better choice- but mainly because I
already have a bow that handles like the Arcus and needed a
workhorse. I think I would choose an Arcus over a Berg though, but
again, that's just me. It's all so personal!!
|
Bobbie
Registered
User
(8/20/00 9:22:51 am)
Reply |
Re:
coda bows
When I first tried the Coda bows I
liked the Conservatory better in terms of handling and balance, but
the Classic pulled a better sound. So I called them and asked if
they could give me a Classic that felt like a Conservatory, and the
answer I got was that they are fundamentally different designs. I
tried the Arcus, too, and had the same experience. I loved how it
handled and didn't like the sound anywhere near as much as the
Classic (which by that time I already owned.)
So I would
suggest trying both (or all three) and having some objective
listener tell you which sounds the best. What I did when I decided
the Classic sounded so much better was somewhat of a compromise- I
asked for a lighter Classic, and got one a couple of grams lighter
than the first one I tried. It is a little easier for me to play
with and still pulls a good sound. And the other consideration is
cost- the Conservatory is so much less expensive that you really
shouldn't be comparing it to the Classic, exactly, but to other bows
in its price range, and I think it excels there.
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jekerry
Registered User
(8/20/00 10:54:09 am)
Reply |
Type of
Arcus
Which of the different levels of
Arcus do you use? Is there a big difference between them? The
website says "They supply the same quality of sound and comfort of
play as the Concerto bows." It would seem to be silly to buy a bow
that was so much more when it played the same as one that cost $500
less.
I guess I'm going to have to get some of them and start
trying them out. Maybe this fall . . .
Thanks for all the
information from everyone. I guess it comes down to the exact same
thing as when buying a cello -- you have to try them out and really
shop. Oh, yeah, and have tons of money.
Jane
|
CharlesAndreStGeorge
Registered User
(8/20/00 1:48:31 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Type of Arcus
Hello. Thought I would try to answer
your question about the Arcus line of bows concerning quality vs
model and price. My company (Rossville B&B, here in Kansas)
recently became the newest dealer for Arcus bows. These bows are all
graded for quality and serialized. Those not meeting basic quality
control requirements are discarded. The others are classified with
standard quality going to the Sonata line, higher quality to the
Concerto and a few highest quality to the Concerto Special Edition
(S.E.). Finer accessories accompany the higher cost bows. To answer
your question in brief, while all Arcus bows will sound and play
like members of the same family with similar sonic characteristics--
the higher cost bows not only look finer but SHOULD have noticeable
sonic quality improvements. Thus, it may be possible to find a
Sonata that sounds precisely as fine as a Concerto SE, but this is
not to be commonly expected.
Andrew Victor's excellent review of
bows (posted earlier on this board) tells of comparing a Sonata with
a Concerto. He found the Concerto a superior bow in sound quality
with the Sonata fitting in well with other bows in its price
range.
Arcus is now on european summer holiday. We are very
pleased to have just acquired the last Violin Concerto S.E. and last
Cello Concerto S.E. available from Arcus stock until production
resumes. It is hoped this post helps clarify the quality issue of
Arcus bows while not making the lesser priced models appear
undesireable, only of lesser value than the Concerto and Concerto
S.E. Still, the Sonatas are a very fine bow for the money as they
incorporate all of the basic design innovations of this line of bows
which attempt to actually improve upon the Tourte design in many
respects which is something more than to translate the Tourte
pernambuco design as near as possible to a carbon fiber model.
Carefully read the Arcus website at www.arcus-bow.de
|
Tracie
Price
Registered User
(8/20/00 5:34:52 pm)
Reply |
Re:
Type of Arcus
I believe the Arcus we had to try,
that my friend Eileen purchased, was a Sonata. Ellen would know for
sure, since it was from her!
|
lblake
Registered
User
(8/24/00 11:34:19 pm)
Reply |
Re: For
Tracie: Arcus Bow?
An important thing I've found to
have "right" when you play with an Arcus (and, Andrew Victor
mentions this in his posts, too - but still I thought it worth
mentioning here because the difference can be so dramatic) is the
hair tension. There seems to be a tension that is "just right" and
it seems to be pretty exact, and (at least on mine) it is much more
loose than I'd have expected. Yes, I had to get used to it and make
some adjustments, but I found it to be worth it.
|
Bobbie
Registered
User
(8/25/00 9:59:14 am)
Reply |
Re:
Type of Arcus
Since Ellen hasn't answered yet, I
will: it was a Concerto Bow, not a Sonata bow.
|
Kent
McDonald
Registered User
(8/26/00 10:12:54 pm)
Reply |
Update
on Arcus assesment
There is certainly something
different about the sound from the remarkably lightweight Arcus
(Sonata SE) I have been trying. It is definitely lighter and perhaps
a little more precise and "pure" sound, not as much interference
from overtones. My daughter noticed more "ringing" with the arcus.
The people in my string quartet liked the precision of the arcus and
thought it might be useful for some music, but definitely preferred
the sound of the wood bow which has two more levels of overtone than
the arcus. It is a tough decision - I think it might be nice to have
both bows but I suspect I would use the arcus only rarely because I
love the volume and fullness of the pernambuco bow.
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