August Prell Violin Bow Workshop Bow Germany circa 1910-1930

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Stamped:

We have a very nice pernambuco workshop violin bow stamped August Prell. The stick and frog are in the style of a Tubbs bow. This bow was made in Markneukirchen and delivered as an unstamped bow to dealers such as G.A. Pfretzschner to create more inventory to sell in the firm. These types of bows came unstamped to a violin shop from select individual makers in the Markneukirchen area. They in turn stamped the bows with a variety of names to be sold in their firms. August Prell was a name placed on the bow to market the stick back in the 1920’s.

Our bow is pernambuco, round in section, with a new nickel silver winding to help with the balance and weight of the bow. The winding is finished off with a black goat leather thumb grip. The tip and frog are original to the stick. We replaced the winding and leathers. The frog has single 4 mm. mother-of-pearl small eyes, and the pearl slide is atypically short for the frog as the ferrule and the bottom heel plate are slightly longer than usual. The heel plate is one–piece, there is not a butt joint or miter joint. This is old school frog work and very nice to see. The endscrew is solid and helps with the overall balance of the bow. The wood is old with a gorgeous orange/brown color, slightly darker at the frog end from years of playing. The bow has no issues and is in great condition. This is a century old plus bow that I wish I knew the exact maker. The maker should get the credit and the bow would see a higher price.

A player looking for a higher priced bow should not pass over this stick. When I first put the hair to strings on a violin, I was a bit impressed. This bow is better than nice. This quality of a bow for the price is what I like to call a sleeper. In many cases this type of bow was just not branded, left blank. That was the sign of the times. In any case this bow is branded and stamped Germany on the butt of the stick behind the frog. It is a bow that has all the good stuff and will make a big difference in your performance and sound.

Weight fully haired 60.1 grams