Bubenreuth, Germany Sterling Silver Mounted Viola Bow circa 1980

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A German viola bow with great bones. Sterling silver mounted, balanced well, pernambuco, and octagonal section. I had this stick in my collection of bows to work on since the late 1980’s. I grew up in the New York City/New Jersey area and acquired hundreds of instruments and even more than that number in bows. This stick has been hanging in my home workshop for many decades. I don’t know why. I just missed it in the collection of bows that I have. The stick is firm in its makeup, nice deep red/brown color with a fully lined Parisian eye frog, beautiful striped mother-of-pearl slide with matching pearl eyes, and finishes with a three-piece button.

The tip has a white bone facial, and the winding is still original with the original leather thumb grip. This will be an excellent stick for the young violist looking to get a more powerful, rounder sound or presence off their viola. I call pernambuco bows in our showrooms the real oil paintings, not prints like a carbon fiber bow. Bows that are carbon fiber we liken to nice prints.

This bow is pushing 45-46 years old and was made in the town that became famous after World War II, the town of Bubenreuth, Germany. The town became a magnet, a haven, for instrument making and bow making families after World War II. They were welcomed with open arms, and the mayor of the town went out seeking artisan families he found in refugee camps after the war to come and relocate there. In its heyday, just a decade after the war, there were over 80 families that came. Wow! There should have been a fantastic movie made about this story and the town, starting with the Roth family. The town of Bubenreuth was considered West Germany before the reunification of the two countries in 1990. Ronald Reagan, our 40th president, in June of 1987 went to Germany and demanded that the wall be torn down.

This bow will help present a great sound from a viola. It is practically new old stock. The head is cut in older German style with a slightly larger flange to the back of the head. The chamfer work is steady, clean knife work and it is great to see an octagonal section viola bow. This section cut also helps give the stick strength. The characteristics: sterling silver, pernambuco, octagonal, and Parisian eye frog. Very good bow for a great price.

Weight fully haired 70.8 grams