Pre WW II Sterling Violin Bow- Markneukirchen circa 1920-1930

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Pernambuco bows sound awesome and are in high demand here at our shop. Subtle differences in the wood are so important in a bow because they affect the playing qualities of a finished bow. Making a bow that will create the best sound from an instrument requires skill and craftsmanship at a very high level. Bow making is one of the few remaining artistic crafts that has not been replaced with machinery. Each piece of pernambuco has its own unique attributes, including strength, density, and tonal quality that the maker (artist) must take into account as they shape a bow. The wood must be able to bend in the presence of heat and then retain its shape when cool. Pernambuco‘s strength and flexibility result in excellent memory. Musicians are looking for a balance of stability, connection with the strings, and a responsiveness that allows the bow to feel like and extension of their arm. The bow must also articulate complex bowing passages with ease. Yes, the bow is so important. We have another fantastic German bow restored.

This bow was made in the Markneukirchen area and is simply amazing. This is another bow from my collection of sticks acquired with the help of my dad back in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. I was a young high school kid living just outside of New York City in New Jersey and totally into all thing’s violin, umpiring, and playing baseball. For many years my dad took me to estate sales, private sales, and auction houses in New York City and beyond. I’ve been steadily getting many of the bows we collected restored and ready to play again. I enjoy the detail of bow work very much and steadily working on about 500 more bows that need to be completed. I consider this bow to be a tremendous find – a sleeper with no know makers name but excellent workmanship, found in the Markneukirchen area by a handful of fine shops.

Our Markneukirchen bow has great bones: is of perfect tight grain pernambuco, round in section, and mounted in sterling silver. This bow is a WOW! And I can’t believe it has no maker’s name. I have meticulously gone over the bow, replacing the tip, cleaning up the stick, removing the old winding and replacing it with new, some frog work inside the mortise, and putting on a new thumb leather. I gave the bow a deep clean to bring out the golden orange/brown color in the wood that simply jumps off the bow! The wood stands out and at the frog the stick is slightly darker in color due to a player handling the bow for many years. Someone loved this bow, it has been played but is in very good condition, with a blind eye classic ebony frog. The lining has two small bronze screws to secure it to the frog, and the heel is secured with silver pin work. The mother-of-pearl slide has a blue/green hue. This older German bow is stunning and completed with a solid silver cap which has a couple of delicate turns in the collar. The bow plays very well, amazingly well! The stick is balanced, firm, and I can’t say enough good things about this stick.

Weight fully haired 59.1 grams