William Lewis & Son Full Size Cello Bow circa 1955 – To Go Out on Trial April 10, 2024 –

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Stamped:
WM LEWIS & SON

William Lewis (1835-1902) was a bow maker from Germany and in 1874 founded one of the largest violin houses in the United States. Originally, the business name was Lewis, Newell, and Gibbs, his partners when he first opened. Later the music store was renamed the Chicago Music Company. The name finally changed to William Lewis & Son when Frederick Lewis joined the firm. WM Lewis bows were made in the Markneukirchen area of Germany and imported to America branded “WM. LEWIS & SON.” The full size pernambuco cello bow has the traditional brand and is in round section with nickel silver fittings. The wood is choice, great orange/light brown color, and the stick is noticeably firm. This is a terrific trade pernambuco cello bow. A violin house brand bow that has raised my view of Lewis bows. The fully lined frog is Parisian eye and has a high-quality piece of African ebony. The pearls have some nice color and the bow is finished off with a three-piece endscrew. I’m surprised how the bow created a good sound even on some higher priced $4,000 cellos. Players, take a look at this stick; it handles well and is slightly lighter than the standard 80.0 gram weight. This is a fantastic bow for the price.

Weight fully haired 79.0 grams.