A violin bow can make a big difference in your sound quality and ease of bowing.
The price you should be looking for when buying a violin bow depends on your level of playing and your demands.
This article is meant as a guide to what you can expect at what price point. You might want to read my other article about what to look for when buying a violin bow first. That goes more into what difference a bow makes and about the characteristics to look for when choosing a bow.
I would only recommend looking in this price range if you're a beginner and if you REALLY can't spend more.
Thanks to carbon fiber it's possible to get a decent violin bow below a hundred bucks. Read here my in depth article about carbon fiber vs wooden violin bows.
I wouldn't recommend getting a wooden bow below $ 100, because you simply can't buy the wood quality for a decent bow at that price.
If you're looking for a very cheap bow, the $ 29 Yinfante is the one in a million bow for you. However, prepare for some uncontrolled actions and work arounds.
To upgrade the bow that came with a factory violin, the Fiddlerman carbon fiber bows are the way to go! You can do anything with it and it won't hold a beginner violinist back in his/her progress. In my experience these two offer the best bang for your buck in this price range.
My personal favorite in this price range is the Fiddlerman carbon fiber weave violin bow, just below $ 100 with a slightly higer percentage of carbon than the 'normal' Fiddlerman carbon bow.
Expect a student quality bow with which everything is possible, but there won't be much magic moments and you have to do everything yourself. This can be a great school!
In wooden bows you can get a basic pernambuco bow for around this price, for example made in Brazil. As wooden bows differ very much, also if they are from the same maker, I recommend trying them out in a violin shop. Here's how to try out bows.
Generally in this price range you get a better quality bow for you money choosing for carbon fiber.
In carbon bows there's enough to choose from in this price range. The CodaBow Diamond NX is a very nice option for a decent student bow and it's below $ 400. If you want the traditional look of a wooden bow, but the advantages of carbon, go for a JonPaul.
My personal favorite in this price range is the Müsing C2. It's easy to handle, makes a great sound and is light and stiff.
In wooden bows in this price range there are very bad samples that hardly make a good student bow, but if you're lucky you can get a professional performance bow for this price. Just take the time to visit several violin shops and try out a lot of bows. You might find a gem there.
I don't link to wooden bows here, as I don't think it's responsible to buy a pernambuco bow of around a thousand dollars online. They differ very much in quality and you'll really have to go to the shop and try them out for yourself. There's no point in recommending makers, brands or types here. Here's how to try out bows.
In carbon fiber bows for this price you can get a performance bow that does more for you and makes the more advanced, subtle and fast bowing techniques a lot easier. You can expect a better resonance, which means a larger and brighter tone from your violin without noise.
Look into a JonPaul Carrera if you want a wooden bow look and feel or a CodaBow Diamond GX, which is a very popular all round performance bow.
My personal favorite in this price range is the Müsing C4 or C5. These Germany made bows are stiff, light and offer a brilliant sound.
You can freak out on the very special Arcus bows and discover a bow that makes everything even easier and makes you feel like a soloist, like star… with amazing sound quality.
This is where we reach the limits of the 'article' format. I would like to tell and show you a lot more about violin bows!
With concert violinist Giedre I demonstrate and discuss the best, the worst, the cheapest, the most expensive, the most popular, the most obscure violin bows on the market. The result is an extensive guide to buying a violin bow.
Share in the comments below what kind of bow you have and why you picked it.
I personally play with a very light and stiff Arcus S9 violin bow that makes a great sound out of my old German violin and makes my bowing technique so much easier. It listens like no other.
