Old and Second Hand Violin Bows - page 1


FULL SIZE VIOLIN BOWS £100 and over     


  1. bow Round stick of a brown colour, unstamped, plain ebony frog mounted in silver and mother-of-pearl, silver covered adjuster, silver wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. The bow is in the 'Lupot' style, but I think that it is of German origin, and probably early to mid 20th century. The lapping and tip face have recently been replaced. Medium stiffness and nicely balanced. Weighs 62g. I found it comfortable to play with (within my limitations), and it draws a good sound on my test instrument.
    Ref. B090. Price £600.00







  2. bow Round stick of a brown colour faintly stamped 'PAUL MANGENOT', nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster with three nickel rings, silver wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. Paul Mangenot was not a bowmaker and the bow could be by any one of the trade makers. I also suspect that the stick, adjuster and frog came originally from different bows, but probably all French and early to mid-20th century. The lapping and tip face have recently been replaced, and the bow has been straightened. Medium stiffness and a fairly average balance. Weighs 61.2g. Plays ok though I find it a little bouncy in fast passage work.
    Ref. B035. Price £325.00



  3. bow Octagonal pernambuco stick of a light brown colour, probably German and mid-20th century, unstamped. Silver mounted ebony frog and adjuster, silver wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. Weighs approx 65.7 grams. Medium to stiff. Reasonable condition. The tip face has been replaced and the adjuster is a modern replacement. Although the bow is heavy it doesn't feel it as it is well-balanced, plays well and has no untoward edginess to the sound.
    Ref. B064. Price £260.00





  4. bow Round pernambuco stick of a reddish-brown colour, stamped 'Lothar Seifert', and also 'Germany' under the stick. Nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster, plated wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. Weighs approx 60.0 grams. Medium to stiff. Good condition. The bow plays pretty well at all speeds, without being outstanding at anything. My playing isn't good enough to judge the bow in advanced techniques. This is a decent modern intermediate to advanced student bow from the Seifert workshop.
    Ref. B075. Price £240.00







  5. bow Octagonal pernambuco stick of a light brown colour, unstamped. Silver mounted ebony frog and adjuster, tinsel lapping and leather thumbpiece. Weighs approx 54 grams. Medium stiffness. Good condition. The bow plays pretty well at all speeds, and feels comfortable. An unremarkable but very useable bow from a German workshop, and probably mid-20th century.
    Ref. B086. Price £225.00







  6. bow Round pernambuco stick of a light brown colour, stamped Germany underneath and R. Geipel on the frog. Nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster, imitation whalebone lapping and leather thumbpiece. Weighs approx 60.6 grams. Medium to stiff. Good condition. A relatively modern German bow, a little heavy looking but very useable.
    Ref. B062. Price £185.00



  7. bow Octagonal pernambuco stick of a mid brown colour, unstamped. Nickel mounted mother-of-pearl and ebony frog, nickel mounted adjuster, plated wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. Weighs approx 60.2 grams. Medium stiffness. Reasonable condition. This bow is a 'marriage' of early 20th century German made stick (which was missing the frog) and an unusual frog of similar age taken from a broken stick. The bow seems to play well, though the sound might be slightly edgy on some instruments. The price reflects the provenance.
    Ref. B092. Price £175.00







  8. bow Round pernambuco stick of a light brown colour, unstamped. Nickel mounted ebony frog, brass and pernambuco adjuster (clearly a replacement), black imitation whalebone lapping and leather thumbpiece. Weighs approx 55.8 grams. Medium stiffness. Reasonable condition. A relatively modern German bow, probably mid-20th century, very useable but nothing fancy.
    Ref. B089. Price £175.00







  9. bow Round brazilwood stick, stamped LUPOT, nickel mounted ebony frog and nickel adjuster, plated wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. French, probably JTL factory, mid 20th century. Weighs 59.8 grams. Medium stiffness. Reasonable condition, the lapping and tip plate have been replaced. Typical French factory bow, well balanced and plays reasonably well, with a clear sound.
    Ref. B084. Price £160.00







  10. Mid brown round pernambuco stick, unstamped, nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster, imitation whalebone lapping and leather thumbpiece. German, probably early 20th century. Weighs 62.3 grams. Medium stiffness. This is one of the roughest sticks that I have seen - uneven, straightened multiple times and still having flat spots that I can't shift. Despite this, the bow plays reasonably well and feels comfortably balanced. With the new CITES restrictions, we can't afford to waste pernambuco bows, but the price reflects the condition.
    Ref. B091. Price £140.00


  11. Red-brown octagonal pernambuco stick, unstamped, nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster, plated wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. German, probably early 20th century. Weighs 58.6 grams. Medium to soft. Good condition, but has been straightened and the lapping replaced. A good looking bow, well balanced, very agile, but a bit on the light and soft side - certainly too soft for my playing style. Sweet sound on most violins.
    Ref. B078. Price £140.00


  12. Red-brown octagonal pernambuco stick, stamped TOURTE, nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster, plated wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. German, probably early 20th century. Weighs 57.1 grams. Medium to stiff. Fair condition, with minor repairs to the nose and frog, tip plate and lapping replaced. A good looking bow, well balanced, very agile, but a bit on the light side.
    Ref. B085. Price £140.00


  13. Octagonal red varnished pernambuco stick, stamped DODD and Made In Germany, nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster, plated wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. Probably early 20th century, and, not surprisingly, German. Weighs 56.7 grams. Medium stiffness. Reasonable condition, lapping replaced. Nicely balanced and comfortable, possibly a little too bouncy.
    Ref. B056. Price £100.00


  14. Round red-brown pernambuco stick, unstamped, nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster, imitation whalebone lapping and leather thumbpiece. Probably early 20th century, maybe French. Weighs 54.2 grams. Medium to soft. Reasonable condition, tip plate and lapping replaced. Nicely balanced and comfortable, fairly steady when bowing slowly, but rather light for some styles.
    Ref. B088. Price £100.00


  15. Slim round red-brown pernambuco stick, unstamped, nickel mounted ebony frog and adjuster, plated wire lapping and leather thumbpiece. Probably early 20th century, possibly French factory. Weighs 58.8 grams. Medium to stiff. Reasonable condition, lapping replaced. Nicely balanced and comfortable, seems steady when bowing slowly and stiff enough if you need to dig in.
    Ref. B087. Price £100.00




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This page last updated February 2026