The Art of the Bow: How Double Bass Bows Are Made

For centuries, the bow was treated almost like an afterthought. It is something that simply came with the instrument, like a case or a tuning fork. That view, however, has changed dramatically. Today, most musicians and collectors understand that the bow can be just as important as the instrument itself, shaping tone, articulation, and expression in ways that no other accessory can.

A Brief History Worth Knowing

The shift began in the late 18th century, largely due to the work of François Xavier Tourte (1747–1835), widely regarded as the "Stradivari of the bow". As an article notes, Tourte standardized bow design in collaboration with the violinist G.B. Viotti around 1785–1790, lengthening the bow, refining the taper, and introducing the cambered (curved inward) stick that remains the standard today.

Even before that, bow making for the double bass was already a subject of debate. Around 1850, a maker named C. Montanari argued that a bow should weigh no more than 156 grams, claiming anything heavier or lighter would harm tone production. These discussions may seem overly technical, but they reveal something important: the craft has never stood still.

The Double Bass Bow Material

Pernambuco: The Traditional Standard

Pernambuco has long been the preferred timber for professional bow making across all instruments, including the double bass. It comes from the heartwood of the Pau Brasil tree (Caesalpinia echinata), native to South America. Dense, resilient, and naturally oily, pernambuco does not require varnishing and responds beautifully to the stress of playing. Its characteristic dark color is brought out through a chemical treatment process involving nitric acid, followed by exposure to ammonia fumes.

Today, Pernambuco is listed as an endangered species, and international treaties restrict its export from Brazil. As a result, even experienced bow makers may find it difficult or expensive to source supplies, and supplies cannot be guaranteed to remain available in the long term.

Brazilwood: The Accessible Alternative

Brazilwood comes from the same tree as Pernambuco, but from the outer sapwood rather than the dense heartwood. Loggers use the term 'brazilwood' for all timber from this tree. It is the archetiers who make the distinction. Brazilwood is denser and less prized than pernambuco, but it can still produce very good bows, particularly at the student and intermediate level.

Snakewood, Ironwood, and Other Choices

"The art lies in understanding the wood, and trying to make a beautiful object with a high functionality." — Max Kasper, Principal Bassist and bow maker, Halifax Symphony

Some makers, particularly those specializing in double bass bows, choose to work entirely outside the pernambuco tradition. Max Kasper, a self-taught bow maker and professional bassist who has made over 126 bows, uses snakewood and ironwood as his primary materials, sourcing both from Guyana in South America.

Carbon Fibre: The Modern Option

Carbon fibre bows have grown steadily in popularity, and for good reason. Extremely strong, lightweight, and consistent in their response to weather changes, carbon fibre bows can be a reliable choice. Traditional wooden bows can be significantly affected by humidity and temperature shifts. Carbon fibre is far more stable.

That said, many music teachers and students still report preferring wooden bows for the nuance of tone control they offer. Carbon fibre bows may perform extremely well technically, but whether they can fully replicate the acoustic response of a well-made wooden stick remains a matter of debate among players and makers alike.

The Making of the Stick

The bow begins as a piece of wood cut to the rough dimensions required. From there, everything is shaped by hand. This is one of the few remaining craft traditions that has resisted full mechanization: factory machinery cannot effectively manage the precise, graduating taper required toward the bow's tip, so the shaping must be done manually by a skilled maker.

Carving and Tapering

Using specially made planes, chisels, rasps, and fine files, the archetier shapes the stick into its hexagonal form during the rough-preparation stage. The bow head or the distinctive curved end at the top of the stick is also hand-carved using woodcarvers' knives and special files. Tapering requires close attention. The stick must narrow gradually and evenly from the frog end toward the tip, then narrow again in the final approach to the head.

Bending the Curve

Here is one of the most important and least understood aspects of bow making. The stick is not carved into its final curve. It is carved straight. The curve is added later, using dry heat. The maker applies a flame to the wood until it becomes pliable, then carefully bends it into the desired camber. According to Max Kasper, different curves produce slightly different playing properties, so this step requires both technical skill and artistic judgment.

Once the curve is set and the frog is roughly fitted, the bow receives its final shaping, including careful rounding of the stick for round-stick bows. The stick is then chemically treated and French polished with shellac to protect the wood and bring out its natural luster.

The Tip Facing

The bow's tip is reinforced with a headplate, also called a tip facing, made from two parts: a thin veneer of ebony and an outer surface of bone. Historically, ivory was used for the outer surface, but international restrictions now prohibit this. Mammoth bone is a common substitute. Silver, gold, shell, and various synthetic materials may also be used, depending on the bow's price point and the maker's preference.

Building the Frog

The frog, which is the block at the lower end of the bow where the player's hand rests, is the most intricate component of the entire bow. Making it well requires the archetier to function simultaneously as a wood carver, metal worker, and silversmith. The frog body is typically made from ebony, though other materials are sometimes used.

Each component is fitted to the frog, and the frog is fitted to the stick, with constant small adjustments made throughout. The process is demanding enough that even the most experienced makers must work slowly and attentively. There is no shortcut here, and no machine that can do this work reliably.

Fitting the Bow Hair

Horse hair is the traditional material for bow hair, and it remains the standard for professional bows. As an article points out, a violin bow typically uses between 150 and 200 individual hairs. Bows for lower-pitched instruments, including the double bass, use a wider ribbon with more hairs.

Importantly, the color of the hair may also matter. The white hair is generally considered to produce a smoother sound, while black hair, which is used mainly for double bass bows, is coarser and can produce a slightly rougher, grittier tone. Neither quality is definitively proven by science, but the belief is widely held among experienced players.

What Makes the Double Bass Bow Different?

Of all the bows in the string family, the double bass bow is the most distinct. Not just in size, but in the fundamental choices it presents to players.

According to research, the double bass is the only orchestral string instrument for which two fundamentally different bow designs are in regular use, which are the French bow and the German bow. Every other instrument in the string family (violin, viola, cello) uses one standard form.

Double bass bows do not conform to the same strict length conventions as violin, viola, and cello bows. While violin bows average around 745mm from tip to screw end, and cello bows around 715mm, double bass bows can be shorter or longer depending on the maker's design and the intended use.

Weight has similarly varied over time. Modern German bows tend to run heavier than French models, though within a given style, weight may vary considerably between individual makers.

Even the hair used for double bass bows may differ from what goes into violin or viola bows. Black horse hair is commonly used for double bass bows. This coarseness can produce a grittier attack and more friction against the heavier strings of the instrument, which could suit the physical demands of drawing sound from such a large, low-tension instrument.

Final Thoughts

The double bass bow is far more than a stick with hair. It is a hand-crafted tool built from centuries of accumulated knowledge, made from carefully selected natural materials, shaped by skilled hands at every stage, and designed to respond to the subtlest changes in a player's touch. 

Of course, no bow is going to feel the same for every player, and what works for me may not work for you. But if you have been searching for something that bridges tradition and modern performance demands, the iStrad French Bow may be worth trying. Check out this amazing bow in my shop! If you have been looking for a bow that performs in a concert hall the way a real solo bow should, this could be worth a look.