Buy a Wood Bow or Carbon Fiber Bow?
Buy a wood bow or carbon fiber bow, I believe most players(especially beginners) have been troubled by it before.
If you searched online, its answers are quite different, wood bow or carbon fiber bow, which one it’s better? Let’s view it from below FIVE points.
1. Material
Carbon fiber bows consist of synthetic materials, of course, carbon is the main one, J&Y.R carbon fiber bows its carbon percentage is 45% (different manufacturers its percentage were different).
As we know, carbon is the most stable material(in chemistry) and its natural character determines that won’t be affected by air humidity and temperature, this is why a wood bow is not as stable as a carbon fiber bow.
The Wood bow consists of 100% wood with natural texture, easily affected by humidity and temperature, but this is not unsolvable, when our J&Y.R luthiers install the bow hair, they will take care of the humidity and adjust the hair length, to avoid the bow's stick become deformation or hair too tight or loose while using.
2. Elasticity/Stiffness
The wood was grown with a natural texture and growth ring, giving it unique elasticity/stiffness. The highest elasticity/stiffness of Pernambuco wood could reach 5.9-6.0, J&Y.R stored the aged more than 50 years Pernambuco high elasticity sticks, top one elasticity could reach 6.0, giving it fabulous tone and bouncy.
while the carbon highest one could reach 5.5 (maybe with technological development, carbon bow its elasticity could match with the good Pernambuco in the future, but until now, still couldn’t do it). If you need a higher elasticity bow to help improve skills or need a more bouncy bow while playing the difficult music, a wood bow it’s better than a carbon fiber bow.
3. Weight
Carbon bow is more lightweight than wood bow. Because, a carbon fiber bow not only could be controlled by standard models but its mass(in physics) is light, compared with a wood bow, its weight could be controlled within a lighter range.
Every wood bow's stick weight is different and fixed, one needs to adjust its accessories, like frog, button, winding, wrap etc. weight to control.
But a bow is light or heavy when you hold it, it mostly depends on its balance point, like the violin bow, standard balance point distance of 26-28cm. Pls, check our video about how to measure the balance point. https://fb.watch/pm6PJ3oQZL/
Even same weight two violin bows, If the balance point is less than 26cm, you will feel it's lighter than its real weight, but if the balance point is more than 28cm, will feel heavier than it is, all of J&Y.R bow’s balance point was tested by our professional luthiers hand by hand within the standard distance.
4. Repair cost
Every bow may encounter repair service more or less, wood bow or carbon fiber bow, which one is more costly?
Actually, If you play it more frequently, the most costly is the bow hair replacement, no matter whether wood or carbon fiber, all of J&Y.R bow will send one more set of bow hair(length 755mm) with the order, which will help save cost when you do the hair replacement.
But a wood bow compared with a carbon bow has the risk of breaking, if that happened, repair would be more costly, but it doesn't mean, broken will happen 100%, we have focused on this field since 1991, and the bow’s stick broken we met less 1%. Not only bow, everything has a risk of encountering unexpected things, if we are just worried about that haven't happened things and ignore the good things we could have now, will miss out on a lot of happiness, isn't it? Every J&Y.R bow we provide lifetime repair service, we are always here to help if there is any repair you need.
5. Tone
Modern carbon fiber bow, its tones are quite good like the wood bow, rich, soft, powerful. For beginners, and intermediate players, carbon and wood bow, both of them are great, you can try all of them to choose, which one your hands like, let your hands choose the bow.
But if more advanced bows, wood bow natural elasticity will be outstanding than carbon, it’s like that when we need to grow up at a higher level, talent plays a key role than technology. this belongs wood bow of natural quality.
Buy a wood bow or carbon fiber bow, it shouldn’t be a choice, it should be a solution, you can have both, while you are playing in the situation, like outdoors, travelling around different places. Carbon bow gives you a guarantee as a practice bow, and at this time, gives a few minutes to let the wood bow adapt to local humidity and temperature, it will give you a perfect tone. wood or carbon bow, both of them have their pros and cons, buy the one you like and it suits you, buy the most expensive one but within your budget, it won’t be wrong.