Cheap Cello Bow

Most cello enthusiasts would agree that finding a cheap cello bow is not as simple as it may seem, without sacrificing quality somewhere along the way. This prompted me to find out if there were any websites out there that offered cheap cello bows for sale that were also of decent quality. For the most part, the highest quality cello bows are made of brazilwood or pernambuco, while the less expensive counterparts are usually made from a composite of fiberglass or carbon-fibre. Also, in the more expensive cello bows, you’ll see that horsehair (with Mongolian horsehair being one of the most popular types) is used for the bow hair, while the less pricey versions use synthetic hair. Given these factors, the first thing that anyone seeking a cello bow will need to determine is what type of cello bow they’re looking to purchase. The most common types of cello bows are of the 1/2, 3/4, and 4/4 variety, and you can expect to pay from the least up to the most expensive prices, respectively, for these different types of bows. The frog (no, don’t think of Kermit) of the average cello bow is usually made of ebony, and the average length of your typical cello bow is 73 centimeters. The importance of using a quality cello bow cannot be understated when you’re attempting to achieve a solid, rich quality of sound from your instrument. Some have even said that the cello bow is half of your sound—I believe it’s safe to say that as well.

So as far as where to find a cheap cello bow, you have to determine what type of quality of bow you’re willing to work with in order to really ascertain a price range. The price of your cello bow will largely depend on the type of materials the bow will be made of. For the less expensive cello bows, you will more than likely be working with a carbon-fibre or fiberglass composite, and the bow hair will more than likely be a synthetic type of hair instead of authentic horsehair. As far as actual websites to check out for good deals on cello bows, I would first of all suggest some of the larger sites like Amazon.com or eBay.com. Normally you’ll find sellers on there that are in desperate need of cash, and although they really don’t want to give up their musical equipment at cheap prices, they’re more in need of immediate cash than they are in the instrument. In cases like these, you can capitalize on low starting bids (in reference to eBay, of course) and low selling prices in general (in reference to Amazon). Another website worth looking into is WWBW.com (that’s Woodwind & Brasswind). The only thing about this site that is a potential negative is that you sometimes have to do some “digging” to find a good price without sacrificing too much quality. Again, your buying choices will primarily be influenced by what type of budget you’re working with, but for a small example, I did see a fiberglass cello bow on WWBW for only $66.00 (at the time of this writing)—not a bad price at all. I do believe that in general WWBW does not sell junk—they really seem to care about the products they offer, which is one of the main reasons why I feel fully comfortable mentioning them in this hub. You can also sometimes score good deals by looking on Craigslist, and actually, going the Craigslist route, you may sometimes land some decent musical instrument equipment for free. Honestly, it was difficult finding many sites that really offer a cheap cello bow, but for the most part, I believe that this hub can at least be a decent starting point for you.