Feedback
Well... What can I say? I would have written sooner to tell you how wonderful the incredibow is... but I can't put it down long enough to get on the computer! It's brilliant! Simply amazing. I've already put in a few solid hours with it... and then when I stop for a cup of tea I can't help wondering how a different tune might now sound so I have to pick it up again. Having it permanently tensioned is great - always ready to go! It really is an amazing piece of engineering. As others have said before me, I was somewhat skeptical and hoped that it might be merely adequate (the attraction being its' apparent robustness)... but it's so much more! Indeed it's light, but that's not to say tactile response and feel has been lost or compromised. In fact, things like quick double stops on the fly seem so much easier with this bow. It feels like it knows what I want to do and does it before I make it a conscious decision. Crunchy Donegal triplets are a breeze as are quick crossovers. The "hair" is really something... It took only 40 seconds or so to rosin up (I didn't want to over rosin - as per the instructions) and I was ready to play. Sooo easy. The tone and voice that's now dancing from my fiddle is really exciting! It feels like the handbrake has been taken off and now it can really "sing" (I didn't realise the handbrake was even on!) The sound is still as nuanced before; slow airs are so full and somehow more "pure". Violin purists might disagree with the idea of "new technology" because they may relish in the use of real hair and real wood (and a bow that bends the right way)... but they might just be doing themselves a disservice by missing out on that which modern science has brought to the fore. Had the incredibow been around a few hundred years ago I think we'd all accept them as being "the standard". One VERY VERY happy customer! Can't wait to see what the other Sydney fiddlers think!
Kindest regards,
Chris
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A friend showed me her Incredibow and told me what it cost, and I figured it will probably be too light to get decent tone on my acoustic
but I like to look flashy at my electric gigs. So I ordered one with the silver moire pattern.
It does indeed work fine with the electric violin. However, I just tried playing an acoustic gig with the new bow, and I have to tell you that the light weight isn't a problem. My tone is noticeably improved with the Incredibow; it's brighter and clearer, with no loss of volume at all. I was really surprised, but I had several friends listen and compare the sound with the two bows, and everyone agreed that it's better with the new one. I have to admit that for all the years I've played the violin (somewhat over 50), I've never fully understood the physics of why bows work, but clearly something about the structure of those synthetic hairs is different from horsehair, and better.
So now I'm going to have to order another one, because now I want one in each violin case. Luckily for me, your very attractive price makes that
an entirely reasonable thing to do. So another order will be coming at you soon.
Keep up the good work!
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Jon
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Hi Heidi,
Well, time to let you know that my Incredibow is a keeper! All the comments about its performance are true. Crisp sound, softer expression, smoother string crossings, and a relaxed playing style is starting to develop! Thank you very much!
Jimmy
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Cello Geek: Review of Incredibow
This is an un-paid un-sponsored post about Incredibows. Anyone who has seen me play a show in the past 2 years knows that I shred my bows to bits. I would be down with this except that even inexpensive bows are 30 dollars and we are hardly home enough to get bow re-hairs for my 600 destroyed cello bows….
I’m going to review this bow on a star system, because why not? Everybody likes the star system.
DURABILITY
5/5 Stars
I go through hair on cello bows that way guitarists go through picks. Which is super punk rock, but not great for my already pathetic bank account. I have officially played over a month's worth of shows (40 or so) since buying this bow. I've driven across all different temperature ranges-Washington State through Montana, up through Canada and down through the Dakotas and Minnesota back to humid Ohio. I have not broken a single bow hair, and am playing harder than I ever have.
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PLAYABILITY
5/5 Stars
The bow, even the regular model that I have, is incredibly light weight. This, in combination with how durable the bow hairs are, makes the bow feel like an extension of your arm. The bow is highly responsive, and is making me play with more stylistic variation. I have been able to use a wider range of dynamics-and the volume boost pedal that I was thinking of getting to enhance choruses and louder parts of songs is no longer something I feel like I need to purchase.
The light weight nature of the bow also makes it very easy to go back and forth between pizzicato (plucked) parts of songs, and bowed parts. It’s just really easy to use.
The only thing that I think takes a bit of getting used to is the styling of the frog. It is a little bit different than most bows but I haven’t found it to be hard a hard adjustment- and it doesn’t seem to be creating any hand or arm tension. Incredibow custom makes their bows, so I’m sure if you have very specific needs for the frog of your bow, they would be happy to make a bow that would suit you.
AESTHETICS
6/5 Stars
I use a regular Incredibow, but after falling in love with this bow, I am definitely going to save up for one of their custom badass models. I’m thinking that in a few months I might invest in a carbon fiber silver glitter bow. Maybe something dark red…or leopard print.. Their regular bows look regular. If you like to keep it on the conservative side of things, no one will know that you are using a way more affordable way more durable bow than theirs—they will just be envious of how much sound you are able to get out of it.
AFFORDABILITY
5/5
Stringed instruments, and the bows that accompany them, are on the expensive side. 200 dollars for a custom made bow is frankly un-heard of. When I called them, super desperate, on my way to Washington, I asked if they had ANYTHING that they could send my way. They had one used bow in stock and sold it to me for 75 dollars (which is crazy cheap). The person I talked to on the phone was nice, and not condescending at all (sometimes you get that at music shops..)- and when I asked her about the pricing of their bows and why they were so inexpensive, she told me that they think that good bows should be affordable. How great is that. Buying from this company is supporting a small Arkansas business that is more concerned about people being able to afford high quality bows than making as much as they could off of it.
DETAILS TO NOTE
Another thing that is not quite normal on Incredibow’s is the high tension of the bow hair. I personally think it is at a perfect tension level, but it should be noted these bows do not have a tension nob. The tension that is on the bow is what you get. You might be able to ask them to make them in a specific way for you- but I thought I’d give folks a heads up that that is an unusual feature to the bow.
IN CONCLUSION
I cannot sing the praises of this bow enough. I have spent WAY too much money in the past few years on cello bows, and this bow is an absolute life saver. It is making it far easier to play my electric cello than ever before-giving me louder tones on my double stops- specifically being able to grip 3 strings at once for non oscillated 3 tone chords. I've been home for a few weeks, and have been writing more songs than ever in different styles- partially due to how easy this bow is to use. I'm no longer afraid of losing bow-hairs/money every time I practice or perform. It's amazing!
WARNINGS
Obviously this bow isn’t indestructible. If you put it in an oven, it will probably catch on fire or melt. If you have an angry cat at your house, it will probably destroy this bow for fun. I don’t recommend running over it with a car or throwing it into a puddle off of a 4 story building. Other than that, it should be good.
WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH ALL OF MY OTHER CELLO BOWS?
Now that I have this bow, I have a lot of dead old cello bows lying around my apartment. I think I might make cat toys out of them, turn them into very short walking sticks, or start a small fire in my backyard.
To buy an incredi-bow go to: https://www.incredibow.com/product/incredibow-omnibow/