Bow Balance

[Dan Tice]

I currently own what I assume is a Chinese shop bow, and would like to know where the typical balance point for a bow is.
This bow appears to be slightly tip heavy, so I am also wondering if it's common to add some weight to the frog-end of the stick to shift the balance point.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Dan Tice

[Ken Smith]

I currently own what I assume is a Chinese shop bow, and would like to know where the typical balance point for a bow is.
This bow appears to be slightly tip heavy, so I am also wondering if it's common to add some weight to the frog-end of the stick to shift the balance point.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Dan Tice

Yes, adding weight can balance the Bow, Hockey stick or Golf Club but will that make it perform better for real?

Just adding weight may not make the Bow play better. The balance is in the wood mainly. Finding a balanced bow weight, sound and playing wise is not easy no matter how much you spend. Also, the longer you play in years, the more your tastes and abilities will changed including your needs. Soloists often like a light Bow for those delicate Violin techniques. Orchestral players often like a medium weight Bow for those heavy orchestra passages but not to heavy for a 2 hour gig. Some Jazzers like heavier Bows for the last note on a ballad to grip those non-bowing strings.

I say all of this from experience but nothing here is written in stone.

The bottom line is that if you don't like your Bow the way it is and it's not an expensive type Bow, it may be best to just find one you like rather than putting any more work or time into a Bow that was made or turned out poorly balanced to begin with.

[Jim Gullen]

Good morning!

In addition to what Ken wrote, here is some more information that you might find useful.

There are specific recommendations for weights and balancepoints for bows. Like most things bass, however, there is greater variance in acceptable balance points for bass bows than for the other instruments' bows.

Having said that, the procedure for measuring the balance point is this:

1. Loosen the frog all the way. You want the eyelet as far forward in its mortise as possible. The bow needs to be haired to measure its balance point.

2. Measure the distance between the point where the bow balances to the end of the stick behind the frog. Do not measure to the end of the button. Some people will just find the balance point by resting the bow on their finger and having it balance. I like to suspend the bow by a string tied around the stick and move it until the bow is balancing.

For French bows, we generally look for a balance point of 8 inches (with a bow weight in the neighborhood of 135-145 grams). For German, we look for a balance point of 7.5 inches (and a weight around 125-135 grams).

Again there is lots of variability in bass bows, but these are good targets. If your balance point is off from these....and you feel it's a problem...it's relatively easy to move the balance point quite a bit by manipulating the grip/winding. Different windings have different weights, and lead tape can even be added if needed. Having a well balanced bow can "make up"...to an extent...for too much weight in a bow. Only you can decide if it's worth it to put a bit more more $$$ into the bow to balance it, but it might be worth checking into.


Best regards!


Jim