A Late Bultitude, #3 (a keeper!) "Better Late than Never!"

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Jim Gullen

Hi Ken!

What a beautiful bow!

I love silver tips on bows....they just look so elegant and "bookend" nicely with a (french) button.

I get the priviledge of rehairing a beautiful Steven Beckley cello bow with a sliver tip occasionally. Don't tell anyone, but it's such a beautiful bow that I'd rehair it for free just to get to "check up on it" once and a while!

Enjoy and congrats!

Jim

I am considering having Sue Lipkins make me a new Screw/Button to match the Bow. I have pictures of 3 Bultitudes, 2 were mine. I will send her the pictures with the Bow.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I am considering having Sue Lipkins make me a new Screw/Button to match the Bow. I have pictures of 3 Bultitudes, 2 were mine. I will send her the pictures with the Bow.

Bultitude #3 is now in Sue Lipkins' hands. After examining the Bow first hand, her opinion was identical to the opinions I received from London. The Stick and Frog were both made by Bultitude. This Bow was most likely one of the last Bows that Bultitude made. This is evident by the workmanship of an elder master Atelier. This Bow has also led a 'busy' life. The Bow model-wise is completely different for all the others I have seen by Bultitude. The Tip is extra narrow with a Frog to match. Obviously 'a pair in the making' as far as the Frog matching the Stick. The Frog is super low in height and it appears that the area where the thumb goes may have been altered a bit for playing comfort for a previous owner.

The Screw is no doubt a replacement but not a very good match at all. The Mortise where the Frog sits inside is not squared off at the edges like usually done. Clearly a sign of a tired old maker. The Tip Mortise under the plug for the Hair is a huge deep canyon. The Grip is also 2 separate parts.

I have given Sue the 'go ahead' to do a full restoration and give this Bow what it needs. I have done this with many Basses but this is the first time I have a Bow that needs so many things to 'get right'.

Sue will 'complete' and square the Mortise under the Frog and clean up one small old repair to the Frog as well. She will also slightly fill the Tip Mortise under the Plug. The Stick is classic Bultitude and deserves a proper dressing. The Stick will get a full compliment of Silver and Leather for a new Grip. The hole drilled for the Stick at the end for the Screw is slightly worn. This will get 'plugged' and re-drilled. The final step just before the classic Lipkins re-hair job will be the making of a completely new Bultitude style split-Screw made from Ebony and Silver to match the Bow the Screw style of Bultitude from. Sue is also familiar with my 2nd Bultitude so the style is no stranger to her.

The Bultitude restoration will take a few months to complete. I don't expect to have many updates if at all but if anything interesting happens, I will report back..

[Jim Barber]

Great story Ken. Hope to hear more of the adventures of #3 as time progresses.

Jim

[Eric Swanson]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

The Stick will get a full compliment of Silver and Leather for a new Grip...

Ken, have you ever noticed a change in "feel" or tone when changing grip types on a bow?

I played my Morizot for a long time with no grip, which was how I received it from my teacher. I recently had it gripped with the lightest silver wire and leather, very nicely, by Eric Lane. Eric also weighted the tip slightly to keep the balance point the same (offsetting the grip's mass).

I have to say that I think that the bow was sweeter before I had the leather and silver put on. The stick seems slightly dampened by the extra mass and doesn't feel as lively in the hand. I am not talking about the extra grams of mass or the bow being heavier; I am talking about the stick's vibration and its feedback loop with the strings/bass. Because I liked the bow's feel before, I am seriously considering having the work undone when I go in for my next rehair...

Ken, or anyone else, with any experience with tone/feel changing with grip types?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Eric Swanson

Ken, have you ever noticed a change in "feel" or tone when changing grip types on a bow?

I played my Morizot for a long time with no grip, which was how I received it from my teacher. I recently had it gripped with the lightest silver wire and leather, very nicely, by Eric Lane. Eric also weighted the tip slightly to keep the balance point the same (offsetting the grip's mass).

I have to say that I think that the bow was sweeter before I had the leather and silver put on. The stick seems slightly dampened by the extra mass and doesn't feel as lively in the hand. I am not talking about the extra grams of mass or the bow being heavier; I am talking about the stick's vibration and its feedback loop with the strings/bass. Because I liked the bow's feel before, I am seriously considering having the work undone when I go in for my next rehair...

Ken, or anyone else, with any experience with tone/feel changing with grip types?

The weight in the Tip could be your problem. The Grip is only a few grams and will 'lift' weight from the Tip as far as the balance point goes. That is one way to battle a Tip heavy Bow. On one of my Bows (the Eibert), Biase put thicker Silver wire and now the Bow actually feels lighter. It's 152 grams with the rubber, 146 without and easier on the hand than some of my 140s. That Bow felt heavy 'before' the heavier wire was put on mainly because it was Tip heavy. Now it's one of my favorite Bows and the one I compare all Bows to when testing including Lipkins and Bultitudes.

[Eric Swanson]

Good thoughts and experience. Thanks for sharing it.

My Morizot's balance was always lovely...it always seemed to play itself.

With the new grip, the tip was weighted ONLY to keep the balance point the same...so it didn't make the bow more tip heavy...actually kept things as they were, in terms of balance.

The bow is light; 126 grams without the grip/tip balance; 130 grams with the grip/weight. While I know that this is lighter than usual, it never felt "too light" before - it was always a bow that just worked well.

What I am puzzled by is the reduction in vibratory feedback the grip (and/or tip weight?) seems to have caused. The bow just feels deader and less "effortless" than before. I wonder if the grip (and/or tip weight) is dampening the stick itself in some bad way, hurting the bow/string/bass feedback loop. It surely feels that way...

I don't know what to do but to reverse course and have the stuff taken off the stick. Ironically, I had the grip put on to try to maintain the bow well, as its current steward. Now, I fear that the grip has harmed its function. Oops. Luckily, it is easily undone.

So, I was wondering in all of your many experiences with bows, etc., if you had noticed a change in resposiveness with a change of grip types, or in my case, going from no grip to a silver/leather wrap.

Thanks again, for sharing your experience.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Eric Swanson

Good thoughts and experience. Thanks for sharing it.

My Morizot's balance was always lovely...it always seemed to play itself.

With the new grip, the tip was weighted ONLY to keep the balance point the same...so it didn't make the bow more tip heavy...actually kept things as they were, in terms of balance.

The bow is light; 126 grams without the grip/tip balance; 130 grams with the grip/weight. While I know that this is lighter than usual, it never felt "too light" before - it was always a bow that just worked well.

What I am puzzled by is the reduction in vibratory feedback the grip (and/or tip weight?) seems to have caused. The bow just feels deader and less "effortless" than before. I wonder if the grip (and/or tip weight) is dampening the stick itself in some bad way, hurting the bow/string/bass feedback loop. It surely feels that way...

I don't know what to do but to reverse course and have the stuff taken off the stick. Ironically, I had the grip put on to try to maintain the bow well, as its current steward. Now, I fear that the grip has harmed its function. Oops. Luckily, it is easily undone.

So, I was wondering in all of your many experiences with bows, etc., if you had noticed a change in resposiveness with a change of grip types, or in my case, going from no grip to a silver/leather wrap.

Thanks again, for sharing your experience.

The Tip is a most sensitive area. I think that made the difference putting a weight in there. Now I just send my Bows to Sue and let her get it done the right way. Tip weights are only done to make up for a light less-dense stick. That will probably dampen the sound more than any grip down at the thickest part of the stick near the frog. Don't you think your hand on the Bow dampens it too? Imagine something muting the Tip. That's your added weight in there I think!

[Eric Swanson]

Ken, all you have said makes sense. I will talk with the bowmaker along those lines and schedule a rehair and tip weight removal.

We'll see about the grip - that's easy enough to take off. If the grip IS still dampening the stick, after the tip weight is removed, perhaps a grip other than the leather/wire would have a lesser effect. As you say, since one's hand is touching the stick at that point, concerns about the grip throwing of the balance point seem a bit misplaced (sic)...the grip/hand really is more the axis of rotation, not the balance point of an unheld bow, floating in space...

Frankly, it never bugged me not to have a grip on the bow. In having a grip installed, I was just trying to be a good steward for this precious object. Ah well .

Thanks again for sharing your experience. It was very helpful to me.

[Carlos Henriquez]

I was just talking to John Scheafer, and he said Dave Pearlman and him brought most of the Bultitude's into NYC in the mid 60's. He said they bought about 10 to 15 of his bows then costing 100 dollars!! Now, they are hard to find and costing about 5k and up if in good condition.