Have you been looking for a bow that sounds like fine old Pernambuco bows, handles with great ease, bounces extremely easy, offers perfect durability and reliability, looks great but doesn’t cost a fortune?
Well, here they are – Müsing bows.
Why Carbon fibre?
More than 200 years ago bow makers found that Pernambuco was the best wood to make bows from, as it offers superior resiliency, strength and resonance compared to all other traditional materials. Pernambuco stems from the Mata Atlantica, the coastal rainforest in Brazil that is now almost completely lost. In 2007 Pernambuco was listed as an endangered species. Since then the stocks are shrinking, prices are rising and lesser quality of wood is used which would have been discarded in better times. Especially in the middle price range, it has become almost impossible to find a good quality Pernambuco bow.
Matching Modern Strings
When the “modern” bow was designed in France around 1800 the instruments of the violin family used almost exclusively pure gut strings. Those strings were much lighter than today’s composite and steel core strings with metal windings. The discrepancy between the relatively soft wooden bows and heavy modern strings adds to the difficulty of playing the instrument. Musing has designed their bows with just the right resiliency to match modern strings and thus make your playing more natural and easy.
Reducing the Resin Content in Carbon Fiber Bows
Simple “carbon” bows actually consist of more epoxy resin than carbon fibres. Producing such bows is relatively simple and not much more difficult than making wooden bows. The problem is that the resin (mostly Epoxy) dampens the high-frequency overtones. If you play with such a bow you will notice that the sound is quite dull and uninspiring. Its projection is also compromised though it may sound quite full under the ear.
To achieve the same resonance as fine Pernambuco bows Musing had to reduce the resin content in the stick. They could achieve this only by developing an entirely new production technology using 3-D woven carbon fibres. The result is a resonance quality and overtone-rich sound that is indistinguishable from expensive wooden bows.
Creating a Perfect Bounce
The bounce of a bow is a result of its curve, stiffness, weight, balance point and especially the distribution of resiliency and weight along with the stick. Musing built a theoretical model around known playing experience, calculations, hard thinking and lots of computer-based finite element analysis. You will be surprised how easy it is to control the bounce of the Musing bows and equally easy to stop the bounce again and pull a perfect detaché.
Free to travel
Tip plates made from ivory, a frog from tortoiseshell or ivory, whalebone windings, lizard skin thumb leather – just to name a few: Many traditional bows feature materials that are no longer allowed across borders. The intention is the protection of endangered species, and though one may argue its usefulness, many orchestras and musicians are nowadays looking for bows they can use for their international concerts. The Musing bows are the first carbon bows that not only allow to travel unrestricted but also sound and play as good as their traditional bows.
The End of Fatigue and Pain
If you are one of the too many musicians who experience a tired bow arm or shoulder, sore thumb or other discomforts in your right hand, playing with a Musing bow may surprise you with a long lost comfort and ease. You may in fact lose that trouble altogether. The reason behind it is the different fundamental resonance of the bow stick, as is not as low as in a wooden bow and thus much less troublesome.
Choosing the right Musing bow
It is virtually impossible to make two exactly identical bow sticks from carbon fibre composite. You will find that all Müsing bows vary not only in looks and weight but also in play and feel. So in case you are not completely happy with one certain bow, please try another one of the same types.
Musing classifies the sticks for their resonance quality, which also varies quite a bit. The most economic Musing C2 bow offers a sound that is powerful and rich.
The Musing C3 bow is pure joy to play, providing an instant response, crisp articulation and perfect control. The sound of the professional Musing C4 bow is a match to fine old and expensive bows and will never disappoint you, no matter where you play. And last but not least the Musing masterpiece, the Musing C5 bow: Its everything a committed musician ever wanted and will give you the possibility to give impressive performances, unleashing a voluminous and beautiful sound
15 Year Warranty
All Musing bows are fully made in Germany with the utmost care by highly skilled craftsmen, using only the most durable and reliable materials. That is why they can offer a 15-year warranty on the stick. This warranty is not limited to the initial owner, but transfers to any future owner and user. The frog is covered by a 2-year warranty.
The hair, winding, thumb leather, screw and eyelet are excluded from any warranty as they are subject to normal wear and tear.
Care of your Musing Bow:
Cleaning the Stick
To prevent rosin buildup on the stick, simply wipe it with a soft cloth regularly after playing. In case there is some build-up that is hard to remove we recommend that you spread a few drops of oil on a cloth and gently clean the stick. You can either remove the light oil film with a clean cloth or leave it on the stick. This will prevent rosin buildup and make it easier to wipe off.
Cleaning the Hair
When the bow loses its grip, it may be time to clean the hair. Rehairing the bow is only necessary when about 5-10% of the hair is lost or the hairs are stretched out. Rosin not only provides the grip between the hair and the string but also collects all kinds of dirt and thus loses its original function.
To clean the hair we recommend a suitable bow hair cleaner, available on this site. Rub the hair with this and repeat the process until almost all rosin is removed and the hair looks clean. Let the hair dry and then comb it carefully. The hair is as good as new. Now you can add just a little fresh rosin and you are ready to play.
