Marion, regarding bows - I bought a new bow recently. Went to a fiddle shop and told the owner what price range I was interested in. He gave me a couple dozen bows (above and below my price, but with no prices indicated) and I went to a spare room and tried them all out (including my own bow). I then narrowed it down to a half-dozen I liked, went back and tried them again and narrowed it down to two which I took home for a week. Bows are highly matters of individual preference. It's best to look at them first without any indication of price - if a less expensive one sounds and handles better for you, that's fine. The sky is the limit on price and quality is not always related to price. On the other hand, a good bow makes a tremendous difference, and some people say you should pay as much for your bow as for your violin.

Cheers,

S. in Seattle