Hi folks,

I'm looking for some different opinions on a new bow purchase. I've found quite a bit of information on choosing bows to suit violin styles, but nothing on fiddles.

Unfortunately, there's only one music shop with fiddles where I live (aside from a few student orchestra rental places), and they don't stock any fiddle bows -- so I won't have the luxury of trying different ones out. But since I'm still playing my Cremona student violin (an SV175), I bet almost anything will be a big improvement! :)

My biggest beef with my current bow is the balance -- it seems very heavily weighted toward the tip, and I think I would like something lighter. Budget is definately an issue, but neither do I want to outgrow my new bow in another year.

Any comments? Is pernambuco really that much better than brazilwood? How are the newer composites for fiddle players? Has anyone tried "cerejeira wood," which I gather is a type of brazilian oak?

Thanks for any comments!