“His bows do such a good job of hugging the strings, even in soft passages.”

- Cathy Schubilske, violinist, Minnesota Orchestra

Joseph Arthur Vigneron, 1851-1905

The advent of modern bowmaking came as Francois Tourte set the standard for beauty and extraordinary workmanship in the early nineteenth century. As the demands on string players changed during the Romantic period, Tourte modified the playability to fit his clients' needs.  He added metal to the frog, refined the shape of the head, and changed the graduations and camber of the bow. 

Tourte's successors included other notable Frenchmen such as Peccatte and Viorin. Matt Wehling bases his conception of playability largely on followers of Voiron, particularly Joseph Arthur Vigneron and Eugene Sartory. A fair number of Wehling's clients have been musicians searching to replace a Sartory, or to complement a bow by Sartory with a second bow. While not as well known as these other makers, Vigneron produced excellent playing sticks whose devotees love their evenness and response. Thus, Wehling follows Vigneron to produce a bow that tracks well from frog to tip. Elasticity and responsiveness are also characteristic of Wehling's bows, giving players the ability to perform sensitively in any musical style.

With this seamless quality, a player does not have to compensate for slight variations in the bow. Wehling's clients claim that his bows “seem longer” when they first play them. They are pleasantly surprised to discover they can play along the entire length and still achieve a desirable sound. 

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