|| Matt Wehling : : Bow Information ||

The following are some samples of my work, with philosophy appearing below.

Violin bow, completed October 2002
Gold Medal, 2002, Violin Society of America

Northfield, Minnesota, USA.

Mounted in 18k French gold, this bow is made from the highest quality materials: Dark brown/reddish pernambuco, superb ebony and beautiful green, yellow and pink awabi shell. Garniture of braided gold and maroon silk.
61 grams.

Cello bow, completed October 2002
Gold Medal, 2002, Violin Society of America

Northfield, Minnesota, USA.

The stick is made of a beautiful, lightly flamed red-brown pernambuco, and is complemented by a top quality ebony frog, mounted in 18k French gold, with green, yellow and pink awabi shell. Garniture of braided gold and maroon silk.
82 grams.

Violin bow, completed June 2001

Port Townsend, WA, USA.

Stick of dark red pernambuco of very high quality, frog of dense black ebony decorated with yellow and pink awabi shell.
60.5 grams.

Violin bow, completed January 2001

St. Paul, MN, USA.

Stick of very high quality reddish brown pernambuco, made with a silver tip at client’s request. Ebony frog decorated with a nice awabi whose pink and yellow color seems to shimmer in changing light.
61 grams.

Cello bow, completed August 2001

Port Townsend, Washington, USA.

Select pernambuco stick gives this bow a nice deep sound with very good playability. Ebony and silver mounts, pink, blue and yellow awabi shell.
82 grams.

Bows/description/philosophy

After five years studying with master bowmakers in France, I established my own shop in my native Minnesota. I returned with a broad knowledge of traditional French bowmaking techniques, an ample supply of older bow wood, and an enthusiasm to work with musicians to craft what you need in a bow.

Each piece of wood is unique. When working with a musician, I listen to their individual needs and choose wood that can be formed into the perfect tool for their playing. But I also listen to the wood, because choosing the wood is (at least) as important as any other step in the process.

There are two aspects to a bow. There is the purely functional aspect, a tool on which you can rely. But there is also the aspect, on which I place a great emphasis, of a bow as an object of beauty. In order to make beautiful music, we must relate to our instruments, surroundings, fellow musicians, etc. And it's simply easier for us to relate to an object when it is beautiful.

This is why I work very hard to make bows which capture the aesthetic of beautiful older French bows. From the choice of silver and gold which are bought in Paris (their formulations, and thus color, are different from metals available in the U.S.), to difficult-to-find Awabi shell, to top quality ebony and, of course, the best pernambuco available.

I work hard so that every aspect of my bows will be as beautiful as I can possibly make a bow. The result is a bow that will help you be a better player, not only from a functional point of view, but from an æsthetic viewpoint as well.

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