Do bows need regular maintenance?
A. Yes. Bows are often the subject of much neglect and attention. Unlike certain instruments, which are very stable for years and years, bows continually wear down with use. Mostly, it’s just the fittings that need to be replace… i.e. the leather grip wears and at worse starts shredding or coming off. Sometimes the mother-of-pearl needs replacing, as these corrode when exposed to sweat or perspiration. Frogs too wear out, mostly in the area closest to the bow beneath the silver plate. Again, sweat is the cause of the damage, and either new slithers of ebony have to be inserted, or the crumbling gaps can be filled with an ebony/glue mix. Other issues may arise; ivory tips may at times break, when accidentally a bow is knocked against something hard…. and then they will need replacing, as these protect the bow tip itself. The stick itself wears down at the heel, due to the constant playing weight of the middle fingers. Sometimes leather is used to cover this area of a bow, and someti
