Marquise GS Violin

Years ago a very well known fiddler told me that after he got his new bow, I have no idea who the maker was, it changed his playing. Inwardly, I kind of scoffed because this guy had been great forever and, really, a bow changed HIS playing???. Well, now I know what he was talking about. Not that I'm by any means great (I'd settle for ok), and I have had a CodaBow Classic for a really long time, but I did a trial with 6 bows and my CodaBow Classic, and each time the Marquise GS came into my hand it was a different world.

I had intended to get a Diamond GX because it's basically an updated CodaBow Classic and I love my Classic. I just needed another bow so I would stop borrowing from friends when it's rehair time. And I included the Marquise in the trial only because a friend extolled its virtues and I had room for one more bow in the trial.

But the Marquis changed my playing, just like to guy said. My hand is calmer and moves that I had to work hard for came much, much easier, and, er, sounded better, if I do say so myself.

Let's just say I could not be happier with the Marquis GS.

.... Hmmm, I can't remember what "they" say, so I'll cut to my point. There's a lot of blah-blah out there about bows in general. Most of it has to do with whether any "man-made" materials can match the "tried-and-true" quality of a high-end Pernambuco bow. The answer is simple IMHO, "yes". First, not all Pernambuco bows have exactly the same traits, even if they come from the same tree, (hence the quality rating on many of the bows being sold today.) Secondly, most of what affects the violin's tone directly, is the relative flexibility level of the bow with that particular violin. Thirdly, even the professionals do not all use the same bows, proving that they have distinct preferences in weight, balance, flexibility - and that may have a lot to do with the kind of bow they first "mastered" or the one that made their violin sound the best, or the one that had real gold wrapped around the stick. The long and short of it is that carbon fiber is being used, (and even by professionals), because it is capable of having those same qualities that are found in the best Pernambuco bows. The problem is finding the ones that are your "cup-of-tea"; that make your violin sound like you prefer; that your hand finds comfortable for your style of bowing. That's one of the things I really appreciate about Codabow - they allowed me to try 6 bows for a week before making my decision. All of them sounded "good", but the Marquise GS was the one I kept coming back to for ease of play (for me) and the sound I like from my violin. I admit that it is quite similar in weight and flexibility to my Pernambuco bow, but it has the added advantage of being practically un-warp-able, unbreakable, resistant to drying out and tolerant of the excessive humidity in my area. Oh yeah, here's what "they" say, "Don't knock it till you've tried it." If you're curious, but skeptical, request a trial from the Codabow website after checking their chart of specific traits of each bow they sell. Choose 6 that you feel best meet your own criteria and level. Naturally I recommend including the GS in your selection. By the way, I'm an intermediate level player and it's working great for me.

It's light, responsive, smooth and easy to control. I've been using the Diamond GX for the past 7 years, which is great, but decided to give the Marquise GS a try since it was on sale and I've had my eye on it for a while. I absolutely love it! I wasn't sure I'd be good enough to be able to tell the difference, but I can! It's smooth and brings out lots of different tones from my violin, and I love the way it looks as well. I like that it is a slightly lighter brown than the Diamond GX, especially lovely in the light, and that it doesn't have the carbon fiber weave, giving a more traditional look. Feels like I found my forever bow!