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DiscussionVegan Violin Bow
Has anyone else recently tried a vegan violin bow? I bought this one but there are a lot of others available. I like this video that shows a side-by-side comparison for those who haven’t heard one yet. I would say you can hear the difference a bit myself but I am happy to see some more ethical alternatives to the standards with mother of pearl, abalone, and horse hair, even if you lose some sound. The violin community is comparatively small to guitar and similar instruments, voting with our wallets can have a major impact.
So far I like this bow and it is much sturdier than a horse hair bow, but getting rosin to stick to it has proven difficult. I’ve sanded the hairs and I’ve actually been joking about taking an electric sander to it because I feel like I’m constantly having to rosin the thing. Does anyone have any tips or tricks they’ve found with this? Maybe a particular brand of rosin? I think I need to start ordering by the case haha. I would be really really grateful. I’d also just love to hear what people think of it if you’re up for sharing.
ETA: There is a luthier who makes entirely vegan violins as well, and I believe they sell for about $8,000 which isn’t as bad as I would’ve expected. It should also be noted that ivory bow tips are illegal in the US, but not everywhere in the world, so again, voting with our wallets here is huge. veganviolins.com
I’m not a vegan, just someone who likes ethical products if I can.