Bow Maintenance and Rehairing

The schedule for routine bow maintenance may be more often than you think. Not only does the bow hair wear out, but the process of the hair stretching and changing length can disrupt the bow’s balance leading to poor or unexpected performance.

“I’m pretty sure we just got this bow rehaired a few months ago… we have a concert coming up this weekend, and now this!”

The scene is a familiar one in so many ways. The nervous child trying not to upset their parents and wondering if they have done something wrong, the parent wondering if they have been taken advantage of because they spent a lot of money on a bow that’s not working anymore.

I smile and pick up the bow, holding it horizontally with the frog facing up. The hair hangs in a long sloping arc below the camber of the stick, dipping down to at least an inch and a half.

“Well, it seems that somebody practices a lot!”  I say, nodding in appreciation of the now smiling face of the student. “I’m pretty sure you haven’t done anything wrong. In fact, I’d say you have lived up to your teacher’s highest expectations for playing time if it’s only been a couple of months!”

Now it’s time to explain bow rehairs…

Bow hair has about 120 hours (eight months if you’re practicing 30 minutes per day, or sooner if you practice more) of useful life before the natural friction is gradually replaced by the stickiness of the rosin. When this happens, players may notice they need to rosin their bow more frequently, or that the bow loses its grip and skates across the strings. Essentially, the rosin becomes the only thing making the hair work, which also leads to rosin buildup on the front of the instrument.

Additionally, hair stretching occurs both while playing and when stored under tension, further affecting the bow’s performance. The center of gravity can shift by as much as a centimeter due to the hair stretching out and becoming too long. Other factors that may decrease the hair’s life is over-tightening, not loosening the bow when stored, touching the hair, too much rosin, and excessive force while playing.

At Potter Violins, our full-time bow restorers are ready to meet all your bow maintenance needs. Drop by any time to leave your bow with us for rehair or maintenance. Our typical turnaround time is one week, but we are happy to provide a basic loaner if needed.

For further instrument care, you may refer to our instrument care guide. Additionally, take a look at these facts about horsehair!

L. Dalton Potter