Coda Bow Prodigy - Violin Bow Review

[@Trava56]

Interesting comparison. I did not know about the high quality Arcus bows until about a year ago and got one last summer. I have played the violin for many years and finally as I went for pension from work and had more time to play, invested in a good violin and a good modern Pernambucco french bow. Last summer I got bored since orchestra rehearsals in my amateur orchestra where down and I bought a Viola to have a new challenge and started playing on it. I bought the same make of Viola bow that I had as my violin bow. A Jean-Luc Tauziede bow from the area of Bordeaux in southern France. It was a bit heavy to use, so I got a Viola bow from Arcus, an Arcus T7. Not only did it play well and wore less on my old shoulder, it did not have that hissing sound that my Pernambucco bow made when playing legato. It was also a bit less expensive. So, I recommend the Arcus bows for both playability and durability. Also no worries when playing outside. The price I paid for the Arcus T7 was about 4.200 USD. A lot of money, but it will last a lifetime.

[@strad1973]

Great experiment! The Arcus sounds like a dream! I am actually looking to upgrade to one of the higher Coda models but the CodaBow prodigy will always be a fantastic back-up!

[@peterbaxter8151]

I have a Coda Marquis bow as well as several professional bows, the best of which is french. When I practice, I use four different bows in order. The Marquis is equivalent to the best of my bows in playability, however, there is a distinct difference in the tone produced. It is brighter and more direct than my best bow, but lacks depth of tone compared to it. On the other hand, I paid a great deal more for the french bow.

[@michaelbonesmusic]

I agree there is a more direct and focused tone to the carbon fibre bow but the flexibility and articulation is very good - the wood bows tend to allow more upper harmonic frequencies through which can lend toward a deeper, richer tone overall. The difference is subtle and have yet to test on recordings just going off what I hear under my ear and through monitors when playing electric violin

[@exhibitit724]

SA RE GA MA PAAA....God bless you Brother..you are so talented..love from India 🇮🇳 💖 ❤️

[@BlackSheepTitch]

... Note to all - "Cheap" should not be a consideration. "Buy Cheap, Buy Twice" is a good moto. Also, many people spend tens of thousands on a car that may last 10 years and not return anything like the pleasure you will get for the rest of your life from playing violin with an unrestricting bow - "because you're worth it" :-)

[@pt192]

Try the Codabow Diamond GX. It’s a more fair comparison.

[@strad1973]

I have been thinking of ordering one of these, perhaps there will be a sequel!

[@seanleechild]

Have you heard of Codabow Aspire? Is it a discontinued version of Prodigy? What is its characteristics?

[@nickfaiella9164]

I have one of those... and a prodigy and a diamond SX. There's a reason the aspire was discontinued. It's extremely stiff in comparison to all the rest and the tone lacks a lot of clarity and warmth. Hope that helps; D

[@BlackSheepTitch]

Carbon fibre is a match made in heaven for violin bow design. Arcus C/F bows are astonishing, superb response - if you play fast dynamic music they are worth comparing with coda...and the new Musing range are not far behind if your budget is more restricted.

[@strad1973]

I have been eager to try an Arcus for sure! I have tried some cheap classroom carbon fiber models. To my understanding, some of these cheaper carbon fiber models (less than $80) are made of a mix of carbon fiber and other materials. These are still appropriate for beginning players but can give a much less refined tone, depending on who you ask.

[@BlackSheepTitch]

@@strad1973 You definitely should; however, If I understand your reply correctly - Arcus do not make "cheap classroom...models" If you have not tried Arcus bows or Musing bows, or indeed any other decent brand C/F bow then I am surprised - and somewhat dismayed. FYI lower budget "composite" bows are often made from GRP - great for kids. Carbon fibre is a mix of carbon fibre and resin - higher quality C/F bows have less resin.

[@strad1973]

I miscommunicated on that one! I was referring to cheap bows you may find on Amazon and the like. I have not tried an Arcus or Musing, I would love to try one!

[@Pgitlitz]

@@strad1973 I've played three different Arcus models, all of them older and not made anymore. The best was $6,000 US several years ago, which is the price of a few handmade Pernambuco bows by reputable makers. I have to say the top of the line then was certainly as good as any equally priced wooden bow. From your test, it would be nice to spend an equal amount and get something really superior. Sadly the Arcus are not cheap. I just watched a comparison of Arcus bows and they maintain that they have a much higher CF content whereas most brands are more resin.

[@glennlopez6772]

Seems correct to me!

[@michaelreif-americanimpres862]

This is interesting. I have the Prodigy Bow for my Ming Jiang Zhu Apprentice. Would like a few more grams and am looking into a heavier carbon fiber bow. A few more grams anyway. I wonder how much the horse hair does. I also wonder if the 2 extra grams of the Uebel Bow make a major difference. Nice review. The differences of the 2 bows are very obvious.

[@strad1973]

I actually learned a lot from each bow while making this video, glad that the comparison was easy to judge!

[@catinabruce633]

Violin King thank you

[@jenniferday1636]

The Coda bow is perfect for more advanced middle school high school students. A $1500 price tag is a little high for most parents plus the carbon fiber is durable.

[@strad1973]

Totally agreed! It is a great bow! I use it for all of my electric gigs.

[@samsam3499]

I'm a bow maker and I have yet to find a player that would say carbon fiber sounds better then Pernambuco. Carbon fiber is strong and can stand lots of abuse so it works well for children who are forced to play the violin. They also use them for sword fighting.

[@amanhasnoname6223]

I have a 30$ CF bow that hasn't been re-hair for 5 years that sounds as good as any BB (Arcos, Raposo) or Germain pernambuco (Roth, Knoll, Dorfler) under 1K

[@juliejules7780]

@@amanhasnoname6223 people just like wasting their money

[@philipq6906]

I use carbon bow but in this video clearly wooden sounds better. Try Glasser BCFR

[@strad1973]

I will search that one up! Looking to get a spare so that I don't have to keep scheduling bow re-hairs!

[@roderickrobertson8770]

I think you should have included a $1500 Coda Bow for a real comparison.

[@iliassakalak]

Carbon fibre vs professional bow…..? Probably the wrong title!!

[@strad1973]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@msshell3657]

Background muzak is distracting!

[@strad1973]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@nickfaiella9164]

What if it's a professional carbon fiber bow? Thumbnail doesn't actually make sense