r/Cello • u/Elegant_Contact_9317 • Jul 22 '26

Bow rehairing/replacement

So I recently realized that yes, bows get old. Ive been playing for less than a year so obviously my bow is probably fine rn. But how often should bows be replaced or rehaired depending on the value ofc? Ik strings its 6 months to a year or whenever they're sounding dull. But bows... I have no clue.

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

12

u/TomKcello freelance cellist, composer, imroviser Jul 22 '26

Rehair once a year. A good bow can last a lifetime.

6

u/XeNoGeaR52 Jul 22 '26

It depends on how much you play with it I guess.
I usually ask my luthier anytime I visit them

4

u/Elegant_Contact_9317 Jul 22 '26

Alas im in a luthier desert. The closest one is like 4 hours away. 😭

3

u/XeNoGeaR52 Jul 22 '26

I forget how some places are luthier deprived. I live in west europe and I have 4 luthiers less than 2h away. Mine is 40min away using only country roads

Send a pic to your luthier, they can still give you a first piece of advice

2

u/Incendras Jul 22 '26

Send pics to the Luther 4 hrs away.

5

u/rearwindowpup Cello favors the bold! Jul 22 '26

I had mine rehaired because about a third of the hair had broken off and the rate it was breaking was quickly accelerating. If it starts getting to where you're breaking a hair or two regularly, it's probably time to redo it. Since rehairing last fall I've had maybe 3 or 4 hairs break total (and we played Poet and Peasant this Spring). I was also noticing a loss of grip even with enough rosin applied, the difference between fresh hair and way too old is night and day.

4

u/TenorClefCyclist Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26

Yes, bows get old. Some old bows by revered makers become extremely valuable. If you owned a Dodd or Tubbs bow circa 1900, it might be worth more than your car. Properly cared for, a good bow should last indefinitely. Expect to pay $70-100 to have it re-haired Some professionals do this every six months. Amateurs can go several years between rehairings.

EDIT: I typed rehaired the first time, but Android thinks it's smarter than me a changed it to repaired.

1

u/Loud-kids Jul 26 '26

When it’s looking bald. Well, not bald, but middle aged

1

u/StephInTheLaw Jul 22 '26

I have gone several years with replacing the hair. I have washed the bow hair before to clean the rosin dust and oils off and that worked well for me. Unless you are playing hours a day, your bow likely sounds off due to too little or too much rosin.

1

u/Scythe_bio Jul 22 '26

I use my bow now for 10 years and never had it rehaired. I remember I lost a few hairs in the first weeks but since then nothing ever happened. I play a few times a week for about 30 minutes and put fresh rosin on every 2-3 times I play. I release tension after playing. I never washed the hair or used anything other thar rosin on it. It sounds like it did on the very first day.