Double Bass Andreas Dorfler Grand Meister 4 star bass bow

[Aaron123]

I have a chance to audition a Dorfler French bass bow classified as "Grand Meister" bow.
Because I was told it doesn't have a model number, I am curious as to where these bows rank.

The bow has a stamp *Andreas Dorfler *** (4 star) and from what I hear, the bow was made by Andreas himself.

Looking at their website, it seems their model # 23~26 are all classified as 4 star master bows .
There is nothing fancy looking about the bow (silver fitted, no mammoth frog, no engravings, etc..)
Is "Grand Meister" bow, just another way of saying it's a "master" bow?

The seller is asking $3250 for the bow. Will post pictures later in the week.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

Pedigree tends to set the price, but whether it's worth the price is in the playing, be it priced at $32, $320, $3,200 or $32,000; so listen/feel and let that be the core of your decision.

 

[AGCurry]

I use a Dorfler #18 bow, German hold, which I bought from String Emporium last year... really a good "shop bow." When my teacher - who studied with Gary Karr and has played for several decades - takes my bass and bow to demonstrate something, she remarks: "I like this bow!"

Of course it's impossible to predict that a certain bow will be "worth" a certain amount of money, but you can be assured that the Dorflers make good bows, and "Grand Meister" would seem to imply "about as good as we make."

You might want to check String Emporium for the "Egidius Dorfler master bow, 4 star premier level." Egidius was the patriarch of that archetier family.

Let us know what you think after you audition the bow!

 

[Aaron123]

I also have the W.Dorfler and the Egidius Dorfler 4 star french bow as well. The Egidius one uses better quality Pernambuco and well crafted but the balance and the feel in hand is better with the W.Dorfler shop bow. I agree that Dorfler makes great bows, especially the octagonal ones as the stick is more strong and stiff while being very agile. As T_Bone_TL mentioned, each bow plays differently and sometimes not according to the price either.
The Andreas Dorfler bow is 69.8cm in length and weighs 135g, so on the longer side but not crazy long.
One thing I like about the String Emporium version is that the length is shorter than the other dorfler bows on the market.

Will update again when I get the bow tomorrow. I have access to a practice room Friday as I am out of the country and don't have my bass with me.

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[Aaron123]

I forgot to mention, my teacher who plays with Vincenzo Deluccia bass bow has also commented that the W.Dofler shop bow I bought for $450 used is "a good bow!" So, definetly need to decide after playing intensively through a trial and not just from the model grade.

 

[Aaron123]

 

[Aaron123]

The bow has a lot of camber and is very agile. It looks very similar to my Prochownik French bass bow, but slightly heavier (135g).
I got it rehaired in black hair and like it very much so far. The bow plays similar to my Prochownik bow but because it is heavier, there is more power.

The seller also has a Peter Mach French bow for $1400 USD which seems like a very good deal, but the bow has lost some of its camber.