Stéphane Thomachot 2008 Silver Violin Bow Review
Just arrived from France, here is my new bow by master
bow maker Stéphane Thomachot.
Please note these are purely my impressions as a player; I have no technical
knowledge of bow making.
However, I have an excellent quantity of experience playing with first class
historic and modern French bows.
Please take the following review not literally, but as
always with bows, one must express subjective feelings:
The differences between one bow and the next can be small ; if I have
exaggerated it is only with the intention of
being clear and pointing out the differences in a colourful and contrasting way.
If you disagree with any statements,
then please stop reading, and write your own article !!
Updated Feb. 2010
For years I heard promising rumours and enthusiastic stories about this world famous maker. It took a couple of years just to remember this name which would later come up more and more often. I had tried bows by makers who had studied with him, and heard reports from colleagues who had played with his bows. Everybody spoke well about this (by now) legendary Thomachot, but nobody could really tell me how to contact him! !"Somewhere in the South of France.", I was told by some random Luthier in Rue de Rome, ... was it near Avignon ?.... now how does that tune go... "Sur Le Pont de Cucuron??! ..".
Eventually, a couple of months down the line, after researching what little material I could find on the Internet I found an email address, and when a reply from Mr. Thomachot came back, earlier in the year, Spring 2008, I put my order in. Eventually this led to a few phone calls, in which I was asked to describe the type or consistency of the bow I desired. i.e. How hard or how soft. Well, I said, "firmer than a Voirin or a Rolland, but a softer or similar stick to Jules Fétique." I also specified a little on the heavy side, even if just by one gram or so. I wanted the build of a "Concerto" rather than a "Chamber Music" bow. Anyway, the estimate for completion was mid Summer, and due to various delays and an absence on my part, I received the bow this November 2008. Incidentally, the shipping itself went very smoothly; it took little over 24 hours... via Internet I was able to track the whereabouts of the bow during shipping and had a pretty good idea of when exactly I was going to receive it.
First Impressions
From the moment I unpacked the bow, (which was packed very well indeed) everything felt good about it. I played on it with great pleasure for the afternoon, though by the end of the day the hairs settled and turned out to be a little too short to completely loosen the frog. (probably because the central heating in my house has dried the air out quite alot - also I found out the workshop was also rather dry, and too long was the usual risk). However within 48 hours I had the hairs lengthened (they didn't have to be changed luckily, but Mr Thomachot recommended no more than 5 grams of bow hairs if I was actually rehairing). "Well was it really worth the wait ?" you're asking.. the answer is definitely yes, it's great bow; but read on to find out why!
Above : The fairly tall handsome head. The finish of the chamfers show distinct signs of the makers hand. The bow weighs 60.7 grams.
Silver vs. Gold
I generally prefer a Silver bow to a Gold one, though Gold bows are traditionally better ! Silver is lighter than Gold so less weight on fittings means more wood on the bow is allowed. I think a good Silver bow represents 95% of a makers ability and should certainly have all the qualities a bow maker is famous for. Makers do select their best woods for Gold bows. You can sometimes find a marginally better Gold bow... but at a disproportionately higher price. Silver has to be best "value for money". I ordered a Silver Thomachot bow because I wanted a typical example of this makers work, and a bow that I can use every day especially for my teaching. One of my requests was for a "medium" bow... not too much of anything, and certainly no extremes, the only exception being a little bit weighty (but still normal).
Tonus (Tone) on the Thomachot
So what's the feedback on the Tonus (Tonal) front ? That's my first test on a new bow. An open D from heel to tip. A perfectly even unforced stroke, designed to melt your ears with a luxurious warmth, roundness purity of tone. And "unforced" is the key here... this bow plays in high resolution. It likes to be held softly, only slightly firmly... there is no need to grip, and the sound is fat, warm, and certainly unforced. The tone at the heel is exemplary, and is maintained to the very tip. The bow is soft, and plays like velvet. The bow does not require a firm grip, and a certain lightness helps the transparency of sound. One sniff of an open E string, and effortlessly, the bow sticks to it, emitting a full fat bodied sound, full of bass. Yes, that's an open E with lots of bass / body of sound. Never before in quite the same way has an open E sounded so warm and full ! Of course all the E string range sounds great... mature and round... there is no trace of harshness.... a million miles from the squeaky high pitched screeching everyone associates with violin E strings. In fact, I would suggest the open E test is a good one to judge the warmth and richness of sound of a bow.
Double Stops and Chords
Next on the list of high priorities in the quality of a bow. The richness, roundness and purity of double stops. A double stop (and a chord) is more demanding of the right hand, not just the left (which for obvious reasons seems the harder). The ease or readiness of emissions and the focus of sound are important factors which make life easier or harder for the right hand. A good bow plays double stops more easily. Chords, too, are fuller and sound more compact and coherent with a good quality bow. The Thomachot excels in both departments, I am pleased to say. Chords are unforced and well rounded; again there is no sign of an aggressive edge to the tone. Naturally a good feel and ease of sound production in the right hand has positive repercussions on the left hand... fingering becomes easier, lighter and the finger preparation of a left hand chord faster. Chords sing nicely, and when a bow plays chords well, harder chords are easier... It must be said that this bow has tremendous sensitivity and vibrancy at the heel, an area (in some lesser bows) which sometimes lacks a good tone. This Thomachot sits well on the string throughout its length but it also has a certain lightness which can really bring out the transparency in a chord and make it sing.
Soft / Hard Stick
This is a slightly softer stick than I was expecting. However, I love French bows, and that is such a typical trademark for a classic French bow. It feels like an old mid period Sartory, but perhaps a bit softer. Pleasantly soft, I might add: This softness is a good quality in that it gives you more tonal range and dynamics compared to a hard bow. The structure of the bow is firm, however, so there is softness and firmness at the same time. The head seemed a little tall at first, giving the bow more tension, but when I compared it with other bows it was totally normal.... so more my impression than anything else. I would definitely say the camber is exceptional on this bow; a classical three point contact; lay the bow flat on a table and it touches at the heel, middle and head. This strong camber is giving the bow some firmness and structure. The bow is lively and eager to bounce: Spiccato and all off the string bowing is very predictable, reliable and repeatable. I would say the bows' natural bouncing point is a little shifted towards the tip compared to normal, but this is not a problem. You get to know your bow pretty well with time. To produce the best tone with any given bow, I would say that bow would possess the following optimum three variables; weight / velocity / point of contact. In addition, as to firmness of grip or hold, I find softer bows work better with a more relaxed hold, and harder bows need a firmer grip. But always remember a good tip "Don't squeeze da bow!". The following comparison showed up some of these differences.
A Comparison
Firstly, the Thomachot does not in any way sound like a new bow. A bow acquires and matures most of its remaining tone in the first 5 years of use, and then matures another 50% in the next 5 years.. after 25 years it has practically reached its maximum resonance. These are rough figures, not to be taken literally, but the concept seems true. So this is hardly fair, but I decided to compare the Thomachot with a real classic heavyweight in the tone department... a mature Jules Fétique. Jules was the brother of Victor, who made bows of considerable rigid design. The Jules Fétique is an early 20th Century workhorse bow costing 3 to 4 times more than the Thomachot. The Jules Fétique I own is a large scale / massive bow, it feels firmer, slightly more direct, almost with more penetration and focus of tone, especially chords with the bass strings, D and G. The Fétique suggests or needs a stronger bow hold, too so I would say the Fétique is more rigid than the Thomachot. Also, playing on one and then switching immediately to the other is tricky. It takes time to adjust the firmness of one's bow hold so that it matches the consistency of the stick and so that the best tone is produced. Adapting to a different bow probably takes 30-60 minutes, and this does tend to make comparing bows difficult. Let me add that 1 hour would still only allow a superficial settling down... for a deeper, more comfortable and at home feeling, I would need to play a bow for a week or two to really get 100% out of it. Suffice it to say that one cannot simply change bow immediately.
Above : You can see the frog has no silver
underslide, (this is to enhance the richness of sound). The fitting of the frog
without underslide apparently takes more work, according to Mr. Thomachot.
I can certainly say the this frog boasts a very perfect fit to the bow. The
Silver lapping is Silver thread (actually more expensive than Solid Silver),
probably used in preference to conserve weight.
You could argue that comparing Thomachot to a Fétique is like comparing oranges to apples; they are simply quite different both in design and performance, yet both bows hold their own ground, and excel in their own right. The Thomachot certainly has a wider gamut of colours and a generally lush tone, whereas the Fétique is more one dimensional in terms of dynamics, but shows greater focus and purity of tone in the bass register (G and D strings). This is especially evident playing a double stop G &D, Also, after playing the Fétique, switching back to the Thomachot, one can say that the Thomachot does not feel poor nor disappointing in any way... I did a similar test with an EA Ouchard at Raffin's last year. I tried it against a Lamy... and the Ouchard didn't quite have the same lush tone, it had maybe 70% of it, but, more importantly it certainly did not sound poor nor disappointing in comparison. Of course it was a lot more rigid than the Lamy. It's also very difficult to stay objective, because the prejudice one has in favour of famous old names ! Blind tests are often interesting and very worthwhile.
Another Comparison
I also own a Benoit Rolland bow (click link and scroll down to see it). The shape of the Rolland head (but not the camber) is a little strange; the tapered end of the stick is a little thin and the head a little big. However, the Rolland has a dark wood, and also a warm, dark tone to go with it. The Bass is exceptionally rich, but although it is a beautiful bow, made with exquisite precision it is also a bow of somewhat light build, not my first choice for a Concerto Performance. The differences in this second comparison are much less pronounced than with the Fétique, yet compared with the Rolland the Thomachot feels more robust, thicker at the heel, and is a slightly more rigid and composed stick. Both bows have an equally beautiful sound, the Rolland on a slightly smaller scale has a darker tone, very sweet and full of bass, and the Thomachot no less impressive; a luscious powerful tone from heel to tip with perhaps more life and lightness in the treble. These are the only two contemporary bows I own, and they certainly are masterful works, by surely the World's top two makers. The wood of the Thomachot is not a dark chocolate brown that the Rolland has, but rather a lighter colour and fairly red stick. Subconsciously I tend to think a dark wood will make a richer sound, but in the case of the Thomachot this reversal certainly caught my attention. Between the two I wouldn't be able to say which is the better bow, because they mostly compliment each other in design and characteristics.
Conclusion
The biggest surprise for me ordering this bow was that I actually got almost exactly what I was expecting. There were no disappointments and nothing unusual turned up ! I literally got exactly what I wanted, which is very unusual in this day and age ! The very few features that were a little different and unexpected were minor enough to forget about. Tonally this bow rivals older bows of the 20th and 19th Century. It is of course brand new in perfect condition with no wear or tear which is a big positive compared to an antique bow. Good bows are marvels of engineering and this one is no exception; springing strokes are predictable and easy. I would rate this bow very highly; it is a versatile tool, a good all-round performer, has an awesome tone, and is a great pleasure to play with.
Addendum 1 year on..
It's Feb. 2010, and I use the bow for teaching and as a general purpose bow. It's definitely sturdier than the Benoit Rolland, which seems more delicate in comparison... again, the Thomachot is suited to Concertos or sturdy style bowing in Solo Bach... the Rolland has a darker and more intimate sound. The Thomachot is certainly brighter... silvery bright. It has probably mellowed somewhat over the year... that's hard to prove of course, but certainly a subjective feeling. Basically, I'm still happy with the bow, and am not disappointed in any particular weakness or shortcoming inherent in the bow. It seems like an excellent general purpose bow, suitable for almost any repertoire... I feel the bow encourages a Concerto scale sound and use; so far a versatile bow with excellent sound, elasticity, form and structural nerve. I would say there is scope for very slightly more rigidity, and perhaps another gram of weight... the neck does worry me as it looks a bit thin ... but then don't they all ?