Home / Bow Making
Bespoke bows by Philip Brown
Bow Making
Bows made in our Newbury workshop, in the tradition of the finest originals — played by leading musicians and institutions around the world.
Philip first became interested in bow making while studying at an instrument-making college in London’s East End in the early 1980s. Handling fine old bows shapes every stage of his work, and his own collection of 18th-century bows lets him make close bench copies of historical pieces — something few contemporary makers can offer.
He regularly hosts well-known bow makers in the workshop, and attends bow-making workshops at Halsway Manor in Somerset, West Dean College in Sussex and Oberlin College in Ohio.
The Sun King
Philip worked closely with Sir Roger Norrington on the 2012 BBC Proms recreation of 24 Violins of the Sun King. He and his team made every bow for the orchestra.
A bow from Padua, 1591
A 16th-century design from Padua in northern Italy has proved a success: larch with gold leaf, developed for violinist Oliver Webber from a prototype based on an extant example of 1591.
The Panormo model cello bow
Philip and American maker Lee Guthrie make a Panormo-model cello bow together. Using a bow from Philip’s own collection as the reference, they created a hybrid combining the most beautiful Panormo with the best-playing one. They meet once a year to make just two, using a small supply of old pernambuco with the right density to match the original’s stiffness, weight and balance.
Models and prices
Many other models are available — ask about current options.
For violinists
- Larch and gold leaf violin bow (Padua, 1591)A 16th-century design from Padua in larch with gold leaf, developed with violinist Oliver Webber. £1,500
- Sonata violin bow in snakewoodSnakewood with a fixed frog — extremely articulate and quick. £1,500
- Mid-18th-century Tourte copy violin bowFluted stick with adjuster, after mid-18th-century Tourte. £3,750
- Classical violin bow after the Tourte brothers (1780)Rare amourette wood and mammoth ivory, usually after the Tourte brothers. £3,750
- Classical violin bow after the Dodd brothersA classical model, usually after the Dodd brothers. £3,750
For cellists and bass violinists
- Fixed-frog cello bow in ebonyEbony stick with a bloodwood frog. £1,400
- Mid-18th-century English model cello bowFluted stick with adjuster, mid-18th-century English model. £2,500
- Classical cello bow after the Tourte brothers (1780)Rare amourette or pernambuco with mammoth ivory, usually after the Tourte brothers. £4,000
- Panormo copy cello bowMade with Lee Guthrie — just two a year, in old pernambuco matched to the original. £5,000