Made with “ESPRIT”
We strive to recreate varieties of tones and the richness in sound expression of the great French bows with “ESPRIT” of French Masters. Two lines of the KUNITAKA OHSE and the Archet lines of bows are offered.
CONCEPT
Made with “ESPRIT”
We strive to recreate varieties of tones and the richness in sound expression of the great French bows with “ESPRIT” of French Masters. Two lines of the KUNITAKA OHSE and the Archet lines of bows are offered.
The Origin of Bow Making
A French bow maker François Xavier Tourte is the most important figure in the history of the modern bow making. By fully utilizing his experiences as being trained as a watchmaker in his youth, he started to make Modern Bows. Tourte, among others, started using durable and yet fairly elastic pernambuco for the bow stick. He also introduced unprecedented use of precise clock mechanism as well as elaborate decorations on the bows, successfully transformed a bow into a sheer “instrument”.
With Respect for French Masters
Our ideals are the masterpieces made by great French bow-makers of the 19th century, such as D.Pecccatte, F.N.Voirin and E.Sartory. We have collected their works since our beginning and closely studied them firsthand.
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KUNITAKA OHSE 大瀬 国隆
A personal brand “KUNITAKA OHSE” bows are all handcrafted by Ohse, an Archet Co.’s master bow maker in a hidden mountain village of Gokayama, Japan. Ohse bows are used by many musicians around the world.
Archet
The “Archet” line of bows are made in Japan in the French tradition. The bows are made with selected Pernambuco and are handcrafted by our experienced craftsman.
SMALL SIZE
Lines of quality small sized bows for children are offered. The violin bows are from size 1/8 to 3/4 and the cello bows are offered from size 1/4 to 3/4.
COLUMN
François-Xavier Tourte
Founder of modern French Bow Making
French bow maker François Xavier Tourte, often referred to as “Stradivari of the bow”, is the most important figure in the history of the modern bow making. He was initially trained as a watchmaker but began making bows around 1774-5.
In collaboration with the violin virtuoso Viotti, Tourte made modifications of a sticks length, a frog with screws and metal ferrules and so on. These modifications were made based on the changes in players’ techniques and the expansion of the tonal palette.
His bows are exquisite and command the highest prices for their extraordinary craftsmanship and their elegance, none the less to say, they are greatly appreciated by the players.
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