The world of arco upright bass is among one of the most challenging, disciplined and costly endeavors in the low end community.

Conservatory like focus, specific techniques and unfortunately, a very high price-curve make it among the most lofty of peaks. Ned Steinberger design has prided themselves for decades in creating EUB and EUB accessories that compete with orchestra level quality instruments and their essentials in a much, much more reasonable price point.

For the uninitiated, a high end orchestra level French bow that can compete in the professional realm can range into the thousands of dollars. A Samuel Kolstein vintage bow has been known to go for $5,500 and sometimes others can go even higher. With an MSRP of $345 and a Street price of $260 the NS Design composite material French Bow comes with luxury features and construction of an orchestra level bow at an incredibly reasonable price.

The greatest advantage the NS bows have over traditional bows is the carbon fiber/composite material construction. With durability and ruggedness a normal bow cannot offer, it also retains the light weight and ease of balance that wooden bows were designed for. The biggest advantage being its incredible resistance to climate variations and its ability to retain preferred tautness once the really easily adjustable end has your strings to preference.

After two weeks of theater gigs the horsehair had almost zero wear and tear, even when passages went to fortissimo for extended periods of time. Dynamics were easier to control than with my wooden bow and I did not need to cake on my Pop’s Rosin to get firm yet malleable grip on the strings. Match that with an ebony frog, pearlescent inlay, and nickel/silver fittings make the bow look as good as it is functional.

Click to watch a FB Live video where I go over a bit more of the features and showcase it in practice.

Overall 10/10 for the price

For more information, visit online at thinkns.com/accessory/bows/