Is a Snakewood Violin of Fiddle Bow an Alternative to Pernambuco?
No! Snakewood is for Baroque bows, which are used for playing Baroque music on Baroque violins. The wood is heavy and does not hold the camber (reverse curve) that is so critical to Tourte (i.e. modern) bows. Francois Tourte explicitly rejected snakewood as being unsuitable for his bows. We nearly cried when we heard that a vendor (yes, a competitor) sold a snakewood Tourte bow to a young fiddle student who was considering buying an entry-level carbon fiber bow (OK, yes from us). Now, you might ask, why not use a Baroque bow for modern playing. We’ll get into the details some other time, but suffice it to say that Tourte did not invent the modern bow just to be different. Snakewood looks really cool, but it sucks for modern violin and fiddle bows. Adventurous Muse and Don Rickert Lutherie Policy on Pernambuco Wood Bows Pernambuco is an endangered wood and has been since the 17th century, at least. To be fair to those of use who make and sell bows, the shortage of Pernambuco has more to
