Jeffrey Holmes

Hello tartarane.

No, not forbidden, just not the best place.  I moved your original request to the luthier exchange where I felt it was more appropriate.

http://www.maestrone...he-violin-wood/

OK.  Now that everyone is acquainted, maybe we can go forward?

Saved from Dec. 2012.

Sartory was a very prolific maker.  His bows are not rare.  Most sales have several of them.  The high prices they command can only be explained by their playing qualities.  They are said to be very well suited to modern playing.

I think Ben's explanation is very creative way in which to express the how Sartory bows are received within the market.  In truth, I do not see that the quality varies as little as the prices seem to, but they were a very consistent product over all.

I think of the acceptance on the market a little differently than Ben does, but I believe the ideas are complimentary. As a group, Sartory bows play very easily (handle extremely well), are easily recognized, are relatively plentiful (and therefore have easily trackable market performance).  In other words, they are pretty easy to understand.  

No, not many soloists use them in concert (though many have one in their case).  A notable expception might be Hilary Hahn.  Interestingly enough, she also plays a Vuillaume... an instrument maker who might fall into the same descriptive category as that of a Sartory bow.  Her Vuillaume and the bow seem pretty complimentary in many ways, I suppose... and they are both rather good examples.

Think of the disparity in value that used to exist between a Vuillaume and a Lupot (another Paris maker with a lower production and a bit more personality).  That disparity is slowly disappearing.  A good Vuillaume can now command well more than half of what a good Lupot would cost.  I can think of a number of other 19th & 20th century makers of both bows and instruments in which this same situation exists.