THE SHORT REVIEW: Bright tone, broad open sound - Easy manoeuvrability, feels medium light in the hand -Stiffer than a wood bow -Attractive -Vegan -Quick and inexpensive shipping -No tracking number -No country of origin -No response to my question.
THE INDEPTH REVIEW: I waited until I had tried this bow with 5 different violins before writing a review. Bows can seem very different when played on different violins. By trying it on different violins I could get a feeling for the fundamental qualities of the bow. The bow is bright in tone; it very much has a bright timbre. I would not describe this as good or bad. If this bow is paired with the right violin and the right player, it can be a good match but paired with the wrong violin and the wrong player, I think it would be an unfortunate match. On each of the violins the bow brought out the higher overtones and to a small extent lessened the core tone. I would also describe the sound as broad and open. I could not find the weight of the bow listed on the Coruss website. I did not weigh the bow myself, but I can tell you how the bow feels, which is ultimately more important than the actual weight. Off of the instrument, the bow feels heavy, but on the instrument the bow feels medium light. The bow does not feel as light as an Arcus bow nor even as light as a Coda Luma bow. It is lighter in feel than an Eastman Cadenza bow or the Marquise Coda bow. Everyone who tried the bow, described it as playing like a medium light bow. The bow is easy to control and manoeuvre, I would say that this is its best feature. The bow is on the stiff side compared to a Pernambuco bow. Some people like a stiff bow, some do not. The bow is attractive, it looks modern but at the same time it completely passes for a wood bow. There is a clear plastic sleeve over the nickel-silver winding. I do not know if this is just for shipping (to keep the winding from tarnishing), or if it is a design feature of the bow. I have actually left it on since it feels nice. I did write to Coruss and ask them about the plastic sleeve, but they never wrote back. As well as the weight of the bow not being listed on the website; there is no country of manufacture listed for the bow either - at least not that I found. I tend to assume a product is made in China if no country of origin is listed. I think if it were made in Europe that they would mention that as a positive selling point. I appreciate the Coruss bow hair. I wish that I had thought to purchase the Coruss rosin, I would like to try it. I find that the choice of rosin makes more of a difference with the Coruss bow hair, mores so than it does with horse hair. The shipping was cheap, and quick and I am not located in Europe. The bow was packaged well. A tracking number was promised via an automated email but I never got a tracking number. I check my spam filter daily for my non musician work.
A later edit. I did hear from Coruss and the transparent plastic wrapping over the nickel-silver wire is NOT to be removed and is actually a permanent part of the bow. This is a very unusual design feature; it surprises me that they don't mention on the website anywhere. It is clearly visible in the photos of the pastel violin bows. I am suspicious that the plastic wrap will not age well. However, if one has a nickel allergy, this plastic prevents contact with the wire.
