Just what bows did the great players use?

This is a common question that occurs quite frequently from requests from all around the globe. So below is the beginning of the definitive list. Most players have a stable of bows (Oistrakh used to buy a bunch on his trips to Paris) but also tend to have a favourite that they use more than others. Sometimes players have arrangements to endorse modern makers but often they do not use the bows for concert performances. All players try many bows and use different ones for different repertoire.

Paganini - Jacob Eury (this bow was broken in several places when it fell off the back of Paganini’s coach when he was travelling in Britain on his way to Newcastle. Paganini took it to J B Vuillaume, whose workshop repaired it. He continued to use this bow extensively) Tourte and Italian bow of unknown origin. He had an interest in the steel bows Viullaume produced but soon moved back to his favourite bows.

  • Viotti – Tourte

  • Sivori – Pajeot

  • Dancla – Voirin

  • Alard – Voirin Peccatte

  • Ysaye – Tourte – late in his career he ordered a bow from Fetique (1920), also a long association with Sartory buying a steady stream.

  • Busch – Tourte

  • Flesch – Persoit

  • Capet – Vigneron Tubbs

  • Toscha Seidel – Peccatte Maire

  • Elman – Voirin Peccatte

  • Gingold – Vigneron

  • Oistrakh – Richaume – from 1957 also E A Ouchard, Voirin, Lamy and Nurnburger

  • Kreisler – Lamy Hill

  • Farras – Dominique Peccatte Pajeot

  • Milstein - Tourte

  • Szeryng - Peccatte

  • Stern -Tourte Pajeot Voirin Maline

  • Szigeti – Charles Peccatte Voirin

  • Heifetz – Kittel Tourte Peccatte Lamy Henrik Kaston

  • Menuhin – Voirin Tourte Peccatte Sartory

  • Francescatti - Voirin Peccatte Lamy

  • Rabin - Vigneron JJ Millant Hill

  • Kochansky - Kittel

  • Sarasate - Voirin

  • Kogan - Peccatte

  • Kyung Wha Chung – Adam

  • Cho-liang Lin - Pajeot A E Ouchard Sartory

  • Hilary Hahn - James Tubbs

  • Vengerov - Simon

  • Perlman – Henry Hill

  • Repin – Kittel

  • Zuckerman - Voirin Peccatte Guthrie

  • Pamela Frank -Simon

  • Christian Ferras – Dominique Peccatte A E Ouchard

  • Benedetti – Fonclause A E Ouchard

  • Elmar Oliviera – JJ Millant Tourte

  • Midori – Peccatte

  • Bell – Tourte

  • Kennedy – Finkel

  • Ehnes -Peccatte

  • Tognetti – Sartory

  • Hugh Bean – Lamy, Nurnberger

  • Neveu – Lamy

  • Albert Sammons – Tubbs

  • Nona Liddell – J A Vigneron, two, her favourite is a repaired one

  • Peter Hembrough – whatever I fancy! (mostly Maire, Eury and Sartory)