Aria Carbon Fiber Double Bass Bow

This amazing, professional-grade, carbon fiber bow is specially made of a uni-directional carbon fiber, which is not gunked up with a heavy overspray. It gives it a nifty "unfinished" look when seen close-up, but that's not the important part - the lack of heavy gloss finishing makes this bow feel very "alive" in the hand. You can hold the bow in one hand, and gently tap on the other end, and feel every nuance of the vibration. I love getting that level of feedback from the bow!

Here at the shop, on the bass, this bow resonates very well - without feeling "stiff" - and produces a broad, clear tone. It also has a very light tip, even though the weights of these bows are around the "average" for a 3/4 size bow. This bias of the weight towards the frog allows for a certain "deftness" in playability, and for many, a lessened fatigue when playing longer performances.

Artino Says: The specially developed uni-directional carbon fiber gives this bow with great flexibility and quick response for various bowing techniques. Fantastic balance makes this bow feel like an extension of your arm. The bow is very easy to control, and the fully-lined French and half-lined German frogs are well-crafted and traditionally shaped.

We carry both German and French with (natural, not bleached) white horsehair.

The Artino Aria bow will include an Artino lightweight aluminum hard case, which can fit into the bow pockets of many double bass bags (those with a gusseted pocket, usually). It does not, unfortunately, fit into our Gollihur Bass Bag bow pocket.

Will it ever warp, break or fatigue?
That depends upon what you plan to do with the bow! We have seen carbon-fiber bows survive some pretty remarkable situations. Normal playing and handling will not break the bow. As for warping and fatiguing, the bows are created with a permanent camber; because it is happiest in its cambered shape, such a bow, with normal use (and proper loosening of the hair between uses), shouldn't ever wander from that shape; thus never having to be recambered.

Why is graphite fiber the composite of choice for bows?
As the name implies, Graphite fiber composites utilize fibers made of graphite (carbon). These fibers are extremely thin, long, oriented chains of carbon atoms. Carbon atoms are also the basic building blocks of the cellulose fibers which distinguish fine pernambuco wood. In a broad sense, pernambuco wood is a natural composite material comprised of carbon-based fibers (visible in part as its grain) immersed in a resin (the pulp.) Because of the similarity, a graphite fiber composite, properly-engineered and utilized, is a worthy substitute for the finest pernambuco.

What is a composite material?
A composite material is generally any material comprised of fibers and resin that draws benefits from each. Fibers, most commonly fiberglass or graphite (carbon), run through a composite material like grains through wood. The resin of a composite material surrounds these fibers and holds them in place. Without the resins, a composite would become a limp bundle of fibers, without the fibers the composite would lose its stiffness and strength properties. We are surrounded by examples of composites improving our performance and our lives—sailboats, tennis rackets, skis, golf clubs, flyrods—just to name a few examples of products that were vastly improved through the use of composite materials.
What about other repairs? Because these bows preserve the refined tradition of fine wood bows, a professional violin shop can perform traditional repairs to the frog, button screw, windings, hair, and grip. The bow’s graphite-fiber shaft resists most hazards threatening traditional wooden bows and should require minimal attention under normal use.


FYI, our scale weighed samples of the French at 128g and German 126g in March of 2020.

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