Rehair your Bow
When about 5% of a bow's hair is broken (or has become too long, so that it can no longer be tightened properly), a bow needs to be "re-haired". Any good violin workshop should be able to rehair your Arcus bow, but please check with the shop to make sure they own a hair gauge. This way they can put the correct amount of hair on the bow as a “regular” rehair would be too thin/weak for an Arcus bow. For a particularly precise and easy determination of the hair thickness, we recommend the hair gauge from B.Logic, our in-house brand for accessories.
Alternatively, you can of course send your bow to us and we will carry out the rehair.
Since the year 2014 we have been engraving the ideal hair thickness on every bow stick (in the picture 7.5 mm²). You can find the engraving by removing the frog.
If your bow does not have this engraving you can send it back to us, so that we can check its stiffness and to determine its ideal hair thickness. Otherwise, we recommend that you refer to the following table below.
Ideal hair thickness in mm²
The ideal hair thickness depends on the elasticity and curve of the bow but you can also modify the hair thickness to match the play and feel of the bow to your demands. A thicker hank will provide a softer feel and make the bow less bouncy. A thinner hank will improve the bounce, provides a “tighter” feel with increased agility.
Cleaning the Stick
Since our bow sticks are not varnished, their carbon surface can be cleaned very easily with any common cleaning agent (, or simply by rubbing them with a robust cloth.
Silver-Polish
Of all materials, silver has the most beautiful and brightest shine, but only when it is not tarnished. To restore its shine, you may use a regular silver polish cloth designed for silver jewellery.
Cleaning the Hair
The reason for a loss in grip of the bow hair is usually dirty rosin. This can be washed out with alcohol. For a thorough cleaning we pour alcohol over the hair or wet a paper towel with alcohol and wipe the hair with this. This process is repeated until all the residual rosin is removed. Then we blot the hair with dry paper towel and let is rest for several hours until it is completely dry. Now we comb the hair thoroughly to separate all hairs, and the bow is ready for applying fresh rosin.
If you try this by yourself, make sure to do that far away from your instrument, as alcohol is very dangerous for its varnish. We also don't recommend this procedure with other bows than an Arcus, as their varnish or paint may suffer.
Bow Upgrade
If you already own an Arcus bow but would like to purchase a higher-quality model, we will be happy to take your old one in as a trade-in. Many of our dealers may also offer this service. A different bow is sometimes also advisable if you have changed instruments and the bow does not fit perfectly.
Missing Bows
Even though it happens very rarely, it does happen: Someone loses their Arcus bow or it is stolen. However, the serial number allows us to identify the bow in question in order to be able to return it to its original owner.
Should you know anything about the whereabouts of one of the bows listed below, please contact us.
Bow Model | Serial Number | Missing since | Place + Characteristics |
German bass bow S8 | 39210 | 2022 | USA |
German bass bow S4 | 59033 | July 2023 | Greece (Athens) |
Violin bow M7 | 44276 | Nov 2023 | Germany | woven fabric outside |
30 Year Warranty
In our Würzburg workshop a team of highly skilled craftsmen spare no effort to create the finest bows ever made. We use only the best materials to make the sticks in a unique and very labor intensive process. The high-density carbon fiber structure that is created this way will last virtually forever.
Because of the fantastic durability of our bows we offer a 30 warranty on the bow sticks. For the tip plate, the frog and the button we offer a 2 year warranty. The hair, thumb leather, the winding, the screw and nut are excluded from warranty as they are subject to normal wear and tear.
Any warranty claim must be directed towards the original seller. Should that not be possible, please get in touch with the Arcus distributor in your country. Otherwise please contact us directly to inform us of the damage and its circumstances. We will then inform you about further procedures.
The warranty applies only under normal playing conditions. Should a bow be damaged under circumstances that are outside warranty limits, please get in touch with us anyway. We will try to offer you a repair or replacement at especially favorable conditions.
Any warranty expires when substantial changes are made to the bow, especially the attempt to change the curve of the stick, which is absolutely impossible. Any damage that is caused during unqualified work on rehairing the bow is also excluded. Please contact your Arcus-dealer, the distributor or us in any such case to find the best possible solution.
All Arcus bows made in Austria before 2009, named Sonata, Sinfonia, Concerto, Cadenza, Allegro, Veloce or Vega, are covered by a 10 year warranty on the stick only.
By the way, the warranty is not limited to the initial owner of the bow, but is automatically transfered to any later owner.
Please register your bow after purchase, no matter if it is new or used.
Register
Please use this form to register your bow. We also welcome your rating of the various qualities of the bow and any other experience you would like to share:
Dealers
At these dealers you can find our bows: A complete listing of all official Arcus dealerships.