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Richard Weichold's life overlapped with that of Beethoven. He lived from 1823 to 1902 and was considered as one of the leading bowmakers of the late 19th century. He was the preferred supplier of bows to the foremost virtuosi of his day - Henley refers to some 'magnificent' bows that contributed to the comfort and skill of leading soloists of the 19th century. Weichold was born in Dresden and studied bowmaking under the master, H. R. Pfretzschner, in Markneukirchen - then the leading bowmaker in Germany and the last pupil of J-B. Vuillaume. He moved to Hamburg, but later returned to Dresden where he remained until his death. There was only one Richard Weichold in Germany's bowmaking history. His last bows are already well over 100 years old - each and every one of them highly esteemed and sought after by professional musicians to this day. Along with Adolf C. Schuster, H. R. Pfretzschner, W. A. Pfretzschner, Heinz Dölling and others, Richard Weichold's work bears testimony that the finest of German bowmaking has its roots, not in German traditions, but in French bowmaking. This bow, stamped R. WEICHOLD DRESDEN shows the signs of considerable use and rightly so - it has the superb playing properties that all Weichold's bows are known for. The stick is very firm, allowing for superb control. This bow is well balanced with superb weight distribution over the length and with excellent articulation.
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The Stick :
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Octagonal. Superb pernambuco
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The Nut :
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Ebony with Parisian eye - this nickel-mounted nut quite clearly is not the original.
The three ring adjustor button is of solid silver and appears to be original to the stick.
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Mountings :
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The nut is mounted in nickel and the adjustor button is of silver and ebony.
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Lapping :
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Silver wire with black leather thumbpad
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Tip Slide :
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Bone. Slightly damaged
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Condition :
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Although perfectly usable as it is, this bow would benefit from a refurbishing by a good bow maker, which should include a new tip slide, new hair and a revision of the nut.
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