CodaBow Joule For Extended Range Violas and Cellos
Extended-range bows for viola and cello
Whether it’s a 5-string acoustic cello or a 7-string electric viola, the demands made by those additional strings can overwhelm a traditional bow. Building on the popularity of the original Joule for extended-range violin, CodaBow has introduced new extended-range models for cello and viola. The Joule’s design is an adaptation of the traditional violin bow, using 21st-century materials, designed especially to meet those requirements.
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- Woven carbon-fiber shaft
- Kevlar composite core
- Limited ten-year warranty
- Handcrafted in the U.S.A.
- The Joule: violin, $675; viola, $735; cello, $795 (MSRP)
Inside the woven carbon-fiber exterior of each CodaBow is an “acoustic core” composed of a blend of synthetic materials, such as Kevlar and strong synthetic aramid fibers, that determine many of the bow’s unique characteristics. For instance, the designers at CodaBow were able to remove some mass from the frog and engineer additional stiffness and mass into the stick in order to draw a solid, core sound out of the extra low strings without crushing the treble strings. Other elements of the Joule design include the unique “swept back” shape of the frog, which offers a slightly longer hair length for more string control, yet preserves the familiar balance and feel of a violin bow.
Though designed originally for extended-range electric instruments, the Joule has proven to be even more popular with acoustic musicians, says CodaBow founder Jeff Van Fossen. “Most [of these bows] are going onto traditional violins,” he says. “We didn’t want to deprive violists and cellists of the opportunity,” he says.
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