Lovingly handcrafted

About

Gregor Walbrodt began his bowmaking training in 1990 in Bubenreuth, which he completed with distinction in 1993. In 1994 Mr. Walbrodt moved to Lille, France for one year to study French bow making with J.M.Panhaleux and from 1995–1996 he trained and worked alongside with Stéphane Thomachot in Paris.

In the summer of 1996 Mr. Walbrodt moved back to his hometown Berlin to open his own workshop. He received his first gold medal at the Violin Society of America (VSA) International Violin and Bow Making Competition in 1996, followed by two gold medals in Mittenwald in 1997, two gold medals at the 1998 VSA competition, a gold medal at the 2000 VSA competition and a bronze medal in Manchester (GB) at the 2001 Cello Festival.

In autumn of 1999 Mr. Walbrodt passed the masters exam in bow making.

Gregor Walbrodt works entirely in the French bowmaking tradition, using models by F. X. Tourte, J.M. Persoit, E. Pajeot, D. Peccatte, P. Simon, F.N. Voirin, and E. Sartory among others, entirely by hand with carefully selected materials.

THE BOW AS A SOURCE OF INSPIRATION

The ideal combination of musician, instrument and bow; that is the goal.

But how can one achieve this?

A bow should both function as perfectly as possible and produce a beautiful sound on the instrument; ideally it should serve, along with the instrument, as a source of inspiration.

When a musician can virtually “forget” about the bow while playing, then they are fully immersed in the music and its interpretation.

The qualities I expect from a bow are perfect balance from tip to frog, and good flexibility while maintaining stability.

This can only be achieved through special knowledge of wood selection and processing.

The results, the finished bows, are played and tested by me with special care before they leave the workshop. In this way, small but important corrections can be made.

Everything is possible and the art is to bring everything into harmony and perfection.

From my years of experience in bow making and violin playing, I can recognize the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of each bow, whether new or old, and can fully understand the impressions of the musician. It is always a pleasure to match each musician to their perfect bow.