Bow Components
Bow Frog Assembled
Bow Frog Disassembled
Top of Frog Detail
Bow Tip Disassembled
Button - The button is connected to the screw and allows it to be turned. Different variations can be seen, including a three-part button of alternating metal and frog material as well as Hill style with a silver cap over ebony.
Eye - The eye is typically made of the same material as the slide, usually shell. Motifs vary, but are usually a round dot or a dot enclosed by a metal circle. This is known as a "Parisian eye".
Eyelet - The eyelet is the housing that the screw moves through to tension the hair.
Ferrule - Made from nickel or silver, the ferrule spreads the hair evenly at the frog by holding the spread wedge in place.
Frog - The frog is the housing where one end of a ribbon of hair is secured in the mortise. Typically is made of ebony, but also can be made of tortoise shell, ivory, snake wood, horn, pearl, and amber.
Frog Mortise - The frog mortise is an area of the frog where a wooden plug holds the hair in place.
Heel Plate - Somewhat aesthetic, the heel plate can be made from metal or the same material as the slide.
Liner - The liner is a thin layer of ebony or fiber that protects the head of the stick.
Plug - A piece of wood that is cut to fit into each mortise, the tip mortise and the frog mortise. It holds the hair in place at both ends of the bow.
Screw - The adjusting screw moves the frog along the stick and therefore, adjusts the hair tension.
Stick - The main component of the bow. It is usually made from pernambuco, brazilwood or some synthetic material (carbon fiber, etc.).
Slide - The slide is made from a thin piece of decorative mother of pearl, abalone, or other material. It protects the mortise and the portion where the hair is held.
Spread Wedge - The spread wedge can be made from various woods. It is located in the ferrule and holds the hair in place and spreads it evenly.
Thumb Grip - The thumb grip (also sometimes called the thumb leather) protects the stick from wear of the thumb.
Tip - The tip is a region of the bow also known as the head.
Tip Mortise - The tip mortise is a hole in the tip and which houses a wooden plug to hold the hair in place. It also helps to spread the hair.
Tip Plate - Made of ivory, bone, metal, or plastic, the tip plate helps to reinforce the strength of the head and holds the plug in place.
Underslide - The underslide is a liner between the frog and stick. It helps guide the frog along the stick when adjusting the hair tension and protects from abrasion.
Winding - Also called the lapping or wrapping, the winding may be made from silver, nickel silver, whalebone, plastic, tinsel, or silk. It protects the stick from perspiration and dirt from the hand as well as aiding the player by providing a grip.
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© Southwest Strings 2003-2012 and all rights are reserved.
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© Southwest Strings 2003-2012 and all rights are reserved.
(So please don't copy our content!)