ARCHET TÊTE-BÊCHE CLASSIQUE
For over 25 years, alongside his traditional bowmaking work, Gilles Nehr has been meticulously developing a revolutionary bow model: the Tête-Bêche. This innovative design is crafted to meet the diverse needs of violinists, violists, cellists, and soon, double bassists.
The Tête-Bêche bow model is a pragmatic and empirical solution designed to enhance the core attributes of traditional bows. It provides exceptional resistance, superior sound quality, a self-rehairing feature, and a unique fine-tuning balance system.
The Tête-Bêche model is not just a bow; it is a fusion of tradition and innovation, tailored to elevate your playing experience. Discover the perfect blend of craftsmanship and convenience with the Tête-Bêche bow by Gilles Nehr.
The stick is made of wood, the head and frog are in titanium, the button and hook are in bronze.
Color
Black coated titanium
Golden coated titanium
Self-rehairing
The Tête-Bêche is a self-rehairing bow, allowing you to easily replace the hair yourself using ready-made Tête-Bêche hanks. If you ever run out of these hanks, the bow can still be rehaired using the traditional method.
Hair hanks are shipped worldwide, each contained within a cassette that is sealed in a vacuum pocket to protect against dust, bugs, humidity, and dryness, allowing for long-term storage. Empty cassettes are re-used, and returning them reduces the cost of your next hair order.
The playing length is consistent across all Tête-Bêche bows: 66 cm for violin and viola bows, and 62.5 cm for cello bows.
Thanks to the fixed frog, musicians can select their ideal distance between the frog and the thumb grip, and this distance will always remain the same, regardless of how much the bow is tightened or loosened.
Additionally, the extended path of the hook that holds the hair within the frog eliminates issues with hair being too short or too long due to usage or weather conditions.
Adjusting the Balance Point
Achieving each player’s perfect balance is essential for optimal performance.
The button is positioned inside the bow’s frog, lower than a traditional button and adding weight closer to the hair level, resulting in enhanced stability while playing.
Every Tête-Bêche bow comes with a set of five interchangeable buttons: one standard button and four additional buttons, each adding an extra 1g respectively. Changing these buttons is quick and easy, allowing musicians to adjust the bow’s weight effortlessly.
The Tête-Bêche uses a light silk thread, with these buttons acting as the primary weight adjusters.
While thicker wood dimensions are sometimes used during bow making to add weight, this approach is limited, as it can make the lower part of the bow too stiff and reduce its responsiveness.
The adjustable button system provides a precise and refined way for musicians to achieve their ideal balance, offering unparalleled personalization to match their unique needs.
Weight adjuster buttons
Available weight adjuster buttons for Violin (V), Viola (A) and Cello (C)
Woods
Pernambuco
The legendary wood of choice for bows, renowned for its unique qualities.
With Pernambuco classified as an endangered and protected species, its rarity has intensified, and available stocks are dwindling. Gilles Nehr’s own precious supply, secured over 25 years ago, is now very small, but it still allows him to craft bows of extraordinary artistry.
A wood that comes in a variety of types, ranging from dense to light, offering a fast and quick response or a softer feel.
Pernambuco's natural color varies from vibrant orange to rich red and deep brown.
Natural
Aged
Giraffe Thorn Acacia
Giraffe Thorn Acacia stands as an exceptional alternative to Pernambuco, offering a responsible choice for those mindful of ecological impact.
This wood is of incredible quality, rivaling Pernambuco in high performance. It is dense, quick, and powerful, producing a focused yet warm and beautiful sound—often even richer than dense Pernambuco.
While its light natural color may be less striking and the variety of types more limited, its consistency is a significant advantage. Almost every stick of Acacia is suitable for bowmaking, unlike Pernambuco, which requires sorting through lower-quality wood to find the best pieces. This results in less waste of Acacia trees, making it an almost entirely usable and high-quality resource.
Natural
Aged
Stick shapes
The Tête-Bêche offers the traditional options of round or octagonal stick shapes.
Round
Octagonal
