'Joseph Alfred Lamy' Violin Bow by J.Thibouville-Lamy

1. Thibouville-Lamy ‘Master Archetier’ bows honour the expertise of the Mirecourt bow-makers of the 19th and 20th centuries with each bow blank selected from a coveted stock of the finest 20 year seasoned Pernambuco. Each blank is first tested for resonance and elasticity using a Lucchi Meter, with only blanks achieving a rating above 5300 making the necessary grade. This grading process ensures that only the very finest sticks are selected for the very finest bows. Bow frogs are cut from fine Burmese Ebony and hand-finished with ‘925’ sterling silver fittings; the grips are made of the softest leather and wound with ‘925’ Silver wire; and the bow hair is unbleached, Mongolian horsetail, prized for its thickness and strength.

Joseph Alfred Lamy – commonly referred to as ‘Père Lamy or Lamy Père’ and whose bows were stamped ‘A LAMY A PARIS’ – was born in Mirecourt in 1850. In his late 20s, going to work as an assistant to Francois Nicolas Voirin in his Paris workshops. In 1885, upon the death of Voirin, Joseph Alfred Lamy started his own workshop. Just like Francois Voirin, Joseph Lamy was influenced by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume’s style and design aspirations, and sought to build strong, weighty bows by increasing the volume of the stick and the frog. ‘Lamy Père’ strongly influenced the work of Eugene Sartory as well as his own sons, George Leon and Hippolyte Camille.

Unless stated otherwise all our bows are supplied with a starter coat of premium quality William Salchow rosin. Good, fresh rosin is essential to obtain the best performance from any bow.