CodaBow Diamond GX: Luxury at a Great Price

CodaBow Diamond GX

Introduction: My late violin teacher, Mary West, told her students, “Let your Bow Be Your Voice.” Indeed, a great bow allows our bow strokes to be precise and gives us an incredible feeling of control over the sound we produce. However, a poorly performing bow feels clumsy in the hand and often will not allow us to fully express ourselves. A clumsy bow shakes and quivers as it is drawn, refuses to bounce, and often produces a fuzzy and unpleasing sound.

Though all of the new Diamond Series
bows that I have tried are strong performers, this review covers only their flagship model, the GX.

Fit and Finish:  This bow is beautiful.  The braiding/weave on the carbon fiber stick is even and pleasing to the eye.  The frog is well-made, and the fittings, including pad and winding are high quality and appear built to last. 

Performance: Simply put, the GX is an amazing bow. Its performance rivals some of the finest wood Pernambuco bows I have played in my lifetime, including bows by the fine french makers valued in the tens of thousands of dollars. These Coda GX bows are consistent, well-balanced, and easy to control. They produce a strong, full sound, without shake or quiver, and are equally capable at long legato strokes and the most precise of spiccato bowings. I intended my GX to be my back-up bow, but these days I often reach for it first.

Although I encourage my students to try a wide variety of bows before choosing one to buy, I am amazed at how often they end up selecting the GX.

Tip of Coda Cello bow (to show weave)

Conclusion: Priced around $700.00 retail, the GX may seem expensive compared to some of the other carbon fiber bows on the market. But the GX is truly in a class of its own and rivals some of the best pernambuco wood bows I have ever played. And it may well be the last bow you will ever need to purchase, with the added benefit of being very sturdy and, if not unbreakable, very nearly so.

Now if only Codabow would make us a carbon fiber violin that sounds like a Strad...


Rating: 5 Stars