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Posted (edited)

This may be considered a silly question, and I have no idea of the actual answer, but how many violin bows does anyone think that Jimmy Page has used over the Decades since He first began using the bow on His guitar?

I realize that even Jimmy Page Himself would not even know the answer to this question. But I ask it only to read the feedback that may come from YOU, the OCEAN and your opinion on this subject.

Edited by kingzoso
Posted (edited)

That's a pretty good question!

I don't know the answer, but when Jimmy gets to the part of D&C where he starts thwacking the strings with the bow that starts cutting the horsehair (the high guitar strings are like cheesewire), and if you look at the bow after that it's getting pretty ragged with bits of broken hair sticking out at the top and the bottom.

Bearing that in mind I doubt that he'd use a bow for more than 2 or 3 nights in a row, simply because it would be pretty useless after that.

Considering that D&C (or a bowed segment) was played at pretty much every Zep gig until the end of '77, and that they played around 600 gigs (??guessing here??) then it's fair to say he probably got through a couple of hundred bows..... unless of course he had them repaired - although I think it might be cheaper to buy a new bow than have one fixed.

Also (and I may be wrong) I think he ended up using cello bows, rather than violin bows because they're a bit longer and a bit wider.

Edited by woz70
Posted

From what I heard, the crew bought them in bulk for Page, they were cast off bows. That is they were not suitable for traditional use with a violin due to warpage or other anomalies so they got them on the cheap. He only used a bow once and then it was chucked due to the damage done. These imperfect bows were perfect for what Page was using them for, a guitar with a flat bridge don't give a shit if the bow is warped whereas a violin, viola, or cello with the curved bridge needs the bow to be perfect otherwise it will throw off both the tone and the stroke, especially when using legato or loure' technique.

Posted

From what I heard, the crew bought them in bulk for Page, they were cast off bows. That is they were not suitable for traditional use with a violin due to warpage or other anomalies so they got them on the cheap. He only used a bow once and then it was chucked due to the damage done. These imperfect bows were perfect for what Page was using them for, a guitar with a flat bridge don't give a shit if the bow is warped whereas a violin, viola, or cello with the curved bridge needs the bow to be perfect otherwise it will throw off both the tone and the stroke, especially when using legato or loure' technique.

This is what I heard, it seems like the most likely answer.

Posted

Well, Led Zeppelin played nearly 700 shows, Page used at least one bow per night (I think I've seen him switch bows mid solo). I'd guess around 1,000 with Led Zeppelin. Outside of that, probably an additional 100 or so? I'm sure he used a new one every night. A Showco employee and Jimmy's laser tech in 77-80 (Photonbeam) says that Jimmy did indeed use cheap bows and that he "had a trunk full of them."

I have gone through three bows in the last 3 or 4 years. One shredded and eventually snapped due to imitating Page, the other one was a cheap piece of junk, the newest one is still going strong :D

Posted

I personally think that Jimmy used a new bow for every concert that Led Zeppelin played. So if they played about 700 live shows, that obviously means 700 different bows. However, I am also taking into consideration the number of bows that Jimmy used when practicing (when he first started) the bowing of His guitar (around 1965-1966 when it was first put forth to him as an idea from a violinist on a session that Jimmy was also on). So there is that. That and also the bow solos from His tenure with the Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin (studio tracks) the Firm, solo Page, Page/Plant, etc...

I do not believe that Jimmy used the bow during Page/Coverdale or when He toured with the Black Crowes. (I could be wrong about this).

Any and all feedback is welcome on My part.

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