Douglas Raguse, a string player himself, has been making bows for more than four decades and to date, has made over 1,200 bows. This accumulated knowledge and experience guide Raguse’s hand and heart in making a bow for you. He begins with determining required playing characteristics the bow needs. Once resolved, these unique qualities can be built into the finished bow through wood selection and subsequent shaping of the wood. Raguse aims to have his bows play as if they are an organic extension of the player’s bow arm with instant, even, and consistent response. His training you ask? Raguse studied violin with George Zazofsky and Louis Krasner at the university level before being inaugurated into bow making by noted bow makers Lloyd Liu and William Salchow. He is currently located at his third workshop in Jacksonville, Florida. From 1978 to 1988, he amassed 12 awards for excellence in bow making with a VSA Gold Medal in 1980.
The Raguse bow will do everything you want to do on your viola and sound absolutely astounding doing so! The bow pairs with your arm delivering subtle feedback and prompt response. Your viola will sound astounding with rich, colorful, lovely, and sturdy sound. The bow has multiple personalities: bold, sweet, fierce, gentle, unruly, lyrical, and any musical manner you may ask for. Your humble bow reviewer had an outright blast playing this bow.