By Megan Westberg | From the July-August 2021 issue of Strings magazine
How many times in life have you gotten what you wanted… except it’s not quite exactly what you wanted? Perfect boots, but you wish they came in brown. Or had a slightly thicker sole. Or didn’t come up quite so high at the ankle. You shrug, adapt, move on. The boots are great in so many respects; you enjoy their strengths and try to ignore that one little thing you wish was different. After all, what are you supposed to do, have them specially made?
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CodaBow says that is exactly what you should do, but of course it is referring to its carbon-fiber bows. The company’s new Chroma experience is meant to give violinists, violists, and cellists the chance to customize their own bows—to make their musical tools a reflection of their technique and style. Players first select what line of bow best suits their musical requirements: Diamond SX, Joule, or Luma. Then, they select a stick color. There are two “prismatic” choices—ruby amethyst and ruby amber—and three “metallic” options in emerald, sapphire, and amethyst. Finally comes the choice of winding color, available in ruby, amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and nickel. And if you’re wondering how much extra all this customization costs you, the price quoted at checkout for a Diamond SX (ruby amethyst with nickel winding) is $645. A Diamond SX without all the shiny options goes for $595.
Codabow Chroma
- Bows: Diamond SX, Joule, or Luma
- Stick colors: (prismatic) ruby amethyst and ruby amber; (metallic) emerald, sapphire, and amethyst
- Winding colors: ruby, amethyst, sapphire, emerald, nickel
- Available for violin, viola, and cello bows
- Prices vary by instrument
