A Nickel Mounted H.S. Cello Bow by Reid Hudson, Canada (RKT-2617) - $3,000 Canadian

A Nickel Mounted H.S. Cello Bow by Reid Hudson, Canada (RKT-2617) - $3,000 Canadian

A nickel-mounted H.S. cello bow with a round stick by Reid Hudson, with a commercial frog and adjuster. Weight: 81.5 grams.

Reid Hudson is one of North America’s most respected bow-makers. He apprenticed under Joseph Kun, a Czech violin and bow maker who had immigrated to Canada with the Czech exodus in 1968. After his training in the mid 70’s, Reid set up shop in Ottawa and then rural British Columbia specializing in bow making in the tradition of the Old Masters, preferring to make his frogs and adjusters himself and using the finest materials.

Early on in his career he was able to obtain a large quantity of top quality Brazilian Pernambuco wood. Pernambuco has long been recognized as the best wood to use for bow making and it has become increasingly hard to find, with Brazil now restricting its export.  Reid’s access to the best wood combined with his skilled craftsmanship resulted in him producing the finest quality bows.

In 1992 Reid was honored when a violin bow in the manner of Tourte made by him was acquired by the Canadian Museum of History for their permanent collection. It was also included in the book; Opus, the Making of Musical Instruments in Canada by Carmelle Bégin.

His bows are played in symphonies around the world and are becoming increasingly collectable; Reid sadly has now stopped making bows owing to ill health. We are proud to offer Reid’s last remaining inventory of cello bows.

The HS brand (Hudson Student) refers to Pernambuco bows made using a commercial German frog and adjuster rather than ones crafted by Reid himself. They were made to appeal to a different market and are still excellent bows.

All Reid Hudson & HS bows offered come with a certificate of authenticity. No elephant ivory was used in their production, any ivory Reid used was from long-extinct mammoth sourced from the Canadian arctic.