Horsehair, sourced from the tail of a horse, is the traditional material used for hairing instrument bows. Its unique properties are essential for producing sound, as the hair is tightened and rosin is applied to create the friction needed to vibrate the instrument’s strings.

Over time, the hair undergoes natural stretching due to the tension placed on it during play, reducing its ability to produce consistent sound. Horsehair degrades over time from regular use, exposure to humidity, temperature fluctuations, and the natural oils from the player’s hands. As the hair wears down, it can become brittle, break, or lose its grip on the strings, leading to a bow that is less responsive.

It is recommended that bows are rehaired periodically before problems occur to ensure the bow remains responsive, producing optimal sound quality. I am able to rehair your bows using a variety of hair to suit your bow, your playing and your instrument, Please enquire for further information, as well as pricing.

Hair Colour and Quality

Most instrument bows use white horsehair, which has a good balance of smoothness, strength, resilience, and ability to hold rosin to provide the necessary friction to produce sound when drawn across an instrument’s strings. However, some cellists and bass players opt for darker hair, primarily because of its coarser texture, which helps it hold more rosin and produce a better grip on the thicker strings of these instruments.

Sorting

Hanks of horsehair needs to be sorted before a bow is rehaired in order to remove individual hairs with bumps, twists, etc. The price from a bow hair supplier generally relates to how well the hairs have been sorted by the supplier.

How is rehairing done?

First, I determine the quantity of horsehair needed for a particular bow according to the size of the bow, its stiffness and the instrument it is designed for. Two small wooden plugs and a spreader wedge are then carefully cut and shaped to fit the bow. The plugs hold the knotted ends of the hair in the mortises by friction alone. The spreader wedge then spreads the hair into a wide, thin ribbon, the width of the ferrule. Sometimes, plugs can be reused, but they are more often replaced. A suitable hank of horsehair is measured out and tied at one end with thread, before inserting into the mortise. The hair is then wetted and combed out, and the length of the hair is determined before tying off the other end with thread. This needs to be done very carefully and accurately to ensure the tension is even across the whole hair ribbon.

What makes a good rehair?

good quality horsehair
careful sorting to remove bad hairs
accurately made plugs and wedges that fit perfectly without placing stress on vulnerable parts
even hair tension and neat, uniform ribbon even when tension is removed from the bow

For these reasons, it is essential that rehairs are performed by someone experienced and skilled in rehairing instrument bows.