A Fine Violin Bow by Adolf Curt Schuster- Markneukirchen circa 1930

click picture to enlarge

Stamped:

Early in Adolf Schuster’s (1890-1947) bow making career he recognized the merits of French bows and spent his entire life studying the works of Voirin, Tourte, and also English maker Tubbs. There is little about his work that is totally German, and in many ways, he was more like a fine French bow maker. Schuster did his apprenticeship in the W.A. Pfretzschner workshop and continued working there until the beginning of World War I. We have a W.A. Pfretzschner violin bow here in the shop too. Adolf served as a soldier and was severely wounded, losing an eye. In 1918, in spite of difficult circumstances after the war and the loss of his eye, Schuster joined forces with other talented bow makers and established a successful workshop in Markneukirchen. He hired bow makers like Otto Adler and Otto Paulus, both of which we also have their bows here in our show room. Later Otto Adler moved on to Mittenwald, Germany to continue his bow making career, but Otto Paulus continued to work for Adolf Schuster’s widow after his death and until the shop shut down in 1955. Adolf Schuster offered a variety of models for sale. The bows were stamped ADOLF C SCHUSTER in addition to having the heraldic bird and name of the company stamped on the frog.

I’m over the top astounded by this bow and can’t say enough about it. The pernambuco stick is just a portion of where it is at, and this is fantastic in octagonal section. The bow has a perfect amount of firmness and some suppleness, the wood is gorgeous, tight grain, and a beautiful orange-brown color. We have replaced the old sterling silver winding with the same length and gauge to keep the gram weight and balance as I originally found it. The original winding was in terrible condition, along with the thumb leather. The Parisian eye ebony frog is mounted in sterling silver and has a beautiful pearl slide with great color. The solid endcap is sterling and has Adolf’s typical two turns in the collar. The frog is also in beautiful condition. The bow is an excellent example of Adolf Schuster’s work in excellent condition. A player will love the balance, the firmness, and the overall playability of the stick. Without a doubt one of the nicest Adolf Schuster bows I have ever had in my shop.

Weight fully haired 60.0 grams