Horst John nickel-mounted Ipê viola bow

When one thinks of quality Brazilian handcrafted pernambuco wood bows, one name comes to mind: Horst John.

Founded in 1951 as a precious woods exporter by a German-born immigrant, Horst John became a true pioneer on converting his firm's noble woods operation to bowmaking twenty years later.

It was and continues to be a reference point of high standards in the quality of its naturally dried process (not artificially force cured). John only used pernambuco wood from a decades-old private stock approved by the Brazilian Environmental Authorities. The company today continues the same practice of using only aged wood.

The older the wood, the better the quality of the bow. And Horst John has a reserve of such wood to last many years.