Paul is one of only several specialist bowmakers or ‘archetiers’ in Australia today. His making style is strongly influenced by the traditions and practices of French master bowmakers such as Dominique Peccatte, Eugène Sartory, Victor Fétique, and Nicolas Maline.
All of Paul’s violin, viola, and cello bows are made from hand-crafted timber sticks. This means that Paul personally mills the timber, roughs it down by hand, hand-planes it, bends it repeatedly under heat using fine, skilled and directed pressure, hand-mills the holes for frog and adjuster button, individually designs and hand-cuts the head, and hand-finishes the stick with repeated processes of incrementally finer sanding and French polishing.
Some elements are consistent across all Paul’s bows. All thumb grips are made from superior-grade Australian kangaroo leather, and all bows are haired-up personally by Paul using top-grade hair from Mongolian mares, obtained from premium international wholesaler Michael T. Sowden.
The differences in bows across Paul’s three ranges are described below.
SHIELDS range ($AUD 2,500 – 4,000)
This is Paul’s most economical range, which still enables customers to own a beautiful hand-made timber bow but at a relatively affordable price. Bows in this range are made from either masserandubo or brazilwood, and all have ebony and bone tips. The fittings (i.e. the frog and adjuster button) are quality fittings made in Germany.
The windings on bows in this range are either silver-plated nickel, 925 silver, or imitation whalebone. The latter is a very light, durable, modern plastic product that mimics the natural products historically obtained from the whaling industry, and which were used to create the unique black and ivory two-toned design that features on many famous Hill bows of the early 20th century.
P.B. SHIELDS range ($AUD 6,000 – 8,000)
Bows in this range are hand-crafted from higher grade pernambuco or snakewood timber and are hand-finished to a superior level. All have quality silver-mounted German-made fittings and bone tips.
Windings are made from either 925 silver or imitation whalebone. The latter is a unique modern plastic product that mimics the natural products obtained from the whaling industry, and which were used to create the unique black and ivory two-toned design that is a hallmark of the famous Hill bows of the early 20th century.
PAUL B. SHIELDS range ($AUD 10,000 – 12,000)
This is Paul’s most exclusive range, suitable for the most advanced musicians and discerning collectors. Every element of these bows is fully hand-made by Paul from raw materials, starting with only the most superior hand-selected timbers: either top-quality pernambuco, snakewood, or ironwood. Time is of no essence with regard to the care taken over every single process in the production of these bows. For example, Paul will spend up to 8 hours on just the final finishing and polishing processes on sticks in this range.
The frogs on these bows are hand-crafted from top-grade Gaboon ebony: the blackest timber in the world and an extremely dense and heavy product. Paul personally mills the ebony from log form and into tiny cubes that are subsequently hand-carved into frogs. The decorative pearl elements that create the ‘eye’ and ‘slide’ on the frog are carefully selected to match the tones and patterns of the timber in each individual stick. This pearl is either sourced from independent divers in Tasmania, Australia, or from premium international wholesalers, and derives from various shell species including Japanese awabi, ocean pearl oyster (Agoya, silver, gold, black or violet), and abalone (Pãua, green, pink, or red). Again, Paul works from raw materials, painstakingly hand-cutting these precious, sustainably-harvested gems of the sea until they form usable pieces to adorn the frog.
The metal elements of these bows (tips, adjusters, frog back plate and liner, ferrule) are most often hand-crafted from raw 925 silver sheets, wire, and thread; however Paul occasionally creates a bow with gold fittings. The windings in this superior range are made from either 925 silver, gold, or the finest pure silk thread made in France, obtainable in various colours including silver, teal, blue, red, and black.
Shields Bows & Strings 