A bow entirely made of glass. Transparent, functional, adjustable.

This is not a museum piece. It's a playable instrument, designed to push the boundaries of glass in bow making.

Limited edition. Each piece is unique and numbered.

An Innovation in French Glass Heritage

France has a tradition of glass instruments dating back to the 19th century. The crystal flute by Claude Laurent, exhibited at the Musée de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris, is the most famous example.

The Requin Renard glass bow is part of this heritage. Not to replace traditional wooden bows, but to explore what glass can offer: absolute transparency, mechanical precision, sonic neutrality.

It's an exercise in craftsmanship, instrumental making, and material innovation.

Technical Specifications

• Material: Blown borosilicate glass (laboratory quality, high resistance)
• Weight: 61 grams (equivalent to professional bows)
• Balance: Frog at 18.5-19 cm (optimal balance achieved)
• Head: Custom aluminum, ultra-light to offset the tube's mass
• Next steps: Design of a fully aluminum frog
• Mechanism: Integrated screw system, fully adjustable via the button
• Hair: Natural horsehair hand-mounted
• Manufacturing: Handcrafted, each bow is signed and numbered

A Functional Prototype Under Optimization

This model is playable and has been validated by professional bow makers. The sound is clear, the attack precise.

But technical challenges remain. The bow tends to bounce, making control more complex than with a traditional bow.

The next objective: design a fully aluminum frog to optimize balance and mechanical response.

The goal is not to reproduce the behavior of wood, but to propose a sonic alternative: clear, neutral, controlled.

An Essential Collaboration

This project would not have been possible without the expertise and continued support of Jean-Pascal Nehr (bow maker, Marseille) and Juliette Nehr, who accompanied the development, testing, and optimization of the bow.

Their knowledge of traditional bow making helped guide technical choices, validate playability, and adjust mechanical parameters.

Beyond the Bow: A Coherent Approach

Requin Renard also develops glass pens for calligraphy and drawing, with integrated ink reservoir.

This coherence underscores an approach: exploring the possibilities of glass in artistic expression tools. Transparency, precision, durability.

Why a Glass Bow?

Because glass allows what wood cannot offer: total transparency, visual neutrality, a different conceptual approach to the instrument.

Because it opens new sonic perspectives for contemporary musicians, experimental artists, or simply those seeking another texture.