Schaeffer’s craftsmanship is clean and confident, making this bow an ideal choice for the advancing student, working professional, or discerning player looking for a dependable, high-performance bow that honors French design with a Brasilian spirit.

• Round ipe stick

• Ebony frog w/ silver mounts

• 141.1g

• Stamped: “V. Schaeffer - Brasil”

With pernambuco becoming scarce, bowmakers around the world are seeking alternative materials to ensure the legacy of quality wood bowmaking continues. The master bowmakers at Arcos Brasil are doing just that by offering Ipe as an alternative. Comparable in quality, appearance, and response, the Ipe bows we have evaluated here are every bit as good as the comparable pernambuco bows we have grown to love and admire.

Vanderson Schaeffer (b. 1982, Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brasil)

Vanderson Schaeffer is part of a distinguished lineage of Brazilian bowmakers and currently stands out as one of the premier artisans at Arcos Brasil, the well-respected bow workshop based in Espírito Santo. Trained initially by his father, Floriano Schaeffer—a noted preservationist of pernambuco bow wood—and further refined under the guidance of Antonio Cardoso and a brief apprenticeship with Pierre Guillaume in Brussels, Vanderson combines traditional family craftsmanship with European finesse.

Since starting in 1998, he has risen to work on Arcos Brasil’s Special Edition and master copy bows, often bearing the stamp “V. Schaeffer – Brasil.” His work has garnered acclaim for clear tone, reliable projection, and superb balance—from violin and viola to cello bows—including gold- and silver-mounted models in both pernambuco and ipe.