Here are some of the features of my bows:
1. MacArthur bows are seven sided. The heptagon has a very enigmatic character. It is the least understood n-gon of small value. Heptagonal bows have a different action than round or octagonal bows.
2. My frogs ride on a V profile (or two sides) instead of three sides like a conventional frog. This makes for a very positive frog/stick coupling, which improves stability and the efficient transfer of acoustic energy from the stick to the frog. This new coupling geometry will far outlast traditional coupling due to the way wear takes place over time. Finally, the frog is self centering under tension, whereas traditional bow frogs have a tendency to lean undesirably under hair tension, particularly after wear has taken place.
3. My bow heads are designed to withstand greater force by utilizing a broad and flat leading edge. Cracks propagate most efficiently from thin sections into thicker sections, which means the traditional head design is actually the worst possible design for cracks and breakage.
4. MacArthur bows utilize the world's most advanced rehairing system. My new system facilitates faster rehairs and with much greater precision and repeatability. In addition, the hair length can be adjusted for summer or winter conditions when changes to humidity can radically alter the hair length. The hair ribbon can also be adjusted to apply more tension on one side of the ribbon, to allow greater stick clearance for those who play heavily on the edge. These kinds of adjustments are impossible on traditional bows.
5. My bow frog eyelets are custom machined by me out of O1 tool steel instead of bronze or brass as found on all other bows. This greatly improves wear, thus eliminating the routine replacement of standard eyelets. They are also infinitely adjustable in height, whereas traditional eyelets often require invasive fitting procedures (re-drilling holes, planing the bow, or milling the frog channel) as height adjustments are limited to one half turn at a time, which is approximately a minimum of .005" of change.
6. I employ an exclusive weighting system in my bows that allows the player to make adjustments to the bow's weight very quickly. MacArthur bows can have five different total weights varying over a range of three grams. This dramatically improves playabililty since it allows the player to tailor the bow's weight to their own preference. Traditional bows can have their weight changed, but the process is invasive, and it must be done by a bowmaker, usually employing lead strip positioned under the grip, which then has to be reinstalled.
7. MacArthur bows and all components (including eyelets and bow screws) are guaranteed for life.
George MacArthur
