Mr. Duff was very helpful and worked wonders for my bow - along with a rehair he put on a new grip and beautifully sealed a crack in my frog, all for a very reasonable price.

I have no doubt Mr. Duffs Berg Bows are of good quality. I have tried a $7,000 bow of his, and although it might be too big of a price to pay for a composite bow, it seemed very good.I am, on the other hand, greatly disappointed by Mr. Duffs lack of honesty and collaboration. Due to his deceiving tendencies, I am now forced to sue him in state court.As I spoke with Mr. Duff over the phone a few months ago, he assured me that all he needed for me to be able to try a bow of his was a 30% refundable deposit. He specifically insisted on the deposit being refundable. A few weeks later, once he had received and cashed the 30% deposit I sent him, he asked for the remaining 70%, without which he refused to send the bow for me to try. This contradicted directly our agreement over the phone. Mr. Duff simply claimed that it was (my) responsibility to read the policy on his website, which he avoided mentioning on the phone.As I attempted to find some common ground, Mr. Duff proved to be uncommunicative and rather rude. He did not answer a single email I sent him from then on, and when I tried to reach him by phone, he hanged up the phone.It is unfortunate that in our relatively small classical music world there are still instances of deception and lack of cooperation among musicians and instrument makers. As I said before, I am pretty certain Mr. Duffs bows can be of great value to some musicians.However, I do warn any potential client of Michael Duff to be really careful, or even to look into other composite bow makers (there are several good ones out there.) I have, unfortunately, been witness of his occasional lack of honesty, and I do not wish anyone to live through the same.Nikita

Michael did an amazingly poor-quality rehair, and then blamed it on me and on my bow. I took it to someone else who had no problem rehairing it. Granted, he offered to redo it, but it was pretty clear that he purposefully botched the job because he didnt like my bow.

I am the very proud owner of a Berg Tourte-Voirin viola bow, and I consider it one of the best musical investments I have ever made. Mr. Michael Duffs bows are without peer - you cant find finer bows of any sort for the price. I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending them to any musician aspiring to play at her or his best.Mr. Duff is regarded as one of the finest living bow makers, whose customers have included some of the most highly regarded violinists, violists and cellists throughout the world. Ruggiero Ricci, Jaime Laredo, Arnold Steinhardt, Stefan Milenkovich are among the many who have been happy to endorse Berg Bows. Look for the video of his Starker Kittel bow project (which I have just learned is now in production) to hear interviews with some of these great players. In my humble way, I completely agree with their assessments.One of the things that sets Berg Bows apart is that you can ask for a bow made exactly as you like it. If you want the weight or balance a specific way, no problem - hell do it for you.Mr. Duff is not only a top-flight bow maker - he is also a gentleman: kind, courteous and gracious, and always willing to help sort out complications.