Meet my new pride and joy: A JD Berry North Star named "Annapurna."
She is RH 68" and 54# @ 28". The limbs are amber bamboo. The riser is Macassar Ebony encased with double accent pinstripes of blond bamboo and African wenge plus double African wenge fadeouts. The back of the limbs is highly figured dark maple. The belly of the limbs is quilted maple that almost shimmers.
The North Star is James' reverse-handle, string-follow bow. And she shoots as good as she looks. You couldn't find a better bowyer to work with than JD Berry!
(http://i.imgur.com/TT1Flmt.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/okpv2G0.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6fELtle.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/6SeTttd.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/00woyst.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/kNzHUL5.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/Gbt1AMp.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/AGHAxtU.jpg)
That's a real classic.........beautiful!! :thumbsup:
Beautiful bow for sure.
wowee!
Whack!!! It's over the fence and out of the park.
Wow!....It looks like another "home-run" hit by Mr Berry.
Thanks for sharing!!
God bless,Mudd
James sure does nice work !
James said it was a looker and man was he right. Enjoy your new bow. :thumbsup:
I must ask, what's in a name?
Beautiful bow. Quilted maple is my favorite veneer. Your wood combos are exquisite.
Tim
That's a real beauty..... Enjoy..!
Very nice. Congrats!
That's really nice! JD has done well by you my friend! The encasement of the riser really sets this bow off. :thumbsup:
Holey-Moley, Moots!
That is an absolute stunner! Just when I think that I've seen them all... those wood combinations and pin stripes are drop dead and the poundage and length will made her a deadly elk bow out there in CO. Have fun!
Beautiful Bow!
Moots,
James really went all out on that one. My goodness, the fine details added to an already stunning bow just make it sing. I love the riser encasements and those fades!!! The double wedges is a wonderful touch for sure!
But the use of the different maples to almost look like a white glass belly look is stunning. You have yourself a trophy there.
Let us know how she shoots when you get a chance
WOW!! Very nice, My specs to.
Yes Kevin, your specs. And we live close to each other. You can shoot it anytime.
Rob
Stunning....enjoy and Congrats!
Beautiful bow Moots, enjoy.
Isn't the Morning star a backset design? Did you get a string follow one?
Your unstrung pick appears to show backset.
ya know you guys have to just stop showing these pictures.. nice bow but I'm mad and turning away now 8^)
Nice looking bow!
Curious, why Annapurna? Could this be why, normally translated as "Goddess of the Harvests" from wikipedia.
That's right Katman.
Annapurna: Sanskrit for "Goddess of Harvests" "Full of food"
And a peak in the Himalayas in Nepal. The south face considered by many to be the most difficult of all climbs.
Moots, is yours a string follow?
Katman,
His is stringfollow, its a reverse handle bow which is why it may look backset to you, but rest assured its string follow. The Morningstar is backset and the Northstar is stringfollow
Thanks Brian, my bad thought I read morning star in original post, need more coffee.
I understand the more coffee statement, I'm a half a pot down so far. LOL
I really like the double wedges in the tips. Extra strength without extra weight of heavy tip overlays. :thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by Ric O'Shay:
I really like the double wedges in the tips. Extra strength without extra weight of heavy tip overlays. :thumbsup:
X's 2
Good looking bow moots. Mine will be almost the same is tiger maple different than. Quilted maple. I'm sure it's a great shooter. Did you or any body get or shoot a jet longbow by Joel just wondering how they compare. Thanks
Katman,
Yes, mine is a North Star -- string follow. I'll bet Brianlocal13 and Mudd know these JD Berry bows better than anyone. Special bows for sure.
Dan, I know nothing about Jet bows except that I like the logo. But JD Berry has been making bows for over thirty years, plus I like him! I think I'll pass on Jet bows, but that's me.
Rob
QuoteOriginally posted by Moots:
(http://i.imgur.com/6fELtle.jpg)
I am curious about the wedges between the lams in the riser section. What does that do for the bow? Don't recall ever seeing these before.
Rob,
That quilted maple is assume! Nice job picking the woods. James would not do ebony for me for health reasons...You must rank brother. Nice bow...
~CB
James told me that's the end of the ebony, it almost took him out making the riser.
I'm not sure what the riser fade outs do other than add James subtle elegance to the bow. Best answer would be to give him a call and ask. Then report back to us with the answer...
Not quite the end of the ebony, there's one more being made with it. :thumbsup:
I hope that one is yours Lone Hunter!
Chromebuck,
Nice to hear from you! I don't rank. LOL. I didn't choose the ebony. This was all James. He built this bow over Thanksgiving break. And I really gave him the green light to do what he thought would look good. James is an artist and truly fine guy!
Rob
Beautiful bow. I'm really starting to like the looks of these reverse handle longbows.
Among James's bows, a Vixen is a regular riser with back set, a Misty Dawn is regular riser with string follow, a Morning Star is a reverse handle with back set, and a North Star is a reverse handle with string follow. So I gotta ask, and I don't mean to be a smart aleck, is a Morning Star simply a Misty Dawn with the string grooves cut backward, and is a North Star simply a Vixen with the string grooves cut backward? Another way to look at it is, does James use the same form for the Morning Star and Misty Dawn, and the same for the North Star and Vixen. Or are there other design differences?
These things intrigue me and I'm thinking that the next bow I build for myself may be a reverse handle. I've never shot one though.
I couldn't stand it any longer....been lusting after one of these Morningstar's for awhile. James had a bow that has done a little bit of "traveling"....it's now on its' way to Texas.
Thanks Moots, my Vixen riser will be out of the same piece of wood as my Morning Star. Just waiting on the weather to warm up to finish it.
Since I am new to Hill style bows, what is the difference between back set and string follow?
Thanks, Mike
Jsweka,
You nailed the designs down pat. I'm not sure how James does it as far as forms goes, but I would think (I'm not a Boyer) if your bending limbs opposite ways , ie vixen vs Northstar wouldn't you need to change something in your limbs?
Lone hunter
Backset has the limb tips forward of the riser, stringfollow tips are rearward of riser,
jsweka, it would be nice if I did It that way, but it does not work like that. Glass change, tapers change, lay up changes, And you think backwards...lol...Semaj
James - I thought it might not be that simple. I get cornfused just making a left handed bow let alone one where the limbs are bending the wrong way in relation to the handle :laughing:
Awesome looking bows and I'd love to try one someday.
Rob, Have you shot it much yet?
I would love to hear what your thoughts are on it.
jaweka, Now that's what Im talking about, Is not the" wrong way in relation to the handle" But the right way in relation to the handle..LOL;.....James
James- can you answer this?
QuoteOriginally posted by Hermon:
QuoteOriginally posted by Moots:
(http://i.imgur.com/6fELtle.jpg)
I am curious about the wedges between the lams in the riser section. What does that do for the bow? Don't recall ever seeing these before. [/b]
Mr Hermon, I started doing that in the late 80s. Come up with the fadeouts thinking it help with the butt joints, Cant say it helped, But it looks really cool!....James
absolutely stunning james!
Thanks Bob, been meaning to give you a call
Rob, you are da man! Congrats on a fantastic bow. A shooter and a looker, who could ask for more!
"Come up with the fadeouts thinking it help with the butt joints, Cant say it helped, But it looks really cool!."
Love the looks in the riser with the dual fades as well as the tips with the double wedges, and encasement is really cool. Just as James was describing it while I drooled over the phone, now my keyboard needs cleaned.
Enjoy that beauty moots and thanks for letting us have a peak at some mighty fine work. Get to work now James, no doodling around in the shop, lol.
QuoteOriginally posted by JDBerry:
Mr Hermon, I started doing that in the late 80s. Come up with the fadeouts thinking it help with the butt joints, Cant say it helped, But it looks really cool!....James
Thanks for the response sir!
Thanks for clearing that up Brian. :thumbsup:
Sweet looking bow Moots. I've got a 66" 53.5#@28" Morning Star that is almost the same. Only difference is mine has a cocobolo riser and Hersey chocolate glass. Love my Morning Star and they don't come any better than J.D.. He's an artist who gives amazing attention to detail and just a darn good down to earth guy with a great sense of humor.
You couldn't give artistic freedom to a more deserving bowyer!
Bowitis, it's a good shooter. I have shot JD Berry's Morning Star and North Star. I haven't shot his Vixen.
I have owned about four HHA bows and a Miller Old Tom. They were all fine bows, but I think James' bows are at the top of this group.
James, glad to see you have joined the thread!
Rob
Katmam, good news, warming up, time to go to work. Moots really glad you like your bow, it has a nice feel to it...James
My vixen has accounted for two whitetails this year. A small 7pt buck at 26 yards and a doe at 23 yards. Don't see how a bow could shoot any better then a vixen but I guess I'll find out in Jan when I visit my daughter... who just happens to live right down the block from James.
James I will be there 19-24 Jan so I hop0e you are in town those dates?
Those thin wedges look cool.
Have you thought about extending them out as a power lam? I really like the thin double tip wedges too. Nice job there and out of the box thinking.
super nice bow!! But then as they say, I expect that with your bows.
God bless, steve
I wonder if a reversed powerlam would change the personality quite a bit. If carried to an extreme that could put the tendency to put an isolated hinge into the limb action similar to a static recurve. That could make the bow more sensitive to draw variations. One thing Hills bows always had was a smooth round bend at brace and full draw.
Dave1963, bring your coat its cold in the shop and be ready for Pluto(230lb Great Dane) to bug you a lot. Sixby, I think by extending the fadouts it would throw the American out of balance. Best place it is in the middle of bow preformane as Pavan says. PS really like your bows! .....James
Temperatures warmed to a pleasant 50 degrees today in Colorado, so I spent some time shooting my North Star today.
The more I shoot the reverse handle, the more I like it. James made me a 2 1/8" grip slightly dished on the back side where my fingers curl around the bow. This is a nice shooting bow.
Glad to hear you got to shooting the bow. I have been shooting my Morningstar all weekend. I am officially a reverse handle fan
You guys are killing me. I've got a 12weak wait .for my North Star .it going to be a nice spring. Merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year