Got a pic from Ken, my new one piece Phoenix, should be done in about a week, just filler and topcoats to do. Cant wait i have been shooting his prototype for two weeks now, and its an awesome bow. This was the Hellfire, now it has the same new limb design as the td Phoenix, so Hellfire is no more, now it just the one piece Phoenix, and what a bow! Mine is cocobolo and cocobolo riser and yew lambs, bamboo core. (http://i.imgur.com/FllUzWg.jpg)
.. WOW......Stunning.....!
It's a beauty, congrats! Ken is working on a t/d Phoenix for me and should be here by April.
MEOW!!
1/4 Away, you are going to really like the new limbs, one of my friends just got a new td Phoenix, and he loves the bow, its all he wants to shoot. He got the high gloss finish on his, looks nice, but i opted for the matte.
Ken's works never ceases to amaze !
I'm not a fan of two tone risers even though I have a bunch but those two woods in that riser are stunning,,,, for me I wish that riser was one piece with either one and me personally I'd be blown away... that bow reminds me of my old sovereign ballistic with double flare,, very nice looking bow.
Here is a pic of other side of riser. (http://i.imgur.com/qn3B5Ni.jpg)
Dave, I opted for the matte finish as well.
Can't wait to see the Yew veneers! It looks awesome!!
I am with you Big Ed, I wish he would of sent pics of the Yew, he said the glass is really good on this bow, so I think the yew is going to go good with that cocobolo. When I get the bow, I will post more pics.
I purchased my first Whippenstick from Ken Rohloff about 4 years ago. The quality of his work and the performance of his limbs was substantial then. His efforts to improve his craft over those 4 years has resulted in what is the finest performing bow I have ever shot and I have been shooting them for 50 years.
He is a man of extreme modesty, to the point of feeling that advertising his work is a form of bragging. I understand his feeling but it is unfortunate that due to his being so humble many archers are not familiar with his work,perhaps ending up with a bow of lesser craftsmanship and performance from a maker with greater willingess towards marketing.
Antonio Stradivari was born with an innate skill and passion to build some of the worlds finest violins, Ken Rolhoff was born to build fantastic bows.
Regards,
Dan
WOW.. Its really nice to see a one piece custom bow with such graceful style. Beautiful Bow.!
Wow!
Gorgeous!!
Thats a beautiful bow there.
Dave that's a beaut!
Dave helped facilitate getting me into a Whippenstick recently and I couldn't be happier. An incredible recurve, and I favor longbows. Ken is one of the best kept secrets in traditional archery. Craftsmanship and performance to rival anything out there. I'll be posting a review of the Phoenix I acquired with Dave's help soon.
very nice looking bow! didnt know theres also a 1-pc phoenix. my friend just grabbed his 3-pc phoenix in stock the next day he listed it on the site and the bow was stunning with waterfall bubinga veneer and wenge and chechen for the riser. im going to see that bow on Monday and (hopefully) get to shoot with this bad boy.
i should have my 1-pc cocobolo ws lb in about a week or more too. man am i excited! especially after seeing how gorgeous your cocobolo looks.
just curious though, and not to hijack the thread but what would be the (dis)advantage of a high gloss finish over matte or satin? which one is more durable? thx
Mine will be satin, i thought matte, but i went back in my messages for the second pic of bow, and i seen where he asked if i wanted gloss or satin, not matte, which maybe two of the same i dont know, pics look more satin. I dont know if one is more durable than the other, but my friend and his wife have Whippenstiks, both gloss, and i just like the looks of satin better, too shiny for me,he uses automotive clear coat, i am sure its all very durable. Ken told me its so pretty he wanted to put a gloss finish on it, then the riser would really pop as he says.
I see. I'll get satin as well so that the bow doesnt glare in the sun when i dont want it to. congratulations on your new bow im sure it'll shoot like a dream :)
Now that's a beautiful bow! :clapper:
Bernie
I ve got a whippenstick longbow and the quality and craftsmanship is stellar. Ken is a absolute joy to talk to and his bows shoot. For those who think about speed,his bows are among the fastest!
Great looking stick! I love that wood combo.
Usually, gloss provides a harder and more durable finish. Followed by semi-gloss/matte, then satin being the softest.
I'm not sure how automotive finishes compare to conversion/polyurethane or epoxy finishes most common on bows.
I am fairly certain most available epoxy based bow finishes are derived from the automotive industry Phoenix, so its safe to say whatever Ken is using is good stuff. His bow build quality is among the best I've ever seen and the finish is very durable from what I have noticed handling the bow. It wouldn't make sense for him to use a finish system on the bow that was not worthy of the build quality. Yes gloss is generally harder, but shows fine scratches easier. I prefer a semi-gloss or 'middle of the road' type finish. Also, there's nothing stopping the bowyer from doing multiple layers of his most durable finish and than topping it off with a satin/textured top coat to cut down on the glare. That's what Chris at Habu does. I find Ken's finish to be very similar in appearance to Jim's at Centaur, though Jim's is probably the most durable I've encountered period.
Great bows from an outstanding bowyer. Enjoy!
I went on his web site, does he still make a two piece ?
QuoteOriginally posted by njloco:
I went on his web site, does he still make a two piece ?
The 'original' Phoenix is a 3 piece.
just got a pic of my longbow from Ken before the satin coating, the wood grain on the riser looks very similar to yours. good that I didnt order a leather grip so more of the gorgeousness is exposed :)
(http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l148/zglwcnm/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps42f85179.jpg) (http://s95.photobucket.com/user/zglwcnm/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps42f85179.jpg.html)
That's amazing looking!
I got a pic also today, last filler coat, now the satin, must get a couple done and spray them together while he is set up, makes sense to me, i am hoping to get mine this week. He is only about a 25min drive from me. i shoot trad league with him on every other friday.Your longbow looks awesome, that black glass is growing on me, i am starting to really like it, it looks great on your longbow.
Thats looking Great!
oh man if I live within 25 min I'd keep bugging him every day and shoot his bows :) I shot my friends 3-pc phoenix last night, what a remarkable creature! All shots (same arrows) were 5 inches higher than my ilf recurve which is only 1lb lower (just like he told me, prepare some heavier spine'd arrows than I thought I'd need). Yours will be a rocket launcher as well now the 3-pc shoots with such great speed. As to my longbow I have been drooling all day since morning when I got his email. It's going to outshoot me for years to come and I'm sure it's a keeper :D
I would be very curious to know what his new bow models will be in 2015 now that I noticed he just removed two of his one piece recurves from the online catalog so I guess that means something's probably going to come up there very soon. (rubbing my hands together ...)
Well the Hellfire is no more, its the Phoenix, either one piece or three piece, and the longbow, not sure if he makes a two piece longbow or not, I think he maybe making a bear replica also, not sure on that though, I will have to ask him what his lineup will be.
Whippenstik bows- phoenix, 3piece or onepiece, onepiece longbow. Thats his lineup of bows he will be making. I will post pics when my onepiece Phoenix is done, he is close. Dave
cool. just heard from hin hes sending my longbow tomorrow as well. ours are probably of the same batch. cant wait to see it :)
here is a couple new pics of my phoenix. (http://i.imgur.com/6cv5uSY.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/YgAghhZ.jpg)
Dave that's a knockout, reminds me of the 3pc I have with those woods. Ken is a master. Hoping to get the time to post my review soon. Enjoy that one!
Thanks Chuck, ya i am really going to like this bow, its not in my hands yet, but soon.
Is it true the 3 piece phoenix limbs were "redesigned" recently as well?
Yes, they have more curl to the limb, smoother and a little faster, then made a new form for the Hellfire using the same limbs, that's the reason for dropping the Hellfire name, and just going with one or three piece Phoenix.
Sorry it took me so long for final pics, last picks were still the final filler coat, hence the gloss looking finish, these are the completed bow, matte finish, turned out great, thanks to Idaho Curt for the beautiful yew veneers, and Ken for an awesome bow, and beautiful cocobolo riser he thought up for me. (http://i.imgur.com/DtdjwEb.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/u7ZvRDT.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/vIT9eCg.jpg)
(http://i.imgur.com/U9DUiJJ.jpg)
Dave, That's a beauty!! I received an email from Ken last week saying that he's starting the finishing prices on my 3 piece Phoenix. Shouldn't be too much longer now!!!!!!
Yes sir!
Whippenstick has risen to the top as one of my all-time favorite bow makes. Ken is just a cool dude and very modest about the art he builds. Been in touch with him recently and you couldn't ask for a better bowyer to work with on any build.
Yes Chuck, Ken is one of the good guys for sure. I was shooting with him the other day at an archery shop near us, he did mention he was in contact with you about a review on his bows.
Congrats that's a beauty for sure
Sweet bow! I like the 2 wood Cocobolo combo! ;)