I’ve owned a lot of bows. I won’t specify the number because it’s kind of embarrassing as I think about it. To me a masterfully crafted bow is one of the most beautiful things in the world, and there’s a lot of beautiful bows out there looking for homes, my home in particular, apparently.
Because of all of the bows I’ve owned I’ve had the opportunity to learn a little bit about bow design, both glass laminate bows as well as selfbows and backed wood bows. In over twenty years of shooting traditional bows I’ve learned about bows from many bowyers; dedicated, serious minded men who have made it their life's work to design and craft optimal, beautiful, high performance bows.
Along the way I fell hard for the American longbow, aka Hill aka ASL style bows. Talk about beautiful, elegant longbows. That continuous, gentle arch is mesmerizing and seductive, and has seduced me countless times.
I’ve owned many ASLs. There are few that I haven’t owned, and let me be completely honest by saying I haven’t shot them all, but I think I’ve shot enough of them to be able to say there are some that are better designed and better performing than others. I’ve never shot a completely disappointing ASL, but I’ve shot some great examples of this type of bow, with one in particular that completely stands apart from the others.
I’ve followed the passionate posts on Trad Gang related to ASLs. I’ve never seen so much enthusiasm for any particular bow design. Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks this style of bow has everything to offer. I’ve noticed a trend towards certain prefered bowyers in many posts, and rightly so. There are some very talented bowyers making great bows of this type, and I’d like to add to that list of bowyers by mentioning an ASL that’s not apparently well known, but should be.
Tom Parsons of Kimsha Archery has been making traditional bows as long as anyone I can think of. Thirty years if I have calculated it correctly. Along with being a master bowyer, by my definition, talking with Tom is like talking with a bow scientist. He has designed and crafted every type of traditional bow, from hotrod hybrids and recurves to reflex deflex longbows, takedown bows and American/Hill style bows. He still does everything by hand, which is becoming rare among bowyers these days. He knows limb design like no one else I’ve spoken with.
The ASL that Tom is most known for is his Mattawoman (
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=099233#000000 ), a narrow, trapezoidal limb, deep core longbow that forms a perfect D shape when strung. It hides a tremendous amount of energy resulting from a brilliant limb design. It has the preload of many R/D bows without the appearance of an R/D bow. It’s a hotrod ASL.
A few years ago Tom designed a new bow that fits more closely with the American/Hill style bow; the Kimsha “Traditions”.
The Traditions is, based on my experience, an optimal, straight limb, American/Hill style longbow. It has that sweet, unmistakable draw that makes this style of bow so appealing, but what’s really impressive is what happens when the string is released. Tom’s limb tapers make for a surprisingly sweet shot. It’s fast, quiet, and has as little hand shock as can be imagined in this type of bow. It’s as if everything that could be right about this type of bow is right in the Traditions. Compared with many other longbows of similar configuration that I have personally shot, it’s the most well mannered of them all. Tom’s level of craftsmanship, fit and finish is equally impressive. His bows are fine art for anyone who appreciates a masterfully crafted bow.
Here are two quick images of the two Traditions that I own and the Mattawoman in the above link. You can just make out the backset in the Mattawoman in the pictures below. It's the bow on the far left. Of course pictures tell a very limited story of any bow, except for the what makes a bow beautiful to behold.
Five laminations of bamboo and phenolic limb wedges in all cases. All 66” and 57#@28”.
Topic: Think you know all the great ASLs being made? You may have missed this one. (Read 2813 times)
