Vann was trained in New York City in the shop of the world renowned master Bow Maker William Salchow. Since embarking on his career in 1975 he has won six international and more than a dozen Canadian awards for his bows. He was commissioned by a private foundation to make bows for the Royal House of Denmark. He was also commissioned to make the quartets of presentation bows for the Banff International String Quartet Competition from 1983 to 2003.

This bow, which has been in high-end professional use since it was made, has exceptionally good playing properties. The stick is very firm, allowing for extraordinary direct control of the string with unusually crisp articulation. The firmness assists with drawing real power from the instrument, yet its perfect balance allows for the most delicate spiccato almost effortlessly. It makes playing the violin a lot easier with great effect. It certainly outplays all the Sartorys I owned and is arguably the best bow I've played with.

This bow with a weight of 61.7 grams is made with a round shaft of pernambuco and finished at the head with a sterling silver face plate. It is fitted with a silver-mounted ebony frog. The button is a solid silver sleeve type on an ebony core. The thumbpad is of leather and the lapping of synthetic whalebone.

It is stamped with the serial number 1103 on the shaft behind the frog and under the lapping. It is stamped 'Michael Vann' in the usual place and is also fitted with a microchip for security. It comes with a certificate from the maker.