TPG Sharp Bow Review – Carmen

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Hard To Beat Quality At This Price

Carmen is TPG’s top-of-the-line carbon fiber bow. The styling is understated with maroon and black braided carbon stick. The nickel silver inlaid frog, TPG monogrammed ferrul, and three-part button with matching abalone eye all scream premium build. But it is the nickel silver tip that blew me away. Traditionally, the tip which covers where the knot in the hair is wedged into the tip of the bow, is made of faux ivory. I have broken more than one of these faux ivory tips. It’s all too easy to bump the tip against a music stand, wall, or stand partner (the worst!). I don’t see why all bows aren’t using a nickel silver tip. It fits in seamlessly with the look of this bow but also offers a functionality that I love. 

When you are considering upgrading your bow do your homework on the construction, materials, and comparable products in that price range, but what is most important is how the bow feels and responds when you play. Where these bows are hard to find in stores, I’m going to do my best to help! Thankfully, The Piano Guys website says that they offer a money back guarantee so if you purchase the bow and do not like its performance you aren’t stuck with it!

I spent several days playing each bow. I had a long conversation with Steven Sharp Nelson on what went into bringing these bows to market. I highly suggest you checkout the back to back review where I play all 4 bows back to back and compare them to my two wood bows. Also check out the review videos for Luke, Ziggy and Bruce Lee before you go all in on any of these bows. Each bow has different strengths and excels in different playing styles and playing situations.

Compared to my two fine wood bows the Carmen has some distinct advantages and disadvantages. Nothing beats carbon fiber for durability. Each summer I travel to New York and rent a cello in Rochester at The String House. While I don’t feel comfortable traveling with my instrument, I always bring Carmen along. I also think that Carmen is especially good for recording sessions. While it does not have as dynamic and immediately powerful of a sound as my default stick made by Lloyd Liu, it creates a lovely darker tone and gives me fewer accidental pops/scrapes. When I was forced by the COVID-19 pandemic to do cello lessons with my students over Zoom, I found that I preferred Carmen to both my wood bows for this reason. I am working on a solo cello album of video game music and plan to use Carmen for those recording sessions again because of its dark sound that really excels under the mics. Soloing with an orchestra or giving a classical recital I would still opt for my wood bow because it provides me with a larger variety of tone colors and quicker access to my instrument’s big sound. The fact that I am intentionally using Carmen for important cello projects while I have two wood bows that are considerably more valuable is a sign that this bow has a lot to offer.

Pro Tip

Try to find equipment that offsets your weaknesses. If you are a naturally coarse, aggressive player look for equipment to mellow your sound. If you are always being coaxed to play out more, seek out equipment that really amplifies your sound. 

I would love to compare Carmen against other top-notch carbon fiber bows. It is certainly a step above the other TPG Bows for overall playability and is designed to compete against quality wood bows. Honestly, in this price range I don’t know how you beat it for quality. I would love to compare it to other bows in its class like the Coda Diamond GX or John Paul Avanti. I’ve requested a trial bow from Coda and hope to add additional reviews to do a comparison. Let me know how you think Carmen stacks up against the bows in your quiver in the comments section! Here are the Carmen stats:
  • Weight 80 grams (on my unofficial scale)
  • Solid core carbon fiber composition (no fiberglass or graphite)
  • Silver plated winding
  • Custom red & black braided stick
  • Nickel silver tip (cool and functional)
  • Three-part button with matching abalone eye
  • Custom flamed abalone pearl slide and nickel silver signature
  • Custom fully-lined ebony frog
  • Monogrammed ferrule
  • Premium plush grip
  • Premium Stallion horsehair

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