Shar Fusion Carbon Fiber Viola Bow
For years string teachers have told us that fiberglass bows are a durable and practical choice for active young students and their budget-conscious parents. But because they lack the finesse and handling properties of wood or carbon fiber bows, teaching bowing techniques can be difficult. We listened to our colleagues and set out to find a solution. The result is the Shar FUSION student bow. Utilizing carbon fiber construction, the Shar FUSION is strong and priced right. But best of all, the Shar FUSION performs like much more expensive wood or carbon fiber bow. Try one today!
"When considering a new bow for their student, teachers and parents alike have expressed their desire for a well-constructed bow that doesn't compromise its playability and responsiveness. I'm happy to say this bow is an excellent option for customers looking for a durable and practical bow, without inhibiting a young player's sound and technique development. Immediately after trying this bow for the first time, I noticed how easily the violin responded to it."
- William Kaltz-Hall, Violinist, Contact Center Representative
Canadian rock group Article One, combines pop-rock accessibility with the hard-driving virtuosity and honesty of an indie band. Here's what Article One's world-class rock violinist, Matt Piche', has to say about the Shar Fusion bows that he uses in his performances:
"The Shar Fusion allows me to express all the passion and intensity that Article One's music demands, without wilting or breaking. Sometimes our shows get a little crazy - the rugged Fusion bow stands up to abuse better than any wood bow, yet it plays like a good wood bow. It's ideal for demanding music-making."
Ratings & Reviews
Awesome bow, love it
Great bow for beginners like me.
Great bow....
I have an older CodaBow Classic professional model for my violin. This SHAR Fusion bow is just as good at a fraction of the price. I highly recommend this bow!
Was great...for a few months
I was initially very pleased with this bow (it came quickly, and I felt that I had gotten a good deal when my regular bow needed to be re-haired), however after less than a year's worth of use, I have been frustrated by the little wooden piece on the frog coming out (see photo). This has made the bow very difficult to tighten, and while I am able to push it back in to some extent, there is clearly still a problem. I only use this bow ~1 time per week, and I have kept it in a humidity-controlled case, loosening after each use. The bow is still useable for the moment, but I am worried that it will not be for much longer. Yes, this is a low cost bow and was useful as a temporary replacement, but I did have higher hopes for the longevity of the bow, especially since it was well cared for.
Update to Previous Review
As an update to the above review regarding the longevity of the bow: When the cork continued to stick out of the frog and I could no longer play effectively, I called Shar. I was immediately assisted by their excellent customer service team, and within an hour an order was placed for a complimentary replacement bow. I received my bow promptly, and was able to return my defective bow. They made this experience as easy and pleasant as possible.
Pretty good student bow
I got one of these bows to replace my son's wood viola bow a couple of years ago. As students come into my studio, I find that the easiest and most effective instrument upgrade to sell them on is a bow that costs less than a bow rehair. After several years, the bow is still very good. My son has moved on to a Coda bow, but the Shar fusion is a great spare bow for whenever we have to rehair the Coda bow.
Absolutely Marvelous!
This is a great bow.!! I have a carbon fibre weave bow for violin that cost almost double what this bow cost, and this bow is perfectly weighted for the viola (slightly heavier than the properly weighted violin CF bow). The best part of this bow, aside from being a "proper" low--maintenance CF stick, is the quality hair-ing. I believe the hair is better than average quality for these sub $100 bows. It will take time to see how well it holds up, but my first week impressions are very favorable. Very easy to rosin up and start producing decent tone. You can't get a re-hair at this price! Absolutely marvelous!