rosins

[AlixD05]

I've heard that Liebenzeller is the best rosin in the world.

 I was supposed to order 2 from a website yesterday..

 But the price is terribly high($35).  Which online shop

selling this rosin with a lower price?

[Shirl]

Alex - Concord seems to have it for $19.94 (?) - 5(?) - I believe that is where I got mine. I had to try it out of curiosity. It is good. So is the Tartini and its newest form, "Andrea." Good luck! Shirley

[AlixD05]

thx Shirley

[DutchViolins]

Is it known what this rosin makes so special and outperforming? Or is it the high price that makes people think this is the best. All other rosins are bad.

Other brands have also several hardnesses and different grades in stickyness.

But all are less expensive.

[Jonathan Rubin]

When you don't know which rosin you are using, impressions are interesting.

http://cauer.com/violincare/Vi...e.htm#_Selecting_Rosin

[thom]

I happen to think that for all but the very best musicians, the rosin you use makes very little difference. There may be some psychological effect to using what you think is the "best" rosin, but, other than that, I have my doubts.

[Andrew Victor]

I grew up believing that "rosin is rosin" - all were about the same - my luthier seems to still believe it.

But on finickey instruments like cellos, the rosin you use can make a very big difference. And once you discover that, you are open to discovering the subtlties of rosin differences on violin as well. My searches for the perfect rosin led me to own a substatial number of Liebenzeller rosins (appropriate for both instruments) ---and then the Tartini brand appeared - and I own all of them - finally, rosin is no limitation to my playing. Not that I really knew it was before - until I began to discover "better" rosins.

Andy

[BinkWms]

I got my Liebenzeller Gold 1 from Southwest Strings for 29.95. To me, its the best that I've ever used. That doesn't seem to be such a bad price since the cake will probably outlast me and will be part of my children's inheritence. I can really tell a great difference and I love it!

[DutchViolins]

There is a difference in types of rosin. They can roughly be divided into two types: very hard and hence less sticky and the other can be softer and more sticky. Even Pirastro advertises to use different types when using different types of strings. The gut strings need different rosin than synthetic strings, according to Pirastro as earlier said.

The harder type of rosin can be harmfull for persons who have sensitive bronchia or have allergy because this can produce dust.

[xdmitrix420]

i had an 11 year old violin student who ate a chunk of rosin in

front of me before i could say anything.... if you're looking for a

tasty rosin, look no further than the cheap rosin that comes in a

wooden box with student violins.

[Stephen Fine]

BinkWms brings up an interesting point in his post. I recently read that rosins are only at their best for a year or so. Does anyone know anything about rosin longevity? I know that I'm currently using a 3 yr old cake of Salchow's that seems to be working fine, but I dunno. Anyone have an opinion?

[Steve_W]

Oh no, not this again! Questions on rosin longevity always turn up an interesting variety of responses. My opinion is that it may depend on the formulation. I've used one brand where the performance of a cake that was over 20 years old was indistinguishable to me from that of a new one, and another brand that seemed to harden significantly in 10-15 years. (These were both "low-tech" inexpensive dark rosins.) After switching to Tartini last year just after it was discontinued, I'm hoping that its longevity is more like the former than the latter! [Which reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask: does anyone have opinions on how Andrea compares to Tartini, and which grades are comparable?]-Steve

[Selim]

Upon this thread, I ordered both Liebenzeller and tartini.

I got them a couple of days ago, I tried and I could not detect a difference in playing or sound quality.

Still I think that I am more comfortable with the cheap cake (simple FF-Rosin I think) I had.

I am an amateur, not a professional player. I might be wrong.

[Ken Nielsen]

Trying the more expensive rosins, Milant Deroux Dark Rosin still does a fine job for me and is my favorite.

[larakitten]

Has anyone any comments on the specific rosins that Pirastro do for

each string type?  For example, Im using Eudoxa strings right

now, but find my Hill dark rosin just clogs them up too much so was

thinking about trying the specific rosin designed for those

strings?  Is it worth it?

Any thoughts would be great, thanks.

[nola]

I've been using the same cake of motrya gold for a couple of years. as far as i can tell, it hasn't changed with time. i really have no strong desire to switch. to be honest, though, i also have a cake of hidersine (not even the deluxe, it's just the regular cheapo stuff) that really does a pretty good job too. in general, i probably use a little more bow pressure than is ideal, so i've always used a harder rosin. if you are really good about using light bow pressure and long bows (and use gut strings), then a soft rosin is probably for you, and i've been told it's the soft rosins that dry out more easily. as for my hard stuff, it does a great job, and i probably won't replace it until i hit the chamois.

[GlennYorkPA]

I think the reason people think rosin deteriorates with age is because they have seen cracked and broken cakes in old violin cases.

They didn't spontaeously disintegrate; they got that way from physical abuse.

I have used Liebezeller Gold 1 for a number of years and found it perfectly satisfactory maintaining the bow with the same playing characteristics in either dry or damp conditions.

But, then again, I never had much trouble with the cheap stuff.

Glenn

[Rix2357]

I've had a Milant Deroux Dark Rosin for over 5 years.  I think

it's gotten a little harder than when I first bought it.  When

it was new, if I pushed really hard with the bow, I could leave

grooves into the cake of rosin, but now it doesn't.

[DutchViolins]

Pirastro recommend to change every year the rosin and buy a new piece.

Good for their sales!

The statement below can be found in their information on the website:

"Getting old, all rosins are losing their characteristical formula slowly. They dry out too much. We recommend to use rosin within one year only".

See for more details:

Pirastro Rosin recommendation and select from the menu on the left item "Rosin" to get the desired information.

[fiddlin]

I've been using the same cake of Hill Dark for several years, and it seems to be working just fine, also.

[Steve_W]

quote:

---

Originally posted by:

larakitten

Has anyone any comments on the specific rosins that Pirastro do for

each string type? For example, Im using Eudoxa strings right

now, but find my Hill dark rosin just clogs them up too much so was

thinking about trying the specific rosin designed for those

strings? Is it worth it?

---

Could it be that you're just applying too much rosin for these strings? I used Hill Dark with Gold Labels for several years (before I gave up on gut and switched to synthetics) and don't remember any issues. I've never tried the Pirastro branded rosins however it seems that a rosin specifically formulated for those strings would be a good place to start. Considering that a cake of Eudoxa rosin is only around $6 (around here, anyway), it's not a huge investment!

[GlennYorkPA]

Almost everyone applies too much rosin.

If you need to wipe off rosin dust from the bridge area regularly, too much rosin is being used.

I play daily and apply a couple of swipes of rosin maybe once a month.

Milstein never applied rosin at all between re-hairs.

Glenn

[nola]

I will never be able to understand why so many people use so much rosin. I use about four swipes for every several hours of playing. Glenn- do you use really rough hair? I feel like I wouldn't have any grip at all if I applied that infrequently.

[nola]

So now I'm actually getting a little curious about these Liebenzeller rosins. What are the numbers (I-IV)? If I'm going to give in and try a cake, which should I buy? (I use Evah Pirazzi's, and tend to use a bit more bow pressure than I probably should.)

[GlennYorkPA]

Nola,

There is no such thing as rough hair. All horsehair is quite smooth under the microscope.

If you have ever tried to apply rosin to a freshly haired bow, you will know what a lot of time and effort it takes to get the rosin to adhere to the hair.

I like the fact that you use rosin sparingly. The rule is 'apply more rosin only when needed'. When you can't produce the tone you need, that's when to add a little more (but I think you already know that ).

I have been playing for over 40 years and have come to the conclusion there is as much claptrap talked about rosin as there is about strings.

Comparative experiments are almost impossible to carry out and although there may be differences, they are minimal compared to other factors. No two bows have the same playing characteristics in the sticks, nor do they have exactly the same amount of hair in them.

My advice to you would be to treat yourself to a nice cake of Liebenzeller Gold 1 (the higher numbers relate to the metal content which is negligible, in any case). Your playing will improve immeasurably because of the satisfaction you feel in having gold on your bow hair.

Also, you gain instant bragging rights.

Oh, and another thing, unless you apply it to fresh, unrosined hair, you may as well not bother. (Cross contamination).

Glenn