Upright Bass Rosin
 For
those new to bass rosin, we have a short comparison chart below to
help you decide which brand you might like best and also some
tidbits showing the differences in them. Bass rosin is
soft! Even our 'hard' rosin, might be super soft for
a cello player. You may notice that some brands are missing
here because not all bass rosins work the same or well enough that
we want to offer it here. Life is short, why waste time
playing on bad rosin, not to mention, potentially ruin the bow hair.
It seems that many players usually 'stick' to their time tested
brand that they love, but in recent months, we have had some decent
newcomers: the new Wiedoeft and 050 bass rosin. 050!
Is that a strange name or what?! We sell a lot of them.
One added note: If you like soft
rosins, (Pop's, Ultra Grip or 050 Soft, you might also consider
having a hard cake of rosin as
well. Why? With new, fresh re-haired bows, when first
using a soft rosin, is VERY easy to gloss over (thickly
coating the hair) which is then next to impossible to reverse. (You
can, but just don't do it in the first place and you won't have to
put chemicals on your bow hair.)
So you can use the harder rosin
the first week and by that time, there will be enough 'resin'
without too much wax, then you can switch to the softer cake.
Also about styles of playing. A harder rosin will often
give a more direct hair to string sound, without being muddled by
the softer waxy version. For orchestra playing, power is a
key, so that is why soft rosins are more popular. For
recitals, solo playing etc... harder rosins are usually the way to
go. Many players have a bow for solo playing and one for orchestra,
not mixing the rosin. Or at least, not putting soft rosin on
their solo bow, keeping it separate.
Here is a quick link to our
bass rosin
order page.
Top professional, recommended brands for Bass
Rosin:
| Rosin brand |
Description |
Pros and cons |
|
Pops |
Pops rosin is easily the
best selling and most popular bass rosin in the world. It
comes in the unmistakable red plastic container and is
consistently good, reliable rosin. It is popular because it
often works just about everywhere. |
This
rosin works and after you put it on, you're good almost for
the whole session, if not the whole day. It tends to stay
consistent on your bow. Cons: Be careful and don't over do
it. Just a little can go a long way. (Sometimes if you
want more "pop" on the isolated area where you are playing
(like an orchestra kind of spicatto) on the bow, it's ok
just to put a little extra on that area that it is being
played on, rather than the whole bow. This way, your hair
won't collect (un-used) rosin over time and will last
longer. Also, sensitive players think that sometimes the
Pops will 'coat' or interfere with the tone between the hair
and string. (see solo rosin) This is why some keep a bow
strictly for orchestra and one for solo work. What if you
have new hair and it gets 'glossed' over with too much
rosin.
How to clean bass bow hair. |
|
Wiedoeft |
This is the new version of Wiedoeft that comes in the
softer, "Ultra Grip" or harder, "All Seasons" and is made by
Barrie Kolstein (former owner of Kolstein Music). The
whole bass world flipped out when the former Kolstein "Soft"
and "All Weather" grades were no longer in production. 'Lo
and behold' Weidoft now offers a both of these same soft and
hard versions as before ("new improved"!)
For
those that miss the old Kolstein rosins... this is your
rosin!! :) |
This to us, is a softer type
rosin. Nothing like a Carlsson or Nymans. Barrie Kolstein
just knows how to make rosin! You can have your choice of
either the soft "Ultra Grip" or harder, "All Seasons".
Personally, I think you should have one of each:
First, the Ultra Grip (Soft) will out grip any other bass
rosin, in the harshest (driest) winter weather. While
the All Seasons, is good for hot summer days, or just as
importantly, it's great to have to use on new hair that
first week! We don't care how great the rosin
producers claim their rosin to be, this harder "All Seasons"
version will not goop up your new hair. Many players
will first use this on their new bow (hair) and then once
the hair gets broken in nicely, (after a week or so), can
switch to something softer, without risk of glossing over
(ruining) the hair.
|
|
Nymans or Carlssons |
Why did we put these two
brands in the same box? Because they are the same exact
recipe. If there is someone out there that can 'just tell'
the difference, I will would only point to a possible
freshness date or vat. Same company, same recipe, same
rosin! I like the Carlsson because if has the nicer plastic
canister with a snap on lid. (Like the Pops has.) |
These two rosins also do
really well through out the year and also reliable, popular
rosins. They are not as soft as the Pops and there is less
risk of hair glossing. Sometimes they can 'cool off' a bit
after a break and might take a little more playing to get
them going or a little more put on. |
|
'050' |
Made in The Netherlands,
this rosin comes in 3 grades: Soft, Hard and Super Sticky. |
This has become quite
popular recently, especially because of the absense of the
old production Kolstein rosin. The rosin works and we
have happy customers that like it. |
| Leatherwood 'Bespoke'
rosin |
Leatherwood Bespoke has
a range of softness (it is super soft) to very hard: the
softest at 60% to the hardest, 20%. Meant for using just
one, or blended together with another to combine different
traits. There is a page dedicated for
Leatherwood Bass Rosin. |
This is new (June, 2019)
and the jury is still out on this rosin. It can sometimes
be difficult knowing or using just the right consistency of
any rosin or during the seasonal changes throughout the
year. So,when ordering you can choose one super hard, one
soft and then blend them together accordingly. With such a
range of hardness to soft, the possibilities and
combinations are endless. |
What about age and freshness? Ok, here is where I give
our little spiel about freshness and not being a cheapskate! I can
remember when I was in (high school and college) I thought that as
long as I still had any rosin left, it was fine to use.
Because we are always trying out new bows here, I can wholeheartedly
attest that freshness is the most important key component of any of
the softer bass rosins.
Always order your new rosin from a bass specialist. Pops rosin
used to have a born date (when made) so that folks can see and know
how fresh it was. I think Pops was honest to do that, but
also, most shops didn't like that because they'd end up buying too
much or not selling it fast enough. People were checking those
dates!! The dates have now disappeared from them again.
Most of the soft (Pops, Carlsson, Nymans and Kolsteins) should be
replaced about once a year.
As a professional, I buy new rosin at least once a year.
One cake of rosin is way cheaper than a re-hair and so much easier.
You can really hear and feel the difference. For folks buying
new bows with us I will almost always insist on sending out some
kind of new and fresh rosin. Why put old, dry, scratchy rosin on a
new, good bow?
About hard rosins. You may have read (in the Pop's
Pros and Cons) about some players keeping a bow for orchestra and
another one, for strict solo playing. The orchestra bow using one of
the typical bass rosins and for the solo playing, using a harder
rosin. Violin or Cello rosins are made in a harder formula.
Anyone that has just gotten a new re-hair on their bow, can attest
that the tone is more apparent, more pure at first while the hair is
new and before a lot of the waxy bass rosin goes into the hair.
As orchestra players we want 'big', 'full' and loud. I also
want the bow to 'speak' (I want a nice 'machine gun' spicatto).
The trade off is less contact between hair and string, where the
rosin helps grab the string, it also covers the tone. For
strict solo playing, (like a Bach Cello suite), using the cello or
violin rosin, will allow the bow to be more even throughout the
whole stick. There are some definite differences between the two
types of rosins, but again, it is hard to notice if you already have
used bass rosin already on your bow and then trying out the
cello/violin rosin. Maybe the next time you get your bow
re-haired, it might be fun to try this experiment and use some cello
rosin the first couple of days. All the more reason to be
nicer to the 'upper string' people around you so that you can borrow
and try their rosin first!
Popular violin, viola and cello rosins: Bernadel
(cheap and it works), Hill light or dark. The 'darker'
rosins tend to be softer, but still very hard for a bass bow.
A great site to find these other hard rosins:
https://www.viola-strings.com/rosin.php or another site,
https://www.cello-strings.com/cello-rosin.php
Get the 'dark', it will still be much harder than any other bass
rosin. Don't buy these hard rosins if you are going to play or
use your bow in an orchestra and only using one bow. The
harder rosins are not enough to make it work with the real power
that you'll need.
In general most people want and need that bass string to really
vibrate and for the bow to quickly grab the string. As with
anything, a little trial and error will help you decide which kinds
of rosin you like to use and why. While it is hard to use just
any one kind of rosin year 'round, it's fun to pick up a 2nd,
different bass rosin, for spikes in the weather seasons and whatever
the case may be or brand you choose, newer, fresher rosin will
always be better.
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