I've heard good things about the legendary OAK rosin, no longer manufactured. However, I see that Supersensitive is making an Oak rosin for bass and cello.

Arco has never been my strong point and I am aiming to correct that in the near future, and may as well (re)start with the right tools, which will probably mean a better quality French bow with black hair as well. I have an ancient cake of Pirastro and a year-old sample from Kolstein, and have read recent threads that older rosin isn't as good as newer stuff.

-zat true? (My 30 yr old Petz still is sticky as hell ;) )

-anyone try the contemporary Oak rosin?

Hey Bob,

Rosin gets hard and dries out. I don't know anything about the Oak Rosin (new or old), but Kolstein's is supposedly made from the same formula or something as Oak. I've been using a cake of Kolstein soft that Barrie gave me. I like it. It's about the same stickiness as Carlsson but I like the slightly mellower tone I get with the Kolstein. Most everyone I know uses one of the Swedish rosins, Carlsson or Nyman's. Carlsson gets all over the bass, Kolstein doesn't. I hope that helps a little.

David,

There has to be a corralation between the rosin age and the bow hair &(age). I don't know what it is, but I have noticed a distinct lessening of rosin deposit on the string and bass with new hair. I have primarily used Popps rosin on several rehairs and have noticed very little rosin deposit on the strings after each rehair. Also the quality of tone also impoves.

Mark

With my new job and all, I must say I got all excited when I saw the Rosin thread lit up...

Bob, the differences between Carlson, Nyman, Kolstein and Popps are small, compared to the difference between all of them as a group and Petz.
I have my own rule on anything bass-related: If you can buy it at a local music store, it isn't very good. (haughty sniff...)

Originally posted by David Kaczorowski
Hey Bob,

Rosin gets hard and dries out. I don't know anything about the Oak Rosin (new or old), but Kolstein's is supposedly made from the same formula or something as Oak. I've been using a cake of Kolstein soft that Barrie gave me. I like it. It's about the same stickiness as Carlsson but I like the slightly mellower tone I get with the Kolstein. Most everyone I know uses one of the Swedish rosins, Carlsson or Nyman's. Carlsson gets all over the bass, Kolstein doesn't. I hope that helps a little.

Definitely; just in search of. Kolstein sent a complimentary small cake of his rosin to me a couple years ago and I've started using it with a new bow I acquired, wood, inexpensive, but pretty nice, and find it is better - I will probably have my old bow rehaired as it has been at least four years since it was last done. I will probably also end up getting one of Kolstein's dual rosin cakes.

Thanks for the guidance, gents.

Originally posted by oldsaw
David,

There has to be a corralation between the rosin age and the bow hair &(age). I don't know what it is, but I have noticed a distinct lessening of rosin deposit on the string and bass with new hair.

Mark,

Brand-spankin'-new hair doesn't hold rosin the same way as older hair does. That's to say, it actually holds it. Maybe I'm weird, but I don't particularly care for brand-new hair. I don't start to like new hair till it's a few days old.

David,

I agree with you. Others have said it takes about three days of usage to "condition" the hair. Also, the quality of the hair used makes a huge difference in the quality of sound that I can produce.I remember reading somewhere that Barrie or his father believed that hair from one part of the tail or hair harvested at a certain time of the year was better.

Mark

Originally posted by oldsaw
Barrie or his father believed that hair from one part of the tail or hair harvested at a certain time of the year was better.

Yes, the hair from horses living in cold climates is coarser and therefore grabs better. The strongest part of the hair is from right where it's coming out of the horse. The ends absolutely can't be used as the hair naturally gets thinner and weaker as you get closer to the tip and is further weakened by contact with waste and dirt.

He also said hair from a female horse was lesser quality because of urine damage.
There's no truth to the claim that female horses nag male horses for not lifting the toilet seat.

Originally posted by David Kaczorowski
[I've been using a cake of Kolstein soft that Barrie gave me. I like it. [/B]

David,

Which Kolstein rosin are you using? I'm using the Ultra Medium and like it very much.

B.P.

Originally posted by 1 Bass Psycho


David,

Which Kolstein rosin are you using? I'm using the Ultra Medium and like it very much.

B.P.

Soft

HI, Any yous guys have any "old " oak rosin for sale?
Also what do you think og kolsteins new rosin. I don't like it and am trying to gather info for him which shows this.
Thanks for the help
G

I posted some information before about breaking in the hair and it is relevant to this thread as well. For brevity's sake just jump to it here:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1674027#post1674027

By the way Bob, I'm still digging that new bow. The hair is broken in very well by now. I have black hair on my psaltery bow and it is definitely coarser and grabbier, but it sometimes is overly scratchy too. :)

A fellow bass player in the symphony down here was able to get ahold of a cake of the 'old', original, Oak Rosin. Apparently the recipe was bought by someone who's now making it in very limited quantities (home operation). Anyway, the stuff is amazing. I've used almost every kind of rosin out there (settling with Pops for orchestral playing about 8 years ago), but this stuff blows it all away. It's got the bite of pops without the stickyness. It's got grip, but it's totally smooth. I put some on at the head of the concert, played through the first half, and it lasted all the way through Brahms 1'st Symph. in the second half without losing it's power.

I hope that this rosin will become more widely available, as it was in the past!

Paul,
I know bassists who have some "Oak" rosin that they guard
very carefully. I also discovered there were different grades
of hardness available! The closest I remember was "Old
Chicago" rosin but it wasn't quite like Oak. If you could
share the info on how to get the new stuff I'd appreciate
it as well as others who've used the old stuff!

http://www.gregorianstrings.com/

check it out theres the guy thats making that rosin. has anyone tried it yet?? for some reason i cant get pdf files opening lately so i dont even know a price or availibilty..someone post up the info if they know:) :hyper:

http://www.gregorianstrings.com/

check it out theres the guy thats making that rosin. has anyone tried it yet?? for some reason i cant get pdf files opening lately so i dont even know a price or availibilty..someone post up the info if they know:) :hyper:

I have been using it for about six months now and I love it. It's the best rosin I've tried and I've tried Hidersine, Nymans, Carlsson, Pops, Clarity, and Kolstein and probably some others I can't remember. Kolstein was the best thing for me before the Oak. Oak is grippier, produces less gunk, and doesn't have the sizzle sound I would sometimes get with Kolstein. I play on unwound gut on the top two strings. Not surprisingly, Oak works well with gut (which was in use when Oak was originally formulated).

Adrian, can you compare it to Hindersine? I've been using it most of the time (all purpose for a few months on a student German, now using #3 on a newly rehaired French) and this Oak rosin has me very intrigued. I've used Pops for a bit, but can't find my cake of it and there's nowhere locally that sells it, so if I'm ordering online, I might as well check out this stuff since everyone's clamouring over it.

im using nymans right now i find it pretty good for my limited skill with arco how do you think it compares?

Aaron, sorry but I can't really compare it to Hidersine. My only experience with Hidersine is that tried using it for a few days and hated it. I can't even remember what grade it was that I had. Oak is nothing like Pops which I personally find way too gunky and gooey especially in warmer weather. The closest thing to Oak would be Kolstein.

Never used Pops in warm weather (disappeared before the sun decided to make more than vignette appearances) but I can't say I disagree with you on Hindersine. I'd love to get my hands on something that actually works...

Trying playing an outdoor gig in this weather with Pops. Yuck. I have all three grades of Oak and normally use soft or medium but in hotter weather always use medium. I haven't had a reason yet to use the hard. When I used Kolstein I alternately used the soft and hard grades in the duo-pac.

Ok, seriously, this is the stuff to buy. I know some people that have tried a lot of different stuff and they all switched to the stuff this guy is making. My old teacher actually used oak rosin back in the day and says that this is the exact same stuff. I used a couple of swipes the other day and I was blown away. I have found that Kolstein's is the best for me. This is like Kolstein's but sounds better and plays easier. Definatly try this stuff.

www.gregorianstrings.com

I agree. I used to use Kolstein before Oak. Oak is similar to Kolstein but better - less gunk and no "sizzle" noise.

I hope the rosin is better than their website. I just want to see how to purchase and how much it costs. A PDF order form (are they kidding?) comes up and the artwork completely obscures the pricing! Useless.

Maybe someone else carries it too? And how is it with Spiros?

It's a PDF order form because this guy works out of his house on a per order basis. He doesn't sell it to stores. You have to buy it direct from the maker. It's 20 dollars a cake. I had that same problem with the art work covering the text. Change your screen resolution and it will fix the problem. Or just print it, that should do it.

Maybe someone else carries it too? And how is it with Spiros?

I can't speak for a full Spiro set but the rosin worked fine on the Spiro C extension string I had on until recently.

I've tried it; I like it; I'm old enough to have used the original, and this is just what I remember.

I still like Pop's better.

I'll probably burn in hell, I know...

I don't blame you for liking POPS it is a very good product. AND I have heard that it was developed for the climate in Houston which I imagine is hazy,hot and humid often. So the virginny climate can be this and so the logic would say that it would work.
I think the OAK is kick @ss ! In Oslo I need to use soft almost always with a smidgen of med every now and again just to get some dryness. This summer though the temp actually reached 90 f and I was forced to use HARD. It worked great.
BUT I must add I compared it to the former recipe Kolstein utra SOFT. And well it was a tough decision. The kolstein still after many years of laying around and getting lint and smutz on it worked great.

I really don't like the new kolstein rosin. I feel it is great for the virgin swipe but it all goes to crap after. I understand Barrie K to be an innovative and thinking man. ONe who is interested in doing great business by serving his target group.
I have never been dissapointed with any of his products BUT I do hope if he is reading this that you make the old formula again.
It could be like original coke....

I'm showing my age here but I actually have a small cake
of the original stuff thats lasted for about 32 years, we keep it in
the frig. I can't wait to get some of the new stuff. It's the best
rosin that I've ever used including Carlsson. The shelf life
of this stuff is unbelievable.

Ric

"""http://www.gregorianstrings.com/

check it out theres the guy thats making that rosin. has anyone tried it yet?? for some reason i cant get pdf files opening lately so i dont even know a price or availibilty..someone post up the info if they know """


The form says that it is $20 per cake of rosin plus $6 shipping for up to 10 cakes. On the site he suggest buying both a hard and medium grade to find what you need for your climate plus suggesting that mixing the grades may help you find you "blend" (this is all a paraphrase).

Trying playing an outdoor gig in this weather with Pops. Yuck. I have all three grades of Oak and normally use soft or medium but in hotter weather always use medium. I haven't had a reason yet to use the hard. When I used Kolstein I alternately used the soft and hard grades in the duo-pac.
Had lesson with my teacher tonight for the first time in a month (he was in Alaska for a while and only got back last Monday night.) A part of his pops cake had melted slightly -- kinda dribbled down, looked pretty neat! :D

Ordering some Pops from Upton (along with a stand) and going to get some Oak for my birthday in November.

I recently rehaired my bow and started using the new oak rosin. You can print an order form and buy it from www.gregorianstrings.com. Its $20 a cake, comes in soft, medium, and hard. The Rosin is dark, comes in small square boxes. Gaston Brohans Oak Bass Rosin. I have to say....it works excellent!! I have been a pops man for sometime but always hated how much gunk got on my instrument. this oak rosin produces half or less gunk!! The tone and action is much less gritty and more pure. You really need to try it!!!!

YES new hair plays different than old hair and YES there is a correlation between amount of gunk and newness of hair. New hair
takes a lot more rosin at first because you are allowing all of the barbs to catch rosin in them....this takes much rosin and playing. Its the barbs that hold the rosin and help catch or stick to the string allowing for easier vibration. When these barbs wear off from general use....more gunk accumulates on the instrument. You
will notice that old hair requires rosin almost every time you play.
This is because the rosin is coming off faster due to a lack of barbs. If you want less gunk on your instrument...rehair more often

The barbs are actually a myth...Jim Ham(guy who built Gary Karr's bass) showed some video of a bow playing a cello C-string up close and in super slow mo when I was doing the camp at UNT. No barbs to be seen. What really happens over time is that the hair becomes less elastic and does not react to the strings vibrations as readily. All that aside though, the one time I tried oak rosin, I was very impressed with it.

Wow. Do you (or anyone) have any documented info about this? I am very interested in the "Barb" myth. I was brought up on the barb theory and haven't been exposed to anything otherwise.

"When you actually see photos of magnified hair, there aren’t barbs at all.

http://www.johnson-inst.com/horse.htm

I had never actually heard the barb myth untill someone told it was a myth.

Bob -

the supersensitive is not even really a "copy" of the old oak. I think they are just using the name.

Try the link below (gregorian) if you want the closest thing there is to the old stuff - I bought some recently and it is the best thing there is out there for everyday playing, at least in moderate climates.

I tried the Kolstein for a year and couldn't quite like it - too gunky and at the same time shattered a lot. It didn't sound that great and it left crap all over my bass. Quite expensive for what you get too.

I been through years where I used Nymans, used Carlsson, etc.

Pops usefulness varys widely by the climate it is used in. It's always been good for me, but I don't live in someplace where it gets very hot or cold.

Still, the Gregorian seems to be the real deal in terms of copying the old Oak.



I've heard good things about the legendary OAK rosin, no longer manufactured. However, I see that Supersensitive is making an Oak rosin for bass and cello.

Arco has never been my strong point and I am aiming to correct that in the near future, and may as well (re)start with the right tools, which will probably mean a better quality French bow with black hair as well. I have an ancient cake of Pirastro and a year-old sample from Kolstein, and have read recent threads that older rosin isn't as good as newer stuff.

-zat true? (My 30 yr old Petz still is sticky as hell ;) )

-anyone try the contemporary Oak rosin?

Sorry to bring up an old thread, but I just received my own cake of medium oak rosin the other day. It seems to grip the string just as well as pops does but it doesn't stick to the string like pops. It articulates well and allows for smooth bow changes as well. Over all, it has a very nice feel with a nice tone as well. I've been a pops user since I first started playing but I think I've found replacement for it...

What Joey said. I've just been trying mine, and though I've not gone back and forth to A-B it directly with Pops or the Carlson I have, the Oak seems to be as grippy, but with much less "buzzsaw" tone.

Wow. Do you (or anyone) have any documented info about this? I am very interested in the "Barb" myth. I was brought up on the barb theory and haven't been exposed to anything otherwise.


See
http://www.scavm.com/norman.htm

Bob -

the supersensitive is not even really a "copy" of the old oak. I think they are just using the name.

Try the link below (gregorian) if you want the closest thing there is to the old stuff - I bought some recently and it is the best thing there is out there for everyday playing, at least in moderate climates.

I tried the Kolstein for a year and couldn't quite like it - too gunky and at the same time shattered a lot. It didn't sound that great and it left crap all over my bass. Quite expensive for what you get too.

I been through years where I used Nymans, used Carlsson, etc.

Pops usefulness varys widely by the climate it is used in. It's always been good for me, but I don't live in someplace where it gets very hot or cold.

Still, the Gregorian seems to be the real deal in terms of copying the old Oak.

This is an old thread (08-13-2001, 11:21 AM); I adopted Carlsson as my fave shortly afterwards, it seems to do the job for me. I still may carry others, a dryer rosin and an old sticky cake of Petz to cover myself for humidity variations.

I just started stocking Kolstein's DuoPack, a pair of winter and summer rosin half-moons in a single container (good idea), as well as the Clarity Hypoallergenic Summer and Winter rosins and have been tempted to break out a couple for my own use, but arco needs have been sparse lately.

ok, in researching a little about the topic of hair and rosin, I both dug up this thread.....
and found this page...

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://iwk.mdw.ac.at/images/Oberfl%2520-%2520schwarz%2520-%252010%2520mue.JPG&imgrefurl=http://iwk.mdw.ac.at/Forschung/english/bowhair/bowhair.htm&usg=__YdEQO7LQrzbSIT6m_OCcKr61Qgg=&h=189&w=270&sz=11&hl=en&start=11&um=1&tbnid=E1lK0xx5kqTWVM:&tbnh=79&tbnw=113&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhorse%2Bhair%2Bmagnified%26um%3D1%26h l%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

a few years late, but might be interesting to some....

That IS kinda interesting, thanks!

And yes, regarding the topic, I am a devoted Gaston Brohan user. Nyman and Carlsson works well for some music but for many romantic pieces I could never reach anywhere near the FFFFF's that's sometimes required. Pops does it, but can make a sizzling sound and is less subtle in most ways. Plus, all that gunk is awful. It actually ruins the varnish if you don't wipe it off everyday (and who does that before they realize how much damage it does!) whereas Carlsson or Brohan becomes harmless dust. Brohan grips well, plays well, makes a wonderful sound. Price is steep but the cakes are large, and if they last as long as some people states Oak will, it's a treat. I use soft with a finishing stroke of medium for smoothness. But it's cold up here.

Actually, I know a guy who has found some sort of dirt removal liquid that doesn't ruin the varnish, which he uses to rid his bass of the Pops. But, it seems like a lot of work, plus, his bass looks awful (despite its tonal qualities) so perhaps there is some impact on the varnish which you just can't tell from the other damage done to that poor thing.
Pops can be a bliss in the orchestra, though. It can be overly brutal if you want it to be, and at those certain times (Xenakis, anyone??) I wish I had a can of Pops.

I've lived in NC many years and for the past 3 or so years I've been using Oak soft rosin. I haven't found anything I like more (except a hybrid rosin that a local bassist makes that's quite possibly the perfect rosin). Oak does NOT like extreme heat or humidity though. Playing outdoors in summer festivals and other instances feels like playing on glass at times. If you only play indoors, Oak is great although sometimes requires you to rosin more often than with other rosin. Oak is also not the best rosin to break in new hair. After a rehair I like to use a powdery rosin like Carlsson for a few days before going back to Oak. FYI I also do not like to have a ton of rosin on my bow while I play. By far the best thing I have found with Oak, and probably other rosins though I haven't tried it, is keeping the cake wrapped in saran wrap so that it does not dry out so quickly.
I've never really liked Pops, it feels like plastic to me and causes way too much build-up on the hair. gross stuff.

I'm a long time Carlsson user, but I finally broke down and ordered 1 cake of soft and 1 of medium Oak to see what all the fuss is about.

After getting a cake of oak, I've put my Carlsson's away, never thought about taking it out.

Sometimes, though, pops is the only thing for that industrial-strength grab. They actually mix pretty well - sometimes I'll use a "base coat" of pops, then use oak over that - this seems to mellow out that hiss that pops gives you.

After getting a cake of oak, I've put my Carlsson's away, never thought about taking it out.

Sometimes, though, pops is the only thing for that industrial-strength grab. They actually mix pretty well - sometimes I'll use a "base coat" of pops, then use oak over that - this seems to mellow out that hiss that pops gives you.

Med and soft cakes arrived today.
Looking forward to tryin them out tomorrow. I'm in the NYC area. Temps have been in the 40's this week. Which cake should I start with?

That Pops / Oak combo sounds neat. Just may be the thing for some of the work I do. I never took to Pop's much in the past...used to have a cake around somewhere..

I think you typically use soft first and add a swipe of medium on top for smoothness. But I am curious about that Pops/oak combo myself... switched to Eudoxa A&E today and you need something real sticky to get a good FFz on those. I think I'll try that myself next week.
On my Perm solo set, I never felt the need of any more power and bite than the oak provided.

I have been needing more Pops this winter than Oak. Oak is one of those things that sounds incredible in the living room that doesn't always pan out on the gig. For solo concerts, Oak has been amazing.
(Every time I type "Oak" I start typing "Oakland" and have to correct!)

I just got and tried the Oak soft and medium these past two weeks. I never had such a smooth and even bowing experience! This stuff is great, I don't think I'll need any of the others I've used over the years.

This stuff is amazing...I use the soft on both my bows and it works amazingly for orchestral and solo playing...It doesn't get on the string at all and you can't "hear" the rosin, like Nymans.

OK, OK, OK, enough already. I've ordered a cake of oak.

This stuff better be good. I've got all your names...

OK, OK, OK, enough already. I've ordered a cake of oak.

This stuff better be good. I've got all your names...

Make sure it's the soft stuff...And only use 3-4 swipes without digging it into the hair. It should last a couple of days.

That must be a climate thing. If I use more than 2 swipes, I have trouble with the bow sticking to the string. That probably has something to do with our 90%+ humidity.

I have two blobs of medium that I got from my teacher. He had one melt in his car and the other dried out, so he said if I wanted to spend some time fixing them up, I was free to keep them. Or throw them away if they were hopeless. I did the small sponge w/ some water in a baggie trick and they came back to life pretty well. I'm sure fresh would work better, as they're more "hard" now than medium, but it's still dry here (29% humidity). I might get some soft in the fall, since the guy who makes the stuff I have is right here in Baltimore.

But yeah, I really like it. Grippy w/o being whispy.

Yeah, been using the Oak for about the last six weeks. Enjoying it a lot. Most of the time using the soft w/ a swipe or two of the medium on top.

Grippy, but smooth. Doesn't seem to have gunky build up on strings, bow hair or the bass top like some other rosins.

Also seems a bit easier to apply than Carlsson or Nymans.

BG

OK, OK, OK, enough already. I've ordered a cake of oak.

This stuff better be good. I've got all your names...

so Don, what's the verdict?

so Don, what's the verdict?:D

Amplifying (sorry) my prior post:
I hadn't touched the bass since I came home from rehearsal and went to the emergency room 18 days ago. I took bass and bow out of the bag and started playing with no preparation of the bow. With just the oak from 18 days ago, it delivered great tone, huge projection. I'm a convert.

Amplifying (sorry) my prior post:
I hadn't touched the bass since I came home from rehearsal and went to the emergency room 18 days ago. I took bass and bow out of the bag and started playing with no preparation of the bow. With just the oak from 18 days ago, it delivered great tone, huge projection. I'm a convert.

Don, I hope that means you're feeling better.

Brian

Don, I hope that means you're feeling better.

Brian
Not much, but thanks. Degenerative disc disease. It's going to be a long road.

Ouch that doesn't sound good. I recently had to be hospitalized because of a herniated disc in my lumbar. Not fun stuff.

Ouch that doesn't sound good. I recently had to be hospitalized because of a herniated disc in my lumbar. Not fun stuff.

Holy cow. Aren't you a young guy? I had a lot of lower back pain while I was a stool player and doing thumb position exercises. Standing and doing yoga has really taken away my back pain.

You think your stool gave you back pain?:hiding:

You think your stool gave you back pain?:hiding:

From bending over to get into thumb position. My old bass had very wide and big shoulders. Playing standing for me makes it much easier to play in TP.

I'm probably going to have to have to really evaluate how I play and also how I take care of my body, however I think a big part of the problem is carrying my bass without a wheel. My bass is definitely over thirty pounds plus when you add in my bow case, sheet music, and carrying my stool, it adds up to quite a bit. This semester, I've become very diligent about using the wheel, but this has been a problem that has been developing for at least a year I think. Fortunately, my problem is fixable and from there, it is a mater of prevention. I think Don's problem is more permanent...

Just want to add my month long review of Oak Rosin. I got it a month ago, and have used it since then. I got medium, and it has been very humid here in CT all month. The rosin had very little grip, I thought, and it was unreliable in its sound production. It tended to cake up on my strings. I switched back to Carlsson's the other day, and immediately got back the big full sound, I had before. It is still humid here. I am going to try it again when the weather starts to get cold around here, but as far as what I used it for, I can't recommend it.

Just want to add my month long review of Oak Rosin. I got it a month ago, and have used it since then. I got medium, and it has been very humid here in CT all month. The rosin had very little grip, I thought, and it was unreliable in its sound production. It tended to cake up on my strings. I switched back to Carlsson's the other day, and immediately got back the big full sound, I had before. It is still humid here. I am going to try it again when the weather starts to get cold around here, but as far as what I used it for, I can't recommend it.

No disrespect intended here, but you might consider trying the Soft if you consider the Medium to be too hard.

Winter will only make the Medium seem even harder and less grippy, in my limited experience.

Winter will only make the Medium seem even harder and less grippy, in my limited experience.

+1 Medium oak seemed to lose its grip during winter. I have found that a mixture of Oak and Kolstein does the trick for me. I have the sound from Kolstein mixed with the smoothness of oak. Works GREAT!

Hi Bob-

You can still get good contemporary Oak rosin and old rosin can dry out.

However, I was at Kolstein Music the other day and Barrie Kolstein invited me to try his new All Weather formula rosin. It is supposed to be between the Hard and All Weather in term so softness.

This new rosin blew me away. I have tried all the rosins mentioned in this thread. I used to think Barrie's All Weather was a little too soft and the Hard was a little too hard. The new All Weather is perfect. It has just the right amount of grip and does not stick. It also lasts. All you need is a few swipes and you are good for quite a while. I also noticed that when you release the tension on the hair and then retighten the hair later, the rosin is still good. You don't always need to re-rosin the hair. This new rosin is amazing and by far the best rosin I have ever used and I have tried every brand mentioned.

The new packaging is also ingenious. It comes in the usual Kolsltein outer gold cardboard case but the rosin itself sits in a rubber coating which you roll back when you use it. It also has a rubber top. Great new packaging and so easy to use. It always keeps the rosin in the proper shape. No dealing with pealing back cardboard or metal coating.

I highly recommend you guys and gals try this new formula All Weather Kolstein rosin. I believe you will love it.

I look forward to hearing from players after you have had a chance to try it.

Best regards,

Dave

I've heard good things about the legendary OAK rosin, no longer manufactured. However, I see that Supersensitive is making an Oak rosin for bass and cello.

Arco has never been my strong point and I am aiming to correct that in the near future, and may as well (re)start with the right tools, which will probably mean a better quality French bow with black hair as well. I have an ancient cake of Pirastro and a year-old sample from Kolstein, and have read recent threads that older rosin isn't as good as newer stuff.

-zat true? (My 30 yr old Petz still is sticky as hell ;) )

-anyone try the contemporary Oak rosin?

+1 for Gaston Brohan's soft oak rosin.

I used to always borrow this stuff from a friend, but finally realized that $20 is nothin' for the results I get from this rosin!

http://www.gregorianstrings.com/

... I took bass and bow out of the bag and started playing with no preparation of the bow. With just the oak from 18 days ago, it delivered great tone, huge projection. I'm a convert.
That was in April. The cake has since fractured. I'm not getting anything from the Oak that I didn't get with Nyman's, only Oak costs alot more.
I'm a deconvert.

1. Oak doesn't gunk up your strings.

2. It sounds a heck of a lot better than Nyman's.

3. You can use less.

4. Are you storing it properly??
1. I still have to clean my strings. The only difference is the top doesn't catch as much.
2. Not to me. As our Moderator says, YMMV.
3. And I get less with all the chipping and flaking.
4. I store it under the same conditions as my Swedish rosin. No more than 5% humidity variation throughout the year.

IMO for what its worth:

Dont get oak rosin on a solo bow. I found oak to be a bit stickier than nymans. Once you rosin up with the oak stuff the bow will hold it forever until rehair and the tone wasnt good for me as a solo bow, too sticky and grippy, though that was good as a low end of the bass bow.

After reading this and some other threads, plus reviews, etc. I decided to try Oak from Gregorian Strings. I ordered a cake of medium and have been using it daily for the past three weeks. Prior to this I've typically used Pop's.

Overall, I think it produces darker and richer tones (on Pirastro Obligatos) than any other rosin I've used, however it took me a while to learn how to produce decent (for me) tones with it. I guess I really love the tone it seems to help me acheive.

I have noted as others have that there's a lot of chipping/flaking so there's some clean up I have to be diligent about. Also, it produces a lot more powder on my bass than Pop's. So the tradeoff seems to be more cleanup. I also don't see that I'm using less rosin than any other brand. Just seems different and I'm pretty happy with the results. I decided to see what the difference between medium and soft is and ordered a cake of soft today.