another question on rosin (sorry)

[rake]

I've been reading through a lot of the rosin threads and have seen people talk about hard and soft rosins. I use pops right now, but i'm getting my bow rehaired next week and was wondering what everyones opinion is on hard/soft rosins. I was thinking about switching to Carlssons, but I'm still a newb and don't know what would be best.

thanks a bunch. peace,
ryan

[random bassist]

Hey i know how yo feel. I'm not a newb but i have always played on pops. And i like it alot. good stuff but it can be just a little harsh. So i feel a little dumb asking people what rosins are the best. My only advice is not to buy Shermans. the stuff is like using a brick. I dont like the stuff. But then again thats just my opinion.

[mazaremba]

Originally Posted by random bassist

Hey i know how yo feel. I'm not a newb but i have always played on pops. And i like it alot. good stuff but it can be just a little harsh. So i feel a little dumb asking people what rosins are the best. My only advice is not to buy Shermans. the stuff is like using a brick. I dont like the stuff. But then again thats just my opinion.

I bought Shermans and thought it was ok for the very small amount of time I needed to use it. (At least it was better than Kolstein!) I currently use pops.

Sometimes people say not to mix rosins, but my professor told me she has been doing it for a while now and doesn't see any bad results. You'll prob. just have to try Carlssons and see if you like it better than Pops....remeber despite what everyone else says the point is to find out what you like best.

[Chasarms]

If you are really used to Pops, it'll take a little bit of adjustment to switch to Carlssons. It just doesn't have the bite on the string that Pops has. Then again, nothing does.

The payback is the smoothness of the bowing compared to Pops. I think you'll notice a significant difference in the overall tone if you switch.

I practice with Carlssons and love it. I keep a can of Pops and if I am performing in an uncomfortable setting, I take a swipe or two as a security blanket. If you are used to something less tacky, it seems almost impossible NOT to start the string with Pops.

[jgbass]

If Carlssons is not exactly what you want, you might try Nymans. I have only been playing about three years and it is smoother than Pops. Only two I have tried. I came across some Pops the other day and it was halfway out of its case due to being left on its side during the summer. Nymans seems to handle temperature changes much better than Pops. And this forum seems to be a great place to ask any questions.

[Chasarms]

Originally Posted by jgbass

If Carlssons is not exactly what you want, you might try Nymans. I have only been playing about three years and it is smoother than Pops. Only two I have tried. I came across some Pops the other day and it was halfway out of its case due to being left on its side during the summer. Nymans seems to handle temperature changes much better than Pops. And this forum seems to be a great place to ask any questions.

Several have reported here at TB that Nymans and Carlssons is pretty much the same thing.

[a. meyer]

Nymans is harder.

[Steve Killingsworth]

Originally Posted by Chasarms

The payback is the smoothness of the bowing compared to Pops. I think you'll notice a significant difference in the overall tone if you switch.

No doubt about this-bowing is much smoother even on spirocores. I have also had less problem with buildup on the strings with the Carlsson.

[random bassist]

I can vouch for him on that one. Pretty much anything has less problem with build up tjan pops. Good stuff but it can definatley make a mess if you dont make a habit of cleaning regularly.

[bucephylus]

I agree that the Pops rosin is pretty much too tacky when you get it. However, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but the Pops gets a lot harder with time, just like all the others. I don't go through rosin all that fast, partly because I don't teach and try not to overuse it. So, I have ended up with several Pops tubs that are now 5 or 6 years old. For my needs, they are just about perfect now; not nearly as tacky as when new, but still give sufficient grab on the string. So, get some Pops and age them along with your wines!

The problem I've had with the other rosins is that they work pretty well when new, but get too pertrified within a year or so. Then I'm back out there buying more cakes before I've used half of what I had.

Has anyone else noticed this?

[Chasarms]

Originally Posted by bucephylus

I agree that the Pops rosin is pretty much too tacky when you get it. However, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this, but the Pops gets a lot harder with time, just like all the others. I don't go through rosin all that fast, partly because I don't teach and try not to overuse it. So, I have ended up with several Pops tubs that are now 5 or 6 years old. For my needs, they are just about perfect now; not nearly as tacky as when new, but still give sufficient grab on the string. So, get some Pops and age them along with your wines!

The problem I've had with the other rosins is that they work pretty well when new, but get too pertrified within a year or so. Then I'm back out there buying more cakes before I've used half of what I had.

Has anyone else noticed this?

Pops will harden up fairly quick. It usually only takes six months or so to loose its tack to the touch.

The problem I have had with Pops when it hardens up is that is gets a gaze on it and it doesn't really work well at all. Especially if you have lugged it around and it has been softened and rehardened a few times by changes in temperature.

I find the size of a cake of Carlssons to about the size that it is just about too hard to use about the time it is too small to deal with.

With everything else bass related so dadgummed expensive, I don't worry over rosin that much. In fact, the last couple of cakes I have bought, I have given away after only a few swipes to some of the youngsters because they didn't have anything worth using.

[Silversorcerer]

I've had a cake of Pops now for 2 years. It has always been in the plastic box when not in use. I think it was dated 2002. I don't perceive any difference in its consistency from when it was new. I use a good bit of it because I bow daily and the cake is still pretty large. Atlanta has some pretty big summer winter variations with extreme differences in humidity as well. The climate here is hard on wooden instruments and in the summer, you pretty much use a lot less Pops.

I know there was a thread a while ago (My Pop's is hard..).. Anyhoo, it helps to keep in a sealed container. I mix it with Hidersine #2 to take the edge off. Both of these create a bit of powder that you have to wipe off the strings, but they don't seem to gum up the bass, and you can sort of tune the mix depending on the weather or preference. I have not noticed any ill effects on my bow or my instrument from mixing these two rosins. The Carlsson / Nyman sounds interesting and I may try one of those next, but Bob Gollihur, a long-time Carlsson user was recently exploring Oak rosin. I wonder if anyone else has tried that.

[Chasarms]

FWIW, I think a lot of it may depend on your bow. I can use Pops on my Meinel bow and it sounds fine, but if I put it on my new Tom Owen bow, it is the nastiest sound you have ever heard.

It's Carlsson or nothing for that now.

[Silversorcerer]

I'd say depending on the bow, the hair, the strings, the weather and to a degree the player and the bass, there probably is no one best rosin. It does seem like there are some rosins that have gotten very bad reviews here. Petz comes to mind. Sometimes it is better just to know the worst ones and avoid those. I didn't like Hidersine all-weather. It was too hard (perhaps this was an old cake when I got it). My teacher recommended the Pops/Hidersine mix and I haven't tried anything else since that works very well for me. I think if I had Orchestra strings instead of Hybrids, the Pops alone would work better. I use white horsehair currently, but I might try black next time to see the difference. It seems to me that anything that changes in the whole string/bow equation will require a rosin adjustment since that is how we get the right friction factor at the bow / string contact point.

[Julie]

I use Pops and it can get pretty hot and humid in Texas, however if you'll get a crittergetter (sp?) comb at your vets or pet store and comb thru the hair before each use, it will really help. These combs are plastic with teeth spaced very close together. I start at the frog and comb lightly to the tip, more on the surface. Really helps to clean and seperate the hairs. Hope it helps.
Julie

[Don Higdon]

Julie,
A toothbrush is gentler, effective, and cheaper.

[Don Higdon]

So far, no one has mentioned that Pops flakes off the bow and strings and makes a mess of the bass.
Nevertheless, Pops is used by many high ranking players. I've been very happy with Nyman and Carlsson, and consider them interchangeable.

[Silversorcerer]

Originally Posted by Silversorcerer

... Both of these create a bit of powder that you have to wipe off the strings, but they don't seem to gum up the bass,

Well, I did sort of mention that about Pops, Don, but it doesn't leave gobs of splattered goo on the C bouts of the bass, like whatever the previous owner of my bass used. It is just mostly a kind of nuissance white dust that I wipe off the strings and bridge area with a cloth.

Still though, I should get a cake of that Carlsson's and try it for a change. I've been bowing just short of 2 years now and I'm still far from using up the first two rosin cakes my teacher told me to get. A change-up would be interesting.

[Chasarms]

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

Julie,
A toothbrush is gentler, effective, and cheaper.

That's my preference. Between bow hair and carburetor parts, they come in handy.

Oh, and you can clean your teeth every now and again if you like as well.