What rosin for black hair and gut strings?

[Nuno A.]

I remember reading this somewhere, but just cant find the thread, i just rehaired my bow with black hair again and i would like to try a new rosin, i always used Pops, but i would like to try something not so sticky, i tried a while ago Cello rosin and while the sound was not so scratchy, it was not so strong as Pops, any sugestions? I play G and D plain gut, A and E Olives..
Thanks in advance

NUNO

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by basscrazy72

i just rehaired my bow with black hair again and i would like to try a new rosin, i always used Pops, but i would like to try something not so sticky, i tried a while ago Cello rosin and while the sound was not so scratchy, it was not so strong as Pops, any sugestions? I play G and D plain gut, A and E Olives..
Thanks in advance

NUNO

Nuno, I just got a new Seifert Workshop German bow with black hair, and I'm trying Nyman's. I play Lenzner plain G & D, And Chordas on the Bottom, and so far it's nice, and not very sticky.

[f_london]

I just started using Petz rosin. It's sticky, but it doesn't get all caked up like pops does. One of my friend's teachers knows a guy in boston that cooks up his own rosin in his garage. It's a bit pricey, but by far the best suff i've used. I'm trying to get my hands on some, and when i get more info on how to go by getting it, i'll try to keep ya posted.

[Chasarms]

I have very good results with Carlssons. It is very similar to Nymans. There is plenty of bite without the abrasiveness of Poops.

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by Chasarms

Poops.

Nice

[Chasarms]

Originally Posted by Alexi David

Nice

A Freudian typo?

[littlekatie]

for orchestral and medium-low registers carlssons, (very good grip at top end too) (nymans is good but i personally find it quite sticky and it coats my bass in yellow muck).

have also tried kolstein art rosin, very good with no muck, quite good for the upper strings (ie bottesini, YUCK!).

i play helicore orchestral strings, proper bo. everyone should have them.

[Prescottissimo]

Friends, I would highly recommend avoiding those guts on your bass at all costs - you never know when you could get Creutzfeld-Jacobs Disease (Mad Cow, etc) from an open sore on your fingers from practicing with great intensity! There are so many incredible string available these days that pose no risk of disease and sound better, so why bother?
Not to mention all of the fantastic rosin innovations occurring every minute.

[Rob W]

Originally Posted by littlekatie

for orchestral and medium-low registers carlssons, (very good grip at top end too) (nymans is good but i personally find it quite sticky and it coats my bass in yellow muck).

have also tried kolstein art rosin, very good with no muck, quite good for the upper strings (ie bottesini, YUCK!).

i play helicore orchestral strings, proper bo. everyone should have them.

As far as I know Carlssohn and Nyman are IDENTICAL. I used to study with Thorvald Fredin (retired Principal bass of the Royal Stockholm Opera) - he knew Nyman personally and said that Nyman took over the Carlssohn operation after the death of the latter (or whoever was actually making it). According to Thorvald, it was the same batch of stuff poured into two different containers.

I'm not sure who's making it now, but I believe they are still both made by the same person(s) and, I'm pretty sure it's still identical from one to the other.

Someone please correct me if they know differently.

[Nuno A.]

Originally Posted by Prescottissimo

Friends, I would highly recommend avoiding those guts on your bass at all costs - you never know when you could get Creutzfeld-Jacobs Disease (Mad Cow, etc) from an open sore on your fingers from practicing with great intensity! There are so many incredible string available these days that pose no risk of disease and sound better, so why bother?
Not to mention all of the fantastic rosin innovations occurring every minute.

Another evidence of "what sounds good to me might not sound good to you" . For me nothing sounds better than gut , and nothing sounds like gut, despite all the advertising you read these days about wonderfull strings that have the gut sound but without tht tuning problems, etc... and to confuse you even more.. i love the sound of bowed gut, its just something completely different than bowing metal... but of course, thats the sound i have in my head and the sound im after, Jimmy Blanton, P.C., Slam Stewart, you get the idea, and for that , still didnt find nothing that sounded like gut, probably because all those guys used gut..
About the rosin, i will give Carlsson or Nyman a try, whatever i can get fresher here.. thanks for your suggestions.

NUNO

[jneuman]

Originally Posted by Prescottissimo

Friends, I would highly recommend avoiding those guts on your bass at all costs - you never know when you could get Creutzfeld-Jacobs Disease (Mad Cow, etc) from an open sore on your fingers from practicing with great intensity!

This is not possible. Mad cow lives in the spinal cord and brain of the animal, not in the intestines. Besides, you would have to actually eat the string. I know of no case where mad cow was tranmitted via open wounds.
The only case against using gut strings, is that of an animal cruelty issue. Although, judging by the hairy quality of most gut strings Ive seen lately, the animal was long dead before the intestines were removed. I think in the old days (although it is never mentioned in anything I've read) there may have been cases where the animal was not dead first but I don't know for sure.
As far as I know, there is no other use for the intestines of cows or sheep other than gut strings (for harps, and tennis rackets as well mind you) and sausage casings. It is environmentally worse to waste this material as long as the animals are being killed for meat. As long as we wear leather goods, there should be no problem with gut strings, mad cow or otherwise.

Jon

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by Rob W

As far as I know Carlssohn and Nyman are IDENTICAL. I used to study with Thorvald Fredin (retired Principal bass of the Royal Stockholm Opera) - he knew Nyman personally and said that Nyman took over the Carlssohn operation after the death of the latter (or whoever was actually making it). According to Thorvald, it was the same batch of stuff poured into two different containers.

I'm not sure who's making it now, but I believe they are still both made by the same person(s) and, I'm pretty sure it's still identical from one to the other.

Someone please correct me if they know differently.

Robbed By You:
I'm not about to challenge Fredin's story, but just to make a point, even if they are not the same, the two are so similar that before accepting someone's distinction between them, I'd want to put the claimant to a blindfold test.

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by f_london

I just started using Petz rosin. It's sticky, but it doesn't get all caked up like pops does. One of my friend's teachers knows a guy in boston that cooks up his own rosin in his garage. It's a bit pricey, but by far the best suff i've used. I'm trying to get my hands on some, and when i get more info on how to go by getting it, i'll try to keep ya posted.

Walk into the usual "music store" that's selling $800 basses without a trace of bad conscience and ask for rosin. They'll have Petz. There's a reason.

[Silversorcerer]

i play helicore orchestral strings, proper bo. everyone should have them.

I was just wondering for clarification which is a proper bow? It's just a term I'm not familiar with, sorry.

I also have the helicore orchestras (default strings on a my new bass from Bob G.) and I like them better than the hybrids that were on my old bass, even for pizz. I'm trying out the Carlsson's now and I still find that Pops has a better grip on the BB and EE strings. It sounds much less scratchy than it did on the hybrid strings.

I may try wound guts next. I have been listening to some late 30's Slam Stewart and his arco is just toooo cooool. Anyone know what rosin he might have been using?

[godoze]

I'll tell you what doesn't work for me:

pops+black hair+ obligatos


I am now using Clarity with both of my bows (one black one white) and i really like it...

[Don Higdon]

Originally Posted by Silversorcerer

I have been listening to some late 30's Slam Stewart and his arco is just toooo cooool. Anyone know what rosin he might have been using?

As with everything, there are trade-offs. I agree that arco/gut is sweet, but don't expect sustain on your pizz.

[Rob W]

Originally Posted by Don Higdon

As with everything, there are trade-offs. I agree that arco/gut is sweet, but don't expect sustain on your pizz.

I've been using the same set of Eudoxas for a year now and the sustain is pretty long I'd say - even being on the old side.

I'm not a Jazz player, but what little Jazz I play on Pops shows, etc., the sustain seems pretty 'normal' to what you might expect. I suppose they aren't quite as long a ring as Spiros, but I'd say they ring longer than some of the other steel Pirastros like Flat Chromsteel or Flexocor.

The actual tone of the Eudoxa pizz is really nice.

[Adrian Cho]

I'm using black hair on unwound gut on the top and steel strings on the bottom. I recently started using the old Oak rosin made originally by Gaston Brohan and now made by Arnold Gregorian. Best rosin I've ever used.

[Nuno A.]

Originally Posted by Adrian Cho

I'm using black hair on unwound gut on the top and steel strings on the bottom. I recently started using the old Oak rosin made originally by Gaston Brohan and now made by Arnold Gregorian. Best rosin I've ever used.

And where did you buy it Adrian?
I try to find it with no success...

NUNO

[Adrian Cho]

Best thing is to e-mail Arnold at arnold DOT gregorian AT verizon DOT net.