Double Bass Bourbon???

[LouisF]

Hello,

Since I started this ball rolling, I'm happy to take up the invitation. I'll try it and the darker one, too and report back in. Please PM me here and let me know how to order (or just go on the website). Thanks for joining the conversation!

 

[LouisF]

Here's the website:

Link Removed

 

[Greg Marsee]

Here's the website:

Link Removed

Just wanted to make sure you understand, the darker one is a dark violin/viola cello rosin. It doesn't have the wax in it like most bass rosins. Just let me know.. Send me your address and I'll get you set up!

 

[LouisF]

Greg sent me the bass rosin (amber in the green label tin) and the cello/viola rosin (darker one).

First impressions: the packaging is quite good: comes in a small tin with a cloth wrapper around the rosin on the inside.
I tried the cello rosin first, just for the heck of it, and it gripped surprisingly well on the Bach 4th Suite (Bach is still spinning etc).

Then I went to the bass rosin and my first impression was -seriously- "wow!":

The bass (raw gut GDA, Jargar Forte E/C) sounded noticeably warmer and more focused, with more fundamentals coming through
(I know it's just rosin, but I was very impressed). The same was true with both the Arcus and wood bows.

The rosin is in that Kolstein Soft/Wiedorf/Petz #2/3 mid-range of not being too "Pops sticky" or "Jade hard". It reminded me most of the old formula Liebenzeller Gold.

It leaves a little powder on the string but not much. It's definitely a serious product and I apologized to Greg (who told me that Howard Core and International
Violin and maybe BassCellar would be distributing his product) for my snarky comments.

Finally, when Mrs. F came home, I asked her to listen to the bass. Did it sound any different, I asked?

"It sounds better," she said.

I will test it out in orchestra rehearsal the first week in June to see how it lasts in a 3 hour session, but so far I am very pleasantly
surprised -- and frankly converted to helping a small entrepreneur improve the bass world.

To be continued.

 

[garrett2]

Ordering!

 

[Killing Floor]

I'm thinking of mixing up a small batch of rosin containing Black Tar Heroin and Cocaine...I'll be marketing it as suitable for both Legato and Spiccato bowings.
I think I'll name it "Burbank Small Batch Speedball", and charge $75.00 per cake, which includes a reusable syringe for direct injection into the bow hair.
Cha-Ching, B**ches!
(Sheesh...)
Thx.

It’ll be the last time I use a rag to dust off my violin. Just sayin

 

[Greg Marsee]

Greg sent me the bass rosin (amber in the green label tin) and the cello/viola rosin (darker one).

First impressions: the packaging is quite good: comes in a small tin with a cloth wrapper around the rosin on the inside.
I tried the cello rosin first, just for the heck of it, and it gripped surprisingly well on the Bach 4th Suite (Bach is still spinning etc).

Then I went to the bass rosin and my first impression was -seriously- "wow!":

The bass (raw gut GDA, Jargar Forte E/C) sounded noticeably warmer and more focused, with more fundamentals coming through
(I know it's just rosin, but I was very impressed). The same was true with both the Arcus and wood bows.

The rosin is in that Kolstein Soft/Wiedorf/Petz #2/3 mid-range of not being too "Pops sticky" or "Jade hard". It reminded me most of the old formula Liebenzeller Gold.

It leaves a little powder on the string but not much. It's definitely a serious product and I apologized to Greg (who told me that Howard Core and International
Violin and maybe BassCellar would be distributing his product) for my snarky comments.

Finally, when Mrs. F came home, I asked her to listen to the bass. Did it sound any different, I asked?

"It sounds better," she said.

I will test it out in orchestra rehearsal the first week in June to see how it lasts in a 3 hour session, but so far I am very pleasantly
surprised -- and frankly converted to helping a small entrepreneur improve the bass world.

To be continued.

Louis thank you so much for the review. I look forward to hearing how it works after your 3 hour rehearsal.

If anyone would like to purchase directly from me, here is my site:

Link Removed

Thanks and happy playing!

 

[LouisF]

The whole section tried out the bass rosin last night on Shostakovich 5 and a couple of movements from the Prokofiev R&J suites. The rosin held up well during rehearsal, was pretty grip and clear throughout, and people were pretty pleased. These players use Nymans, Pops, and Clarity (I think) so it's a fairly representative sample. (I use Petz 2/3)

So the result is that this is a serious product that works well and should be taken seriously. Give it a try the next time you are on a rosin hunt!

 

[Greg Marsee]

The whole section tried out the bass rosin last night on Shostakovich 5 and a couple of movements from the Prokofiev R&J suites. The rosin held up well during rehearsal, was pretty grip and clear throughout, and people were pretty pleased. These players use Nymans, Pops, and Clarity (I think) so it's a fairly representative sample. (I use

So the result is that this is a serious product that works well and should be taken seriously. Give it a try the next time you are on a rosin hunt!

Hey Lewis, thanks again for the shout out! If anyone is looking for a good rosen at a great price, please consider Colonel Marsee's bourbon barrel Rosin!


Link Removed

 

[Joshua Pickenpaugh]

I’ve had my vat of this rosin for a few days now, and I like it. Nice grip, no problems at all with it. A nice addition to the rosin choices we have out there. Nicely executed, @Greg Marsee !

 

[LouisF]

Just an update - our principal cellist reported back that he like the "dark" cello rosin; found it grippy and not too powdery. I guess the biggest compliment is that he decided to keep the cake I "loaned" him!

 

[Greg Marsee]

That's awesome! Thanks for posting that!

 

[Keith Rawlings]

The creator of the rosin is asking for people to demo his product and review it. I’m excited about trying it out.

Hello all,

My name is Greg Marsee. I'm the owner of my own shop in Versailles, KY called Kentucky Small Batch Strings. I make, restore and sell violins as well as make my own line of rosin "Colonel Marsee's Bourbon Barrel Rosin". I have 2 types for double bass; 1 light and 1 medium/dark. I'm looking for 10 bassists to try out the two and give me some feed back. The light rosin has been on the market for a while. The dark is my newest one. If you are interested, I will take the first 10 emails from people and send you a free sample of each along with a qr code to a google doc to leave feedback. Please make the subject line read "Bass Rosin Guineapig!" Thanks all and Happy PLAYING!

Greg Marsee
[email protected]

 

[pmad_bass]

I was sent a tin of this to try (free of charge) from Brianna Goldberg. Incredibly nice of her. I generally use Pops and/or Kolstein and am currently using a mix of the two I melted/mixed myself with really great results. Anywho, I assume my mileage varied significantly. Coming from using softer rosins,I applied enough strokes to work the cake until I could see that I had formed a chamfer (pic attached). Went to draw the bow on the string and literally go no grab/no sound. Not to disparage the product (as it seems others here have had great results) but I literally couldn't flick/get it off of my bow fast enough as it seemed to produce the exact oppisite of what one would expect from rosin. Bad batch? User error?

 

[garrett2]

I've had excellent results with it. I wonder if you put so much on it glassed up and didn't warm up properly?

 

[LouisF]

I'm glad Brianna is offering the bourbon rosin. I gave her my cake to try!!

 

[pmad_bass]

I've had excellent results with it. I wonder if you put so much on it glassed up and didn't warm up properly?

Not sure. I never felt the hair grab the cake, like one would when rosining up with (applying) say Pops. I tried to see if warming up the hair on the string would help...but nada.

 

[garrett2]

Not sure. I never felt the hair grab the cake, like one would when rosining up with (applying) say Pops. I tried to see if warming up the hair on the string would help...but nada.

That kind of rosin doesn't grab like Pops. But you have to reapply it much less once you get the feel for it.

 

[T_Bone_TL]

As a user of a (different = Sherman's) hard rosin (not clear exactly where this stuff falls hard/soft but "harder than Pops" is apparently a given for anything that isn't liquid - Sherman's is "softer than violin rosin" but hard as heck for bass rosin) "grabbing" is not something my rosin ever does. I give it a couple of licks and I'm good for an hour or more.

One can see the hair track in the glossy fresh surface after a remelt (thus far entirely due to fracture when dropping.) What's been carved off the edge there looks like a LOT of rosin for one application. To me.

 

[Keith Rawlings]

I was sent two tins of the Colonel Marsee’s Bourbon Barrel Rosin to try out about two months ago and I love the stuff. The owner of the company sent me the original, lighter-colored variety and an experimental dark variety. The product comes in these impressive little metal containers that keep the product really fresh. They remind me of pomade containers (rockabilly – IFYKYK). So many rosin companies do not provide an adequate tub to keep their products fresh in.

I have spent a lot of time using these rosins since I got them and they are great. I scraped the top of each rosin with my thumbnail to make a nice surface to rub the bowhair on since I was working with new cakes and rehairs on two of my three bows. The standard Colonel Marsee's is wonderful and I am amazed at how little I need to apply to my bow to get it to pull a nice sound on my carved bass; in fact, this rosin has taken the quickest to the new white bow hair on my brazilwood bow more than any other rosin I have used after a rehair. Now it's just two or three swipes and I'm good to go for a couple of hours of practice. It doesn’t powder up or get goopy and it does everything I want a rosin to do—and again that packaging is A+ in keeping the cake as fresh as the day I got it. This rosin is so versatile as it sounds great with my basic arco solos with my band and with the "end of the song" long tones that really bring a song to a close with a bang. This rosin is a nice, happy medium between Pop’s and Jade Rosin (which are the two rosins I’ve used the most).

The newer dark variety I feel is more suitable for solo performance as it is a harder rosin than the original variety. It adheres to new bow hair just as well as the lighter variety and is excellent for faster passages that have a lot of quick bow movements and slurs. I have this rosin applied to the new black bow hair on my carbon fiber bow. It also only takes a few swipes and I can play for a couple of hours straight through without adding any more. No mess with this one either. This is the rosin I will use when I'm working up to trying to play tougher classical etudes as I continue to progress through my lessons.

Both formulas stay on the bow for longer than most other rosins I've used and both provide a nice solid "pull" downbow and upbow. I've tried both outdoors too and each one seems to be fine in 100% humidity and mid-to-high 90 degree temps down here in South Texas. This stuff does everything I want a rosin to do.