carlsson vs Nyman what are the differences if any?

I'm pretty sure Nyman renamed to Carllsson when selling in the US, to sound more Swedish. I've never heard of Carlsson ever, exept from american players writing about it here. Nyman is very common here though (along with pops) - It's actually from a player at the Royal Stockholm Opera.

 

That seems strange to me... If they're the same thing, why are they both marketed and sold in the US under different names? Why would they export both here to the US?

Are there any rosin experts or importers on TB who can chime in on this? I'm also curious, though I use mostly Pops.

 

They are different. (Though they are reportedly by the same manufacturer, Nyman Hart).

People who have used both usually compare them thusly:

Nyman's has a higher melting temperature and is a bit "harder", though it can have a slightly "stickier" sort of feel when you run your finger over the cake.

Carlsson is softer, and gets more sticky when temperatures are warm (even a little goopy in high heat, especially if you leave it in your bag in the car). So some people use Nyman's during the summer months, and switch to Carlsson's when it gets cooler.

And as you can see, it's not a simple matter of rebadging, either - even the rosin foil cups are a different size and design.




I guess it's just one of those situations where the manufacturer decided to have different names for the different grades of rosin, rather than having a so-called "summer" and "winter" or "all-weather"/"hard"/"soft" designation. Not unlike the Innovation strings (Silver Slaps are basically light-gauge Super Silvers, etc.)

 

Thanks Mark!

 

possibly Nyman-labeled cakes are harder because they take a longer route from Sweden to the US? Honestly I have no idea, I just pulled this idea out of my...

 

They are both great rosins although I feel like they're in the same category as opposed to Pops or Oak. Where I teach I order Nyman and Pops so students can try each. I do order more Pops as its cheaper but dries out quicker.

 

Plus, as similar as they are, you'd need different bows and basses, I should think. There would be too much build up of one to discern a difference with the other.

I'd think the best idea would be to get the information directly from the manufacturer. I don't get our rosin from the manufacturer, it's all handled through distributors. I'll see what I can find out...

 

Take a toothbrush and brush the hair to get old rosin off.

 

I use a metal-bristled paint scraping brush to clean sticky rosin out of the hair, but it takes weeks to really "play out" a brand of rosin entirely, especially sticky brands (Kolstein soft, Pops, Oak soft).

I hate it when luthiers "powder" fresh bow hair. It takes forever to play that garbage out...

 

Overkill, potentially dangerous. Use an old toothbrush.

 

Still trying to find out. I sent an email to Nyman-Harts; and another one to my distributor. My distributor actually says that they suspect that they are the same, and historically the manufacturer is tight-lipped. We'll see.

In the meantime, in the somewhat under-used "product reviews" right here on Talkbass, one of the three items under the "Rosins and Misc Setup" happens to be for Nyman, and I find these comments (all the way back to 2005) interesting:

 

I've been using Nyman's and Carlsson's for nearly 20 years now. In all honesty, I'm sure some people may notice a slight difference-- personally, I haven't, so I pretty much use them interchangeably. They're dark. They're sticky. They both melt easily in a hot car (as I have found out the hard way on multiple occasions).

Most importantly, at least in my amateur repertoire (symphony, chamber, and "Pops"), they both get the job done admirably!

 

Thomas Martin has told me that they are the same !! I don't think so. IMHO Carlsson has much grip than Nyman.
Bye!!

 

I've used both and could never tell the difference.

 

Nyman and Carlsson are absolutely the same.
http://www.nymanharts.se/