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Double Bass carlsson vs Nyman what are the differences if any?

#5
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.

carls_vs_nyman.jpg



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.)
 
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#7
Its certainly a fact that the manufacturer is the same but I think its odd that if they are really different they wouldn't sell both in Sweden.

I have the impression that in Europe Nyman is more common than Carlsson, according to my personal experience while I lived there (in Switzerland mostly) I dont remember seeing many people using Carlsson there, it was mostly Pops or Nyman.

I have heard the claim that Nyman is somewhat harder. I have used both at one time or another but was not able to detect the difference since I would need to have both and test them symultaneously in the same weather conditions to be sure.

also there is a thread in which Thomas Martin is quoted as saying that they are the same thing, I will try to search for this post in the forum and link it...
 
#11
luisraulmunoz said:
I have heard the claim that Nyman is somewhat harder. I have used both at one time or another but was not able to detect the difference since I would need to have both and test them symultaneously in the same weather conditions to be sure.
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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...
 
#15
Interesting discussion, thanks everyone, Im sure we will get to the bottom of this mystery!

From Mark's previous post we can see that Nyman is indeed a larger sized cake so if they really are the same then Nyman would be the better choice price being the same...

Of course we are all speculating but from my view Martin's original perspective might well be correct since it makes sense from a marketing perspective. Its certainly better for a manufacturer to have two products out in the market even if they are the essentially the same thing. And they are good products, a really excellent alternative to the stickier Pops and other softer rosins...

I like Pops but here in Puerto Rico its very problematic since just having it for a few minutes in your car will easily melt it, so its not so good unless your bass and bow are constantly air conditioned.
So recently I was using a Carlsson rosin which is more stable than Pops and now I am experimenting with the Oak medium and Oak soft plus. In terms of stickyness the Carlsson is stickier than oak medium but smoother than oak soft plus so in the end it might be the better choice and I might go back to using it here...
 
#16
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:

this is a pretty good rosin, although i find that the similar Carlssons rosin is slightly better, less sticky and works better on the top two strings and for subtle solo playing.
for orchestral playing i think nyman harts is very good. but for solo i would prefer my carlssons.
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#17
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!
 

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