Just to be clear, this is a forum created in search of the closest rosin to Kolstein's Soft, not what your favorite rosin is, or any other fresh tea about the matter.
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Double Bass Kolstein Soft rosin substitute?
- Thread starter DenverBass
- Start date
Petz #2. Here's what Quantum Bass Center says (I'm a long-time fan... and very much in the minority here!)
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]: bas(s)ically, everything we can say about Kolstein Soft is true about Petz No. 2. It's extremely similar in character, though it doesn't come in a silicone container. Don't confuse it with Petz No. 1 ("Petz Premium") or Petz No. 3 (hard), which is essentially cello rosin. If you obtain your rosin here at Quantum Bass Center, as you should, the problem is solved for you, as we only stock [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] It has been on the market a long time, and is an outstanding, under-hyped product!
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]: bas(s)ically, everything we can say about Kolstein Soft is true about Petz No. 2. It's extremely similar in character, though it doesn't come in a silicone container. Don't confuse it with Petz No. 1 ("Petz Premium") or Petz No. 3 (hard), which is essentially cello rosin. If you obtain your rosin here at Quantum Bass Center, as you should, the problem is solved for you, as we only stock [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] It has been on the market a long time, and is an outstanding, under-hyped product!
Kolstein rosin was basically the first step in modern rosin on the way to Leatherwood. Wiedoeft was sort of step two. They are conceptually similar.
Leatherwood makes things possible with the bow that were not possible for me before. All three offer little or no change in performance from the beginning of the gig until the end (where Pops would often turn to vaseline by the end of a heavy gig!) and each brand ups the level of that performance in the first place.
I get mine from Dicks Bass:
[This invalid link has been removed]
Leatherwood makes things possible with the bow that were not possible for me before. All three offer little or no change in performance from the beginning of the gig until the end (where Pops would often turn to vaseline by the end of a heavy gig!) and each brand ups the level of that performance in the first place.
I get mine from Dicks Bass:
[This invalid link has been removed]
Leatherwood = $35; Petz =$12. I tried the "bespoke" rosin when it first came out and for me (on gut strings) the difference was minimal and didn't justify the price. I'm not a soloist of Damon's quality, but have played Beethoven 9, Verdi Requiem etc (and now the 13 instrument arrangement of Appalachian Spring) with my much maligned Petz.
It is still one of the cheapest things you can buy for this instrument. Petz is fine, you will be better of getting it into a silicon container.
If you live somewhere (like St. Louis) with extreme weather changes, the leatherwood allows you to be very precise and maintain consistency. When I was in Houston, Leatherwood was not around yet. I used Oak Hard in the summer, Pops in the winter and few swipes of each in the spring and fall. It was not consistent and required a lot of adjustment.
Leatherwood is great, and like when spend $35 on drinks or a plate of BBQ you forget about the money you spent and have rosin that lasts a few years and performs great.
I hear such mixed reviews on Leatherwood. Some top bassists I trust absolutely hate it. Most here on TB like it, although most seemed to have cooled off on it somewhat after using it over a prolonged period. It does seem like an expensive experiment for something that is far from a guarantee.
To get this thread back on track, the question then is, How is Leatherwood similar to Kolstein in ways other rosin is not?
I used Kolstein Soft. My teacher demanded I try a few swipes of his Wiedoeft. It was similar to Soft, but I liked it so much more, I bought some the next day... and am still using that cake.
That same teacher was gifted four flavors of Leatherwood. He was back to his old Wiedoeft after a couple of months.
Wiedoeft is made (and possibly owned) by Kolstein, for those keeping score. They're "no longer a preferred vendor" for me, so I'll be looking elsewhere when this Wiedoeft dies.
That same teacher was gifted four flavors of Leatherwood. He was back to his old Wiedoeft after a couple of months.
Wiedoeft is made (and possibly owned) by Kolstein, for those keeping score. They're "no longer a preferred vendor" for me, so I'll be looking elsewhere when this Wiedoeft dies.
Kolstein was the first rosin that was consistent from the beginning to end of a concert or session of heavy playing that wasn't a hard rosin. It is smoother than Pops but not as grippy. The right combination or cake of Leatherwood is as grippy as Pops as consistent and smooth as Kolstein.
I can't help but wonder if this is due in part to the fact that they have 47 flavors, with a a chart which might as well simply read "YMMV." Plus the required, and quite nontrivial, initial investment of two cakes...
I don't doubt that they have a wonderful cake, or even two, for plenty of folks. But the potential to feel "burned" is much, much higher than with any other rosin out there.
@damonsmith I have seen many posts from you about Kolstein Soft/Winter, then you were a vocal proponent of Wiedoeft. Which Leatherwood flavor would you compare to Kolstein (and/or Wiedoeft)? I'm sure you've answered that in the past, but it would be directly on topic here.
Just be grateful (for multiple reasons) that we're not violinists ($73 for rosin!!):
fiddlershop.com
Leatherwood Bespoke Crisp Violin Rosin
Leatherwood Rosin comes in two set recipes for violin, viola, and cello and offer very distinct sound and response characteristics: CRISP: A decisive attack, firm traction and crisp sautille; this recipe creates an undeniably forthright sound through a glassier texture.The crisp blend often...
fiddlershop.com
And this just in (it seems like the new rosin era never ends) [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
PS: I have not tried it (and probably won't)
PS: I have not tried it (and probably won't)
As I've said, that is progression of modern rosins. I'd say the 60% is most like them. I can get a stacatto note with just one click, meaning one hair follicle, that sounds like BG with a pick. This was never possible with other rosins, it smooths out as soon as you draw the bow.
You can get single cakes at Dicks!
A great bassist I played with the other night had some of it. He sounded great. I think the silicon container is an important step in freshness and consistency. It is a bit lazy for a new rosin to go without one.
As far as all the "flavors" Leatherwood has: They recommend a 30% and a 70% and I find those to be the ones that work best. 70 in winter, 30 in summer some swipes of 70 as cools off. I have cakes of 50%, 80% and 90%(!). They are not really needed. I use 50 to freshen my bows up around the house when I am between tours and gigs, but mainly because my 30 and 70 are in my bass bag. Somewhere like the Bay Area, I could just using 70 all year.
I was just given a cake of the soft from Stephen Reinfranck here in Chicago. It's pretty fantastic. I had an extra silicone container from some wiedoft that I finished and slipped it into that. The rosin comes wrapped in kraft paper in a cardboard box. No other wrapping.They say to keep costs, monetary and environmental, down. Anyhow, so far I prefer it to the leatherwood I've been using. It's spiccato is divine, sautille, and marcato strokes are both hyper responsive. At $20 a cake I'm into it. It's a lot like the Gaston Brohan's which was my favorite rosin of all time.
Oh, nice--- now you're gonna make a liar out of me when I try a cake! (Say hi to Steve for me)
I am interested! How is it at the end of your playing/practice sessions? Does maintain the grip throughout? That is what really sells me on Leatherwood. A $20 version would be killer.
