Now that Oak rosin is available again in 3 hardnesses from Gregorian Strings and perhaps other suppliers, has anyone used it and compared it to Pops, Carlsson's, Nyman's, etc.?
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Double Bass Oak Rosin returns
- Thread starter Silversorcerer
- Start date
I have the soft. It is quite nice. Unlike pops you can play very easily in thumb position with a frsh coat of it on. It also doesn't run or become misshapen like pops. I got mine from Chris Brown.
Thanks, D. I think maybe I'll get some of that along with some of the medium. It get's pretty warm down here in Atlanta in the summer. I'm guessing Chris is local to Minnesota? I'll probably just get it on line. The shops here are sometimes slow to pick up new products.
Did you have a fresh re-hair when you started using the Oak Rosin or is it OK to just switch without cleaning the hair? Currently I use mostly Pops...
Did you have a fresh re-hair when you started using the Oak Rosin or is it OK to just switch without cleaning the hair? Currently I use mostly Pops...
I've been experimenting with the medium and the hard versions for the past several months.
For orchestra playing, especially when it's cold and dry, I still prefer the grip I get from Pop's. When the temperature and humidity are higher, the medium Oak works great without being excessively sticky. For solo and technical work, the hard variant allows me to bow faster and more cleanly.
I find the medium Oak about as "grippy" as Pops. I can't imagine what the soft version is like.
For orchestra playing, especially when it's cold and dry, I still prefer the grip I get from Pop's. When the temperature and humidity are higher, the medium Oak works great without being excessively sticky. For solo and technical work, the hard variant allows me to bow faster and more cleanly.
I find the medium Oak about as "grippy" as Pops. I can't imagine what the soft version is like.
I'm bringing this thread back up because of very strong local endorsement here in Atlanta as well as recent opinions on this forum. Apparently, (some confirmation directly) the entire bass section of the ASO is now using the Oak Rosin from Gregorian Strings. While not everyone has the same needs as the symphony players, their use is a strong enough endorsement to cause me to give it a shot. Ordering is a little old fashioned (you can print out the PDF form and mail a check) or if you have a paypal account, that will work also.
I've tried Pops, Carlsson, and Hidersine. Unlike what some have reported my Pops is from 2002 and hasn't hardened. I keep it in the plastic box. The Carlsson is smoother (tone) than the Pops, but doesn't have the grab I need for the 5-string BB. The Hidersine #2 is just OK for cutting the Pops or for playing up in high TP. I don't know what you bassists do that causes any rosin to accumulate on your bass's finish. I have not had this problem (of course I've never used Petz, either). My first bass had some kind of glop all over it from specs to blobs, but I cleaned it off with Petz (they would be selling "the cure") rosin remover and I never had any of that stuff on my bass again. So if you are getting that with Pops, Carlsson, or Hidersine, you are definitely doing something unusual that causes these build-ups. I see a fine white powder on my strings (depends on the weather) sometimes. It wipes off like dust. I think that is probably the Pops that does that.
I was using a strategy of rosining different sections of the bow with different rosin, but this is just too involved even though it does work. So for the magic stuff that does what you want everywhere, I've ordered the G. Strings Oak in all three grades. I will report the results and compare to the Carlsson and Pops rosins soon.
I've tried Pops, Carlsson, and Hidersine. Unlike what some have reported my Pops is from 2002 and hasn't hardened. I keep it in the plastic box. The Carlsson is smoother (tone) than the Pops, but doesn't have the grab I need for the 5-string BB. The Hidersine #2 is just OK for cutting the Pops or for playing up in high TP. I don't know what you bassists do that causes any rosin to accumulate on your bass's finish. I have not had this problem (of course I've never used Petz, either). My first bass had some kind of glop all over it from specs to blobs, but I cleaned it off with Petz (they would be selling "the cure") rosin remover and I never had any of that stuff on my bass again. So if you are getting that with Pops, Carlsson, or Hidersine, you are definitely doing something unusual that causes these build-ups. I see a fine white powder on my strings (depends on the weather) sometimes. It wipes off like dust. I think that is probably the Pops that does that.
I was using a strategy of rosining different sections of the bow with different rosin, but this is just too involved even though it does work. So for the magic stuff that does what you want everywhere, I've ordered the G. Strings Oak in all three grades. I will report the results and compare to the Carlsson and Pops rosins soon.
I received my medium oak a few weeks ago (still looking for some CF rosin 
!) and I'm very happy with the stuff. However, you bring up a concern I have, SS. It comes in a cardboard box, so I wonder if it will dry out. Been meaning to e-mail Gregorian on this.
Does anybody have an idea of the oak's longevity, given it's not sealed in plastic?
!) and I'm very happy with the stuff. However, you bring up a concern I have, SS. It comes in a cardboard box, so I wonder if it will dry out. Been meaning to e-mail Gregorian on this. Does anybody have an idea of the oak's longevity, given it's not sealed in plastic?
Oak trees can live many hundreds of years. I think sealing them is plastic would kill them and might invoke some Druid curse.Aleph5 said:I received my medium oak a few weeks ago (still looking for some CF rosin
Does anybody have an idea of the oak's longevity, given it's not sealed in plastic?
But seriously:
The fellow was telling me about the box on the phone when I called 'em up. It must have come up before because he wanted me to know about the packaging before I ordered. Most of the stuff comes in a box, or at least the Hidersine does. He says it can be taken out of the box.
My Hidersine-in-the-box was hard (#2) to start with so I can't really report that it has gotten harder. The Carlssons doesn't have a sealable box either. My Pops is soft as ever after being kept under seal for 3 years. I don't suppose it would be a great deal of trouble to put the box in a plastic bag. That was the way Bob G. packaged the Carlsson and it seems to stay fresh.So maybe if it ages the soft becomes medium and the medium becomes hard????? I dunno. I ordered all three of them. Who knows what works best until you try them. I will try to keep them sealed up somehow, just as a caution. Maybe I'll like it so much that I'll use it up before it gets hard! I have this fear that when I die I'm going to need to specify in a will who gets what rosin cake, because I'll never use all this stuff up!!
I can't wait to try the Oak rosin because I love playing arco and the symphony DB section ought to know. Hopefully they aren't just jumping on the section leader's bandwagon.
Thanks for the feedback and let me know how that CF rosin (Clarity is what you are looking for I think) works out.
I started playing DB again about a year ago (after 20 years!) & started with the Carlssons rosin. Because I'd heard some raving about Pops, I bought some & tried it, but it was horrid! Lots of gunk, super sticky, messy, just generally yuckky 
So, I went back to the Carlssons until I heard about the oak rosin. I LOVE IT! 
Nice clear tone, grippy but not sticky, good staying power. I'll occasionally add a few swipes of Kolstein cello rosin for solo work, but really love the oak
So, I went back to the Carlssons until I heard about the oak rosin. I LOVE IT! Nice clear tone, grippy but not sticky, good staying power. I'll occasionally add a few swipes of Kolstein cello rosin for solo work, but really love the oak
Just received the Gaston Brohan's Oak Rosin today from Gregorian Strings in all three grades. The weather is probably medium or soft today, so I tried the soft first. It is very soft going into the bow. You don't need many swipes to load up. My first impression is that it has superior smoothness to Carlsson even, and at least as good a grab as Pops. I paricularly notice a big improvement in the tone of thumb position notes. This stuff seems to play evenly all over the bass. I think I just found a new favorite.
The box is very tight around the rosin, in fact the rosin is poured in the box. The cakes are about 1.5" x 1.5" x 1";- bigger than Carlsson cakes and about the same as Pops or Hidersine. Split one side of the box open and access is easy. The box has a replaceable gold-foiled top so you can close it up pretty tight even though its just a cardboard box. Can't beat the hand written receipt either.
The box is very tight around the rosin, in fact the rosin is poured in the box. The cakes are about 1.5" x 1.5" x 1";- bigger than Carlsson cakes and about the same as Pops or Hidersine. Split one side of the box open and access is easy. The box has a replaceable gold-foiled top so you can close it up pretty tight even though its just a cardboard box. Can't beat the hand written receipt either.
I just got mine today, I am using a medium cake. After using Carlsson's faithfully for over twenty years, I must say I was impressed with it. Consistency is similar to the carlsson's but it has a bit more grab and seemingly less powder, I will see what developes. Also in addition to the cardboard box, mine came with a little leather pouch, which is the old way it was stored before plastic containers.
I've been using it for about a year. I bought all three grades and use the medium most of the time. Before Oak, Kolstein was my favourite. I find Oak has all the advantages of Kolstein without the build-up and dust.
I ordered a cake of medium, after reading this thread, specifically for a Beethoven 4th concert. I figured I needed all the help I could get for the last movement.It seemed to increase my articulation, i.e. less scratch and more note but still plenty of grip. After the concert I looked forward to playing a piano duo restaurant gig where I get to bow a lot of melodies. To my surprise the Oak didnt work well at all. Bad starts , screechy sounds, you name it! I could not wait to get back to what I was using ( very old Pops, some Kolstien all/weather, a new Nymans). Mr. Gregorian did tell me the medium is not suitable for solo work, and it is labeled Orchestral.I'ts not like I don't have enough rosin other wise but I'm still a little disappointed. It is a pain to change rosins, I try to use it spare and it builds up so. Well it did seem to help with the Beethoven and there's more coming next cycle.
