Double Bass Throw out all your rosin but this brand

#381
I have been using 50% since the summer. While the this formula is really soft and the legato playing with this rosin is perfect, it is often not tacky enough. I was talking to a local friend (who also happens to be a commercial rosin maker) about balancing ingredients, temperature and cook time. When I described what I was using, its playing qualities and what I am looking for. He said that it sounds like less wax in the formula would help (assuming that beeswax is used) but that the tradeoff would be that it would lose some of the smoothness I enjoy with the Leatherwood.

Bruce Calin said:
I've been using the BASS version. I have the two cakes of the earlier stuff but this seems to work better for me. Together with the Tempera strings it's a great combination. I played an orchestra rehearsal last and didn't have to reswipe through the whole thing and the only dissatisfaction I had was with my own playing. I hate it when I can't blame my equipment.
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Have you also tried the amber in the 40-60% range? I am wondering how the BASS line compares in terms of the stick/grab
 
#382
BassinCT said:
I have been using 50% since the summer. While the this formula is really soft and the legato playing with this rosin is perfect, it is often not tacky enough. I was talking to a local friend (who also happens to be a commercial rosin maker) about balancing ingredients, temperature and cook time. When I described what I was using, its playing qualities and what I am looking for. He said that it sounds like less wax in the formula would help (assuming that beeswax is used) but that the tradeoff would be that it would lose some of the smoothness I enjoy with the Leatherwood.



Have you also tried the amber in the 40-60% range? I am wondering how the BASS line compares in terms of the stick/grab
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If I remember correctly the amber I used was similar if not identical to that. I prefer the BASS for both convenience and use quality. I use less and it's just the right amount of grip for my purposes- mainly orchestra section work. I haven't used the amber since I got the BASS.
 
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#383
crd said:
It isn't cheap but it does seem to last forever.
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I'm curious to know roughly how long the Leatherwood Amber actually keeps working effectively for others? At first I was won over by the feel and sound of this rosin (30/50) but its effectiveness didn't last much longer than other rosins (~1.5 years for me despite the silicone containers). Because of this, I've gone back to using less expensive rosins and replacing them more often. I would probably try leatherwood again though if it was sold in smaller batches for a more affordable price.
 
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#384
ablumley said:
I'm curious to know roughly how long the Leatherwood Amber actually keeps working effectively for others? At first I was won over by the feel and sound of this rosin (30/50) but its effectiveness didn't last much longer than other rosins (~1.5 years for me despite the silicone containers). Because of this, I've gone back to using less expensive rosins and replacing them more often. I would probably try leatherwood again though if it was sold in smaller batches for a more affordable price.
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As long as it is warmed up at application it seems pretty much the same to me, a few years into the cake.
 
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#385
ablumley said:
I'm curious to know roughly how long the Leatherwood Amber actually keeps working effectively for others? At first I was won over by the feel and sound of this rosin (30/50) but its effectiveness didn't last much longer than other rosins (~1.5 years for me despite the silicone containers). Because of this, I've gone back to using less expensive rosins and replacing them more often. I would probably try leatherwood again though if it was sold in smaller batches for a more affordable price.
Click to expand...

I live in a really dry place. I feel like pops is good for a month here. I re-charge my cakes maybe every three months or so. I just bought my 2nd set of 40/60. I actually used all of the cake of rosin on my previous batch so I must have been using them for at least two years.
 
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#386
To be fair, even Pops stays fresher if it is kept airtight. The little stock Pops red plastic container is not sufficient for that. The minute I get a fresh Pops I remove all the wrappers and wrap it in a sealable plastic bag, then I put that tightly into the stock plastic container. Preserved that way, Pops will stay fresh enough to stick for a long time, like years, at least with my usage and in my local environment.

That isn't at all to say Pops is superior to any other rosin. Just that keeping any rosin really airtight makes a difference.

>> There is an interesting rosin back-story known by many folks in the bluegrass community:

Before banjoist Don Reno went to serve during WW2, he put his Gibson RB-Granada banjo, which would eventually become Earl Scruggs' most prized and valuable banjo, into storage. In storage it became hot, and some fiddle rosin that was stored above it melted and ran all over the banjo. When Earl traded for it with Don after the war, in order to make it playable Earl had to have many of the metal parts replaced and some of the instrument refinished. The melted rosin had caused that much damage.

Soooo, those of us who rejuvenate rosin need to be careful not to get it all over the place when it's in a liquid state.
 
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#389
Ryan in PDX said:
Are you melting rosin into them and rolling the sides down, or are you using them as an airtight storage solution for a loose cake?
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No, I didn't bother with that. I had two or three round cakes that were just slightly too tall. I set some weights on top of them and waited for them to get smooshed enough to fit. These containers are maybe 0.25" shorter than a fresh cake of Pops, but the lids have some flex to them and accommodate a tiny bit of extra height.

I'm still using the original containers for the Leatherwood even though I'm not really sure how well they seal. These salad dressing containers probably do seal better than those, so melting and transferring the leatherwood isn't a bad idea.
 
#391
crd said:
I live in a really dry place. I feel like pops is good for a month here. I re-charge my cakes maybe every three months or so. I just bought my 2nd set of 40/60. I actually used all of the cake of rosin on my previous batch so I must have been using them for at least two years.
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@garrett2 and @crd - Thanks for sharing your perspectives. It's pretty humid year-round in the Netherlands so maybe I'm using a lot less rosin than you guys... at the 1.5 year point I started reheating/recharging the Leatherwood but found this had diminishing effects over time. I actually tried to push the Leatherwood to 2.5 years of use but when I picked up a friend's bow (primed with fresh cello rosin--nothing even close to Pops!), it was painfully obvious me how dead these cakes were.
 
#393
LouisF said:
Funny, I did sort of the same thing last night at rehearsal. The Hills was working great and a couple of people even commented on how warm the bass sounded, but when we got to the Darth Vader Imperial March in the Star Wars suite, I just had to add a swipe or two of the Petz premium to get what I wanted on all those low string triplets etc (I guess that's my on 60/30 combo)
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I got a cake of Petz and tried it out today. It’s a lot like Wiedoft in consistency but the sound is clearer and less grainy. It leaves some dust on the strings and on the bass but so far it seems to stick less to the varnish so it’s easier to wipe off gently. I am cautiously optimistic.
 
#394
I decided to order a cake of the Leatherwood Bass. I love the grip of Pops’ and have been using it exclusively for a couple years, but I want something that sounds a little more refined but still has the grip and (dare I say) pop of Pops’.

Also I kinda just want to try something different right now: I haven’t used anything that wasn’t Pops’ for a couple years and I want to explore a bit.
 
#395
It may be the gut strings - or just my own idiosyncracies -- but have gone through various rosins at various times, I'm a fan of Petz. I use #2 or #3 (harder) depending on the weather; and the Premium when I really need the superglue.
 
#397
Weighing in - for context I'm late to join the bowing game, play mostly jazz and only have a couple years experience struggling with bowing. Started with Pops; lots of frustrating learning there, and on a teacher's recommendation I tried Leatherwood (using Obligado Solos on my DB and split Spirocores/Flexicores on my Eminence). FWIW I like it much better than Pops, even fresh Pops. Agree with others that the silicone case is probably not protecting it enough (it's noticeably dryer now than it was 6 months ago - I live in a coastal desert), and recently ordered some airtight silicon containers to see if that helps. Just my 2c.
Also just got an email ad from Upton about their "bespoke" rosin - since it costs ⅓ what Leatherwood costs, wondering if anyone's A/Bed them?
 
#398
Gdeak said:
Weighing in - for context I'm late to join the bowing game, play mostly jazz and only have a couple years experience struggling with bowing. Started with Pops; lots of frustrating learning there, and on a teacher's recommendation I tried Leatherwood (using Obligado Solos on my DB and split Spirocores/Flexicores on my Eminence). FWIW I like it much better than Pops, even fresh Pops. Agree with others that the silicone case is probably not protecting it enough (it's noticeably dryer now than it was 6 months ago - I live in a coastal desert), and recently ordered some airtight silicon containers to see if that helps. Just my 2c.
Also just got an email ad from Upton about their "bespoke" rosin - since it costs ⅓ what Leatherwood costs, wondering if anyone's A/Bed them?
Click to expand...

Throw the leatherwood in the oven for sixty seconds or so and it will come out as good as new! Take out the wax paper in the case.
 
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