dhbailey52 - Posted - 09/14/2019:  17:08:15

My wife's the real violinist in the family, I just mess around with it, but I've ordered a JonPaul Matrix bow and was wondering if anybody had any recommendations for the best rosin to use with it. I have Hill Dark and Hill Light rosin (I have a cheap wood bow and a cheap CF bow and use the Hill Dark on one and the Hill Light on the other) but since those are the rosins my wife uses, that's all we have in the house at the moment. I was wondering if anybody who has experience with the JonPaul Matrix bow would suggest some other rosin to use.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

rosinhead - Posted - 09/15/2019:  08:46:53

This is a hard question to answer in a few ways. Every bow has it's own characteristics...even with particular models that are mass manufactured. In the same way, rosins also vary. For me rosin preference boils down to how it feels moving across the strings...or basically how much friction it creates. In this regard dark and light rosins will sound somewhat different. It is really a trial situation. See which one you like the best. I used Hill Dark when I started and experimented with others over the years (Kaplan Dark, Bernadel Light, Magic Rosin, Jade, Andrea...). About three years ago Bob Smakula introduced me to Pirastro Gold and it has become my mainstay. Generally dark rosins are softer and stickier than light rosin. Some say that light rosin produces a smoother tone and that does make sense. A stickier rosin isn't going to glide as smooth.

To answer your question directly.  I don't think bows pair well with certain rosins...it is more about your preference in tone and playability.

I wish you luck and have fun with that new bow!

Edited by - rosinhead on 09/15/2019 08:51:54

dhbailey52 - Posted - 09/18/2019:  03:49:56

Thank you for those insights -- I see I have some experimenting to do! But I'll start with the rosins I do have and go on from there. Thanks!