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Liebenzeller Metall-Kolophonium
Gold V1-H Rosin - Click on the image for a larger view.
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Yes - It would appear that relatively little is known about the
company that makes the rosin, relatively little is known about
the methods of production and relatively little is seen in terms
of advertising and marketing of the brand. In fact it seems that
the Liebenzeller range of rosins are probably the best kept secret
within the rosin market. More importantly - it seems that it is
also the best kept secret amongst the players who have heard about
it and have been lucky enough to have found some on the market
to use.
Yes - exactly. We do know that the rosin is made using an incredibly
pure larch (Larix Europoea) resin. During production - various
metals are added that give the rosin special properties which allow
instruments to sound warmer, brighter and livelier. The V1-H has
gold dust and honey extract added to the recipe to make this the
least-hard of the range produced and therefore - the one most suitable
for use with the double bass.
Well because - this being a powder rosin the range is produced
in grades of hardness with 1 and 11 being suitable for violin,
111 recommended for viola, 1V for cello, V for violone and the
V1 recommended for bass. Within the six grades of hardness are
rosins available that use seven different metal additives to make
eight different types of rosin. The types of rosin are pyrite,
meteoric iron, tin, copper, silver, lead, silver-lead and gold.
Which type the player chooses - depends not only on the instrument
- but on the quality of tone desired and the manner of playing.
Many players use several sorts - alternating them according to
the style and period of works to be played as well as to the size
of the hall and it's acoustics.
The six gold rosins are probably the most versatile
of the range. They produce a full, round and warm tone that is
well balanced with clarity and brilliance. The gold elements in
the "less-hard" grade
V1 - help to soften and refine the sound.
Well yes - the price does rather tend to sober
one up a bit - especially when you see just how small the actual
rosin block is, you see just how basic the packaging is and you
learn that the rosin doesn't even come attached to a dust cloth
or cloth pouch. But then - you must have heard of the saying
- "Good things
come in small packages" - and by-golly this is so true when
it comes to the Liebenzeller V1-H.
The stuff is absolute dynamite on the bow.
Yes - here are a few comments;
- An absolutely fantastic rosin.
- The rosin gives me a lot of contact between the bow and the string without producing surface noise.
- The V1-H has definitely enhanced my sound. It now has so much more carrying power than my last rosin and it is much more warm and rounded. I love it.
- I tried the rosin for the first time the other day while rehearsing Mozart's Per Questa Bella Mano - and I have to say that both the singer and I were mighty-impressed with the colour, clarity and substance that it gave to my performance. I have been converted!
- I have used the V1-H now for one and a half years and it is without question the best bass rosin in existence.
- I'm definitely impressed by the way my bow grips the string without any feeling of stickiness or excessive dust.
- Our super-sensitive Sennheiser microphones were unable to pick up any surface noise in recording.
- The stuff is absolutely amazing.
- The large variety of tonal colours
that the V1-H produces is quite remarkable.
Yes - although the actual rosin block is probably
the smallest "full-size" block
of bass rosin on the market - it is reassuring to know that it
must only be used sparingly. This means that providing you don't
drop it or it gets stolen - the block will last a very, very long
time. Another benefit is that the rosin is highly resistant to
variations in temperature and humidity.
Development of the rosin first started in 1922
in Vienna by Ludwig Kremling - a friend of the violin maker and
inventor Dr Franz Thomastic. Kremlin's influence for the "metal-rosins" were
based on the human arts findings of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925)
- the remarkable Austrian philosopher, literary scholar, educator
and social thinker. Following the death of Kremling in 1967 -
the research continued at the Goetheanum in Dornach, near Basel,
Switzerland and then in 1972 it transferred to the Tycho Brahe
laboratory in Bad-Liebenzell. Bad Liebenzell is a small spa town
located 38km from Stuttgart amongst the pine forests of the beautiful
Nagold river valley in the Northern part of the Black Forest
reigion of Germany. For years the testing and refining of the
rosin - together with musicians - went on almost continuously.
The end results are a rosin which satisfies the highest demands.
Yes - when using Liebenzeller for the first time - the hairs of
the bow should be thoroughly cleaned with a cloth. Thereafter -
both hair and strings should be cleaned more frequently and thoroughly
than usual.
At the moment - we are not quite sure on the
answer to that one. What we do know is that the main suppliers
of the rosin have told us that it is "no longer available".
If this amounts to the same thing - then in the very short term
Liebenzeller will become a very rare commodity indeed. As a consequence
- prices for any of the last few blocks that remain in the few
shops that sell them - could very soon cost a lot more.
Liebenzeller Gold V1-H may well be minimalistic in terms of the
actual block size, the packaging and in the way it is presented.
What is not minimalistic - is the performance that it provides.
If you really care about how you sound and you want the very, very
best - then this is definitely the rosin of choice.
Block type: Round in aluminium foil
Weight of block: 23.0gms (ave)
Diameter of block: 3.9cm (ave)
Depth: 1.8cm (ave)
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