050 Artisinal Bass Rosin

This new rosin from 050 Rosin is artisanally hand-crafted in Groningen, Netherlands. The founder (a professional classical and early music bassist himself) emphasizes practicality, reliability, and sustainability over fancy packaging - an ideology I admire:

Our philosophy at 050 Rosins is exactly this: offering a piece of gear that is of top quality, sturdy and reliable, without frills and affordable. No fancy wraps, no convoluted packaging, no romanticised backstories: only pure quality and reliability for the professional musician. By concentrating on this, we can keep the prices down and still provide a top tier product. We want to let the rosins speak for themselves, rather than the packaging!

Offering a soft and a hard variety, we've rosined up some bows and tried both formulations here at the shop - and we found that these rosins are both very smooth and easy to use. 

• The soft variety has a nice grab - not entirely unlike the popular rosin with the red cup - but without being too sticky or tacky, allowing an easy bow with good volume. It produces a deep, pleasantly dark and powerful tone - great for orchestral playing as recommended by 050 Rosin. 
• The hard variety has a very smooth (but still potent) pull, allowing for a bit more clarity in sound - and it is recommended by the maker for solo playing. It is also great for warmer seasons to avoid "melty" rosin in your bass bag.

Since the rosin is wrapped in a non-stick paper foil and packed in a 100% recyclable cardboard box, you might consider pairing this with our Gollihur Music Resin Humidor (large size recommended), which is discounted when purchased together with rosin. Not only will it be a protective, airtight container, but it will also provide consistent humidity levels for the rosin, preventing it from prematurely going "stale." At the very least, you'll want to put it into an airtight plastic zipper bag to prevent messy "meltdowns" in hot weather* that will get all over your case or gig bag if things get too warm.

*Speaking of which; because this rosin is cut into simple cubes and boxed up without any sort of cup, there's a very good probability that it may deform a bit when shipped to you, particularly during the warmer months of the year. Meaning, it will probably look a bit more like our informal photo (click through to the 4th pic in the photos above) than the perfect, beautiful cubes in the manufacturer's "glamour shots" when it arrives. This is okay, and should be expected. Rosin, particularly softer formulations, has a low melting point, and delivery trucks and train cars get really hot. The rosin was melted when it was made, and a little re-melting doesn't hurt its efficacy or usefulness. But since there is no cup to help it keep its shape, you'll notice it more with this rosin than you might with one that comes in a plastic cup.