Berber Chinrest Violin 4/4 Ebony, ZK-269
ZK-269
Mounted centrally over the tailpiece, with a small wing to the left and the corner that gives it the ear shape. That corner saves wood and therefore weight. Black stained ebony with the white Götz mark, the heaviest of the three woods.
- Screws and barrels in metal
- Barrels up to 27 mm for the 4/4 violin
Technical data
| Model | Berber |
| Material | Ebony |
| Fittings | Screws and barrels in metal |
| Instrument | Violin |
| Item number | ZK-269 |
Features
- Contact points lined with Portuguese cork
- Height means the distance between the top and the plate. It depends on neck length and shoulder rest: those who set the instrument high get by with a flat chin rest, those who carry it lower need more height
- Higher models are usually heavier. In our experience a heavier chin rest makes the sound a little warmer and darker; a light one leaves it more open
- The ebony we use is not subject to CITES requirements
Sound and physics
The chin rest sits on the lower bout of the violin and is clamped to the rib with a metal bracket. Its clamp grips over or beside the bottom block, the wooden block inside the body that holds the end pin and reinforces the rib at this point.
The resting chin creates a hold between shoulder and head, and the violin is carried almost entirely by this hold; the left hand supports it only slightly.
Acoustically, the chin rest adds a mass with its own damping to the edge of the body through a few contact points. It therefore mainly slows those natural vibrations of the body that move strongly at these contact points, and leaves free those that have a node (a point at rest) there.
The violin chin rests we have weighed come to between around 41 g and 80 g including screws, depending on model, wood and fittings. With closed screws the barrel sets the height above the rib; violin barrels come in 25, 27 and 29 mm, and most of our violin models take barrels up to 27 mm. With the Hill fitting, by contrast, the feet are firmly joined to the chin rest.
Ebony is the densest of the three woods we use for chin rests, followed by rosewood and boxwood. African ebony (Diospyros crassiflora) has a density of 1,000 to 1,050 kg/m³ at 12 % moisture content. Only the deep black heartwood is suitable for instrument making; the broad sapwood is discarded.
How density shows in the finished piece can be seen on the violin Berber, which has the same shape in all three woods: in ebony with standard metal fittings around 56 g, in rosewood around 49 g, in boxwood around 45 g.
It is stained mainly with walnut stain and then polished; this gives the even black surface. After making, our chin rests are stored for several months so that they dry through completely.
The Berber is one of the shapes we recommend for a central head position. In the violin version it measures around 2.8 × 11.8 × 6.0 cm. It is built with closed screws only, not with Hill screws.
In the titanium version we fit the Berber with 27 mm titanium screws. The Berber comes with a small tool for adjustment, and standard chin rest keys fit as well. The Berber with titanium screws comes in ebony, boxwood and rosewood; the upper parts are fitted, the lower parts are screwed on by hand.
Our experience
Before we recommend a model, our first question is whether the chin prefers to rest beside the tailpiece or centrally over it. Our experience when tightening: a chin rest only needs to sit firmly enough to hold securely, because the rib beside the bottom block is more delicate than the spot directly over the block. If the chin rest touches the tailpiece, we solve it through the angle of the screws or with a slightly longer barrel.
We are happy to recommend the Berber to anyone looking for a shape with closed screws for a central head position.
When another model suits you better
Anyone who would like less weight at the chin will find many of our models in boxwood too, the lightest of the three woods; on the violin Berber that is around 11 g less than in ebony.
Anyone who would like to combine the central position with pronounced support in the middle will be well served by the Flesch Traditionell with its chin hump.
Frequently asked questions
What material belongs at the contact points?
Natural cork without coating, so that the chin rest does not slip and no metal touches the varnish; pressed cork is unsuitable because it crumbles over time.
Is the ebony coloured?
Yes, our ebony chin rests are stained and polished so that they are evenly black. Anyone who wants to see the natural figure of the wood chooses the unstained version with the suffix -NAT.
How dense is ebony compared with rosewood?
On average, African ebony at around 1,030 kg/m³ is just under a fifth denser than East Indian rosewood at around 870 kg/m³.
Do you make the Berber with Hill screws?
No, we build the Berber with closed screws only, optionally in titanium.
These texts hold decades of experience and a great deal of heart. They are protected by copyright, C.A. Götz jr. GmbH. Please ask us before any use. Thank you for your appreciation.
