Varga Chinrest Viola Boxwood, ZK-V253B
ZK-V253B
The sturdier form of the Guarneri: centred over the tailpiece, with a wide contact area of around 147 mm and an ergonomically shaped dip. Boxwood in a light golden tone with the black Götz mark, the lightest of the three woods.
- For strong players looking for a sturdier form than the Guarneri
- Screws and barrels in metal
- Supplied with one pair of barrels each in 32 mm and 35 mm
Technical data
| Model | Varga |
| Material | Boxwood |
| Fittings | Screws and barrels in metal |
| Instrument | Viola |
| Item number | ZK-V253B |
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
Sound and physics
Viola barrels come in 32 mm and 35 mm; many viola models are supplied with one pair in each length. What counts for the choice is the rib height at the lower bout, measured from back to top.
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 viola chin rests we have weighed come to between around 55 g and 67 g including screws.
Boxwood is the lightest of the three woods we use for chin rests; rosewood and ebony are denser. With titanium fittings the boxwood Berber comes down to around 41 g.
Our boxwood is Buxus sempervirens. It is a light wood, light brown to deep orange, and the shade depends on the batch. It darkens with age and use, which is why newly made boxwood chin rests are lighter than older ones. The wood is sensitive to moisture, so we only work with thoroughly dried parts.
Guarneri, Stradivari and Schulze-Priska are mounted over the tailpiece. Together with the Varga, these shapes differ mainly in how deeply the dip is curved: of the four, the Stradivari has the deepest and most contoured plate, the Varga follows, the Guarneri is gently curved and the Schulze-Priska has no curvature. The deeper plate guides the chin more closely and so gives more control.
Our experience
When we advise on a viola, we ask for the rib height and then put together the matching pair of barrels. Our experience with tightening applies to the viola as well: only firmly enough that the chin rest holds securely, because the rib beside the bottom block is more delicate than the spot directly over the block.
We will try a darker re-staining on request, but the result rarely convinces us, because not all parts darken evenly.
For the viola we like to recommend the Varga instead of the Guarneri.
When another model suits you better
Anyone looking for a deep black will find many of our models in stained ebony too, the densest of the three woods.
Anyone who prefers to rest the chin beside the tailpiece will find a flat, side-mounted shape in the Kaufmann or the Slim Style.
Frequently asked questions
Is boxwood subject to CITES?
No, boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is not subject to CITES regulation; the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation confirmed this to us in 2016, and nothing has changed since.
Will my boxwood chin rest become darker?
Yes, boxwood darkens with age and use.
Which of these chin rests has the deepest dip?
The Stradivari, followed by the Varga; the Guarneri is more gently curved, and the Schulze-Priska has no curvature.
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.
