Chinrest Vermeer for Violin, Natural Ebony, Titanium, ZK-281-NAT-T
ZK-281-NAT-T
Mounted on the left side, with a wing that reaches over and around the tailpiece. Large, flat rounded plate with a low edge. Natural ebony with brown to grey figure; every piece shows its own grain.
- Lets the chin travel from the side section to over the tailpiece; plenty of freedom of movement
- Screws and barrels in pure titanium, uncoated and free of nickel
- Barrels up to 27 mm for the 4/4 violin
Technical data
| Model | Vermeer |
| Material | Unstained ebony |
| Fittings | Screws and barrels in pure titanium |
| Instrument | Violin |
| Item number | ZK-281-NAT-T |
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
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.
The suffix -NAT stands for unstained ebony: it is not stained, only treated with beeswax. The natural features of the wood with their grain flames therefore remain visible; the difference from stained ebony is purely aesthetic and not a difference in quality.
As a wood it is the same dense ebony; after working, the chin rests are stored for several months to dry through. Of the three woods we use for chin rests, ebony is the densest, ahead of rosewood and boxwood. African ebony (Diospyros crassiflora) has a density of 1,000 to 1,050 kg/m³ at 12 % moisture content.
We make the Vermeer in Saxony; the violin version ZK-281 in ebony weighs 60 g net. Its present curvature is flatter than that of the original shape, which we adapted a little over two decades ago. The Vermeer is built with closed screws; a conversion to Hill screws is not planned.
For a central head position we name it alongside the New Flesch, the Flesch Traditionell and the Berber.
On the versions with the suffix -T, screws and barrels are made of pure titanium. Screws and barrels in titanium Grade 2 weigh around 42 to 44 per cent less than the same shapes in steel.
On the Guarneri in rosewood the scales show the difference: around 51 g with standard metal screws, around 45 g with titanium screws. Pure titanium contains no nickel and resists corrosion without any coating, including from perspiration. A thread in pure titanium runs a little stiffer than one in an alloy and therefore likes a light oiling.
We make our titanium screws ourselves in Wernitzgrün. We offer titanium in the closed design only; pure titanium cannot be brought into the geometry that Hill fittings need.
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 make the unstained chin rests with 1.5 mm cork on the feet, just like the stained ones.
For us titanium is the choice when a chin rest is meant to stay on the instrument for decades: in normal use we know of no limit to its lifespan.
When another model suits you better
Anyone looking for a consistently deep black to match stained ebony pegs will choose the same model in stained ebony.
Anyone seeking the central position with clear support in the middle will find it in the Flesch Traditionell.
Anyone who values the classic Hill fitting will find it on our models with gold-plated Hill screws, whose feet are firmly joined to the chin rest.
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.
How much does the NAT version differ visually from the stained one?
The difference is small: the unstained wood shows its natural features and grain flames, while stained ebony is black throughout.
Do you also make boxwood as a NAT version?
No, the suffix -NAT is used by us for ebony only; boxwood is a light wood in any case.
Can the Vermeer be converted to Hill screws?
No, the Vermeer is built for closed screws; it is, however, made in a titanium -T version.
Can I convert a chin rest to titanium later?
With models that have closed screws, yes; the titanium screws are also sold individually for this. Models with Hill screws cannot be converted to 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.
