Chinrest Kaufmann for Viola, Boxwood, Titanium, ZK-V4257-T
ZK-V4257-T
Mounted on the left side and kept flat, with a rim running all the way round. In principle like the Slim Style, only higher and with a little more hold. Boxwood in a light golden tone with the black Götz mark, the lightest of the three woods.
- Side mounting shifts the neck of the instrument slightly forward; for flexible, mobile playing
- Screws and barrels in pure titanium, uncoated and free of nickel
- Sized for viola rib heights
Technical data
| Model | Kaufmann |
| Material | Boxwood |
| Fittings | Screws and barrels in pure titanium |
| Instrument | Viola |
| Item number | ZK-V4257-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
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.
The Slim Style and the Kaufmann are mounted beside the tailpiece and built flat. The Slim Style is around 11 mm high in every wood; the Kaufmann is built a little higher, on the ZK-4255 in rosewood 13 mm without and 14.5 mm with cork.
The Slim Style runs straight back and is built for instruments with a usual arching of the top. The Slim models go with short 25 mm barrels. Because of its flat shell shape, we also know the Slim ZK-256 in-house as the Flat or shallow shell. We make the Slim Style in rosewood, in stained and unstained ebony and in boxwood. On the viola the Kaufmann ZK-V4256 in ebony weighs 55 g with a plate of 6.4 × 10.9 cm.
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
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.
We keep receiving warm feedback on the Slim; one teacher wrote to tell us they recommend the thin chin rests to all their students. With a very highly arched top, we are glad to look at a photo of the instrument before choosing.
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 deep black will find many of our models in stained ebony too, the densest of the three woods.
Anyone looking for more hold at the chin than these flat shapes offer will find higher-built models in the Morawetz High or the Stüber.
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
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.
Is there a left-handed Slim Style or Kaufmann?
We do not make a dedicated left-handed version; a Kaufmann can be fitted, but it does not sit exactly symmetrically.
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.