PirastroGoldflex

This is the best rosin I have ever used, although this is not to say it necessarily is the best rosin...provides very good bow contact, though should not be applied accessively at any one time. Also, if you are not careful, it can cause skin irritation (and has a very strong, rosiny smell), but only if you are clumsy and use the same cloth for cleaning your violin as resting under your chin...I would definitely buy this again and think it is good value for money for the effectiveness.

I've only been playing the violin for a week and a half and my sound was more like a stepped on cat than the beautiful violin sound I was hoping I'd have. I decided anything that can help me has got to be a step in the right direction. (I was using a very cheap rosin from a music store) so I decided to buy some Goldflex and I am so glad I did!! The rosin comes stuck to a cloth (which I tried for 10 min to pull off before I realized its suppose to stay stuck on) The rosin has a beautiful color, if you look closely you can see the flecks of gold. I could tell as soon as I used it that the sound was...richer... It was less thin and shrill. I had less problem with it squawking. I'm not saying that it's going going to make a beginner sound like someone that's been playing for months or years BUT it will give you a nicer sound and I believe that will encourage people to keep playing.

Excellent Rosin. Very pleased order arrived in time & in good order.

This is a really good rosin! It's on the harder / lighter side so it's prone to producing a bit more dust, but still easy to apply. The key is to use it in the least possible amount that will still give you a semi-decent grip and that's where it really shines. It will make your violin produce a really sustained ring, which you will love listening to. Use slightly too much and it will start sounding scratchy and you'll have to dust off your violin frequently so be careful about using too much.. Not sure about the gold dust though, it is really nice to look at and I didn't notice it negatively affecting anything, so I guess it doesn't hurt to have it in there :) (In theory it 'might' help with the smoothness / 'resolution' of the slip-stick action, but that's just me assuming things)Other than that.. if it were to break, even though I have all sorts of other rosin at hand, I would probably still buy a new one just to 'have it' again, since I really like it.

I am at intermediate so I certainly don't qualify as an expert but I do love this rosin. The sound produced does appear to be better toned and the bow seems to glide much smoother than non goldflex, but then maybe im just getting better lol.. Good size piece of rosin and will probably last me a long time.

Fantastic creates a clear sound works well on the coated gut strings..

I have to update this review after using the rosin for a couple of months - it seems that I am allergic to it resulting in sinus problems. This is very unfortunate as I find it gives great tone and grip. I can actually smell the heavy vapour after application and I think i will have to discontinue use. If you suffer sinus/chest allergies be careful in choosing this rosin. My original review was as follows............... In many years playing I've never paid much attention to the type of rosin I used (shame on me!). After some recommendations by some excellent fiddlers I've just tried this and am most impressed by its effectiveness. I'm finding that I don't need to apply much rosin to get plenty of grip and a nice strong. clear tone using a very light baroque-style bow, so its probably quite cost effective as well - not that it is particularly expensive. Well worth a try, but don't over-apply :)

As a budding capitalist and sucker for advertising, I bought this rosin due to the promise of gold. It does indeed have gold, which I am sure has no positive effect on my instrument's sound, but just the thought of gold flying all around my bridge gives me a new found confidence that really helps my violin sing in the frequent pianissimo sections found in 2nd violin scores.