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http://www.chinrests.com/pdf/C.....Choice.pdf
This was very informative. I hope this can help someone else.
On "Cheap eBay violins" … Just tell people they are like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. With a little love, and some practice, they too can be made beautiful.
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I love that study. Thanks for sharing.
I'll make sure that I carry the most liked chinrests in my shop and link to this article. This will be very helpful for many people.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
It is amusing to track the Guarneri on YouTube clips. Most players treat the Guarneri as a center mount and play over the tailpiece. I found only one performer who actually did place his chin in the intended well. Then there was another player who played the chin cup at about the level of the left ear.
In contrast, the Berber chin rest has many fans because it can be played as either center mount or slightly left but it may be too high for youngsters or small framed adults.
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Oliver said:
In contrast, the Berber chin rest has many fans because it can be played as either center mount or slightly left but it may be too high for youngsters or small framed adults.
I love my Berber! I also use a Flesch, but it's not quite tall enough.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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I wonder if I should change mine out, then. Up to now, I'd simply assumed I was doing something wrong, or had a funny-shaped head, considering the generally poor fit with my Viola.
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HeadCheese said:
I wonder if I should change mine out, then. Up to now, I'd simply assumed I was doing something wrong, or had a funny-shaped head, considering the generally poor fit with my Viola.
I can only speak of my experience, but taking that darned Guarneri chinrest off was the best thing I could do for my posture. Jacking the chinrest up (long neck) was the next big improvement.
Look at yourself in a mirror while holding the viola in playing position to see where changes could be made to improve your posture. Little things can really have a big effect on playing - at least they did for me.
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
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The website connected to that study looks like a super place to get your chin rest fitted btw. The only problem is the price tag associated with it! 
-Not an option for me unless I could find an insurance company to cover it by convincing them it was important for my good health! LOL!
From what that study touches on it looks like cleaning the chin rest or covering it, and the metal, are pretty important. There are lots of ways people are stopping the bacteria. (Taking off the chin rest and cleaning with alcohol, using a chamois, cloth, Strad Pad, etc. etc.)
I looked up "violin hickey" and it seems many people 
love their hickey from playing. I personally do not wish to develop one if I can help it…
Oliver, I didn't even think to look at YouTube videos since I found that article at 3am… Now I don't think I will be able to help it. 
I already started spotting the shoulder rest I got in a lot of videos. It's like when you get a new car, you become more sensitive to spotting cars like yours on the street.
I will try the mirror too Cat. Making the informed guess is hard without having the rests in my hand... I was thinking of smooshing silly putty on my jaw to look at the shape LOL
On "Cheap eBay violins" … Just tell people they are like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. With a little love, and some practice, they too can be made beautiful.
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How many of us have bought chinrests to see what works? Maybe we can do an inventory and swap them around? A cheap chinrest on eBay is about $4.00-$10.00, so I've purchased a few and have no problem gluing extra cork on the feet to make them taller, or whatever in my search for the perfect combination. There's got to be a cheap way to find a good fit...
Mary in Springfield, Oregon http://www.thefiddleandbanjopr.....dpress.com
One cheap way is to make(carve) it. I finally had to do that.
But I really believe that the chances of finding the "right" chin rest off the shelf are pretty small without adding shims, pads or whatever.
The fit tolerance on a chin rest is only a matter of millimeters for best fit.
Maybe having a custom chin rest is a matter of how serious one is about playing the violin. An experienced fitter can do something very special ……… see the fit in a way a mirror can not.
I would go for a custom chin rest if I were younger and expecting a long term career. My independent trial and error could add up pretty quick.
I think that the trial chin rest packages are a great idea.
PS The new plastic chin rests are super cheap. I bought one. Was fine.
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RP said:
The website connected to that study looks like a super place to get your chin rest fitted btw. The only problem is the price tag associated with it!.......
I know, I've posted that site's link here several times. I've even had conversations with the owner about it. I tried to convince him to send out the kit with a deposit and a refund after purchase and returning the kit. He explained that they tried that before and the kits got ruined and returned with parts missing and were useless upon return. GREAT IDEA but not affordable.
I like Barry's idea. Anyone who has any chin-rests that they are not using can post it on this forum for testing purposes. I'll start a thread for this purpose.
I suggest giving them away for the price of shipping in the name of starving fiddlers all over the world. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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HeadCheese said:
I wonder if I should change mine out, then. Up to now, I'd simply assumed I was doing something wrong, or had a funny-shaped head, considering the generally poor fit with my Viola.
Wow, I'm so glad you said that!
I thought for sure that it was MY funny-shaped head that was the problem. Never even considered that you could change out the chin rest!
Heh-heh.
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I spent a chunk of my evening looking at the dizzying array of chinrest options available and still have no idea where to begin. 
It is unfortunate that it is a trial and error situation but that is true for many things on the violin. There are only a few certain principles.
Just stumbled on this .... interesting (viola)
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I'm willing to buy one of those kits and share with everyone but I want to make sure that I get the kit back in usable condition. I want to help everyone get the right chin-rests. I have a great chinrest for myself but everyones head/chin is different.
Suggestions????
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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