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Does anyone have experience with the Wolfe Forte Primo shoulder rest? I'm looking at getting a new shoulder rest, I currently use the Everest shoulder rest. I like the Everest, but I want something a little higher. I've read this one gets up pretty high. Comparing it to the Forte Secundo, it looks like the rest is wider also, which is something I think I'd like. Has anyone here compared them(Primo, Secundo or Everest) or prefer one to the other? Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!
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Though I don't use a rest, I've tested the Wolf Secondo Forte and it's great in many ways. It has more adjustability. That being said, I know a lot of musicians that love the Primo rest. Also, consider the Bon Musica Shoulder Rest.
http://fiddlershop.com/bon-mus.....-rest.html
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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I've not tried any of the Wolfe's, but I highly recommend the Bon Musica. I don't use it now, but when I did I loved it. You can adjust it in almost anyway you can think of.
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I have always thought a Bon Musica is the way to go for me... still haven't made the plunge.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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I don't always use a shoulder rest but when I do I have been using an Everrest. Of greater importance to me is the chinrest that I am using. I use a Berber style chinrest that fits over the tail piece. A couple years ago a fellow orchestra member noticed that I tend to rest my chin against the tail piece of the violin as I am playing. He recommended I take a look at the berber style rests. I did and I never looked back. The berber style rest fits over the tail piece and gives me the kind of support that I need. In fact when I use the berber chin rest I hardly need a shoulder rest. They come in ebony and rosewood. I use a rosewood rest and not only is it functional but looks really nice on my violin. I understand that every musician is different and the berber type chin rest may not be ideal for everyone. But for me it was a worthwhile investment and may be well worth the try.
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The more I play and get an idea of how I want the violin to feel, the more I want to experiment with different shoulder rests. So far the only one I've bought to try out is a Playonair (it's weird and probably similar to using the red sponge). I go back and forth between using that and my Everest, but I still want to try something else. I've had the the Wolfe Forte Primo on my list to try, but the Bon Musica looks interesting, too... maybe I should try that down the road?
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The two shoulder rests I use most often are the Wolfe Forte Primo and the Everest. Both are good, and which one works better seems to depend on which violin I am using, but it is hard for me to figure out why each one seems to work better in different circumstances.
Right now I am mostly using the Everest. It seems to work better for me when I play my regular violin, a 7/8 size Johannes Kohr K500. I had hoped that the extra height of the Wolfe would make it more comfortable and easier to hold, but it hasn't really worked out that way. I don't know why. The Everest is not perfect, but it is better than the Wolfe on this violin. The Wolfe seems to want to pull the violin downward while the Everest allow me to hold the violin more properly.
But the Wolfe seems to work very well on the violin I take along when travelling. This violin is a cheap 3/4 violin made by Kinglos, and the Wolfe is very comfortable on this violin.
I'm not entirely happy with the Everest for my main violin, but the Wolfe Forte Primo is not the solution for that violin. I do like the Wolfe very much for my travel violin, though. Sometime I will want to try something else for my main violin, but the Everest is working okay for now.
The only other shoulder rests I have tried are (1) a homemade thing I put together with cloth and a sponge and (2) the one that comes with inexpensive Mendini or Cecilio violins. Both the Everest and the Wolfe Forte Primo are far better than either of these other two types.
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An update for anyone intereste: I went ahead and bit the bullet and got the primo and . . . I hated it. It's got some nice features, but ugh I tried it a hundred different ways and just couldn't find a comfortable position. I love the added height, but it pivots in a weird way when I use it. The upside is that I was able to use the feet from the wolf in my everest rest. It adds the height I want and I can still use the more comfortable everest. Not bad all told haha
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Sorry to hear it Dan.
Did you get it from us?
You can always return products that you purchase within 30 days.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Oh no, I ordered it from Amazon, I think the fiddlershop only has the Wolfe Secondo, I bought the Primo. I wouldn't send it back at this point( I actually bent it up a little trying to get it to fit for me haha), I took the feet that screw into the wolfe shoulder rest and I'm using them in the Everest rest. It's given the Everest a good boost in height, which is just what it needed to be comfortable for me. I just thought it was just funny because of how impossible it was for me to find a comfortable playing position with it. I appreciate you looking out though.
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We sell everything, but unfortunately, we neglect listing some products. Nice catch. 
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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