Looking for a Cecilia Sanctus rosin alternative

January 1, 2025, 3:22 PM · Rosin thread!! The first one of 2025!!

I use Bernardel. My teacher uses Jade. A lot of people say that Leatherwood is good.

January 1, 2025, 3:55 PM · I’ve never seen a Cecilia rosin do that before. I would contact the maker Peter Bahng and see if he can rectify the issue by replacing it with a fresh cake. However, since you said that the dust is very sticky I would try Cecilia Signsture or Solo if you like the Sanctus otherwise. They’ll be similar but perhaps less sticky. Solo if I remember correctly is grippier than Signature.

You could also try magic rosin. That rosin is known for being really grippy. They have two versions called 3G and Ultra. The 3G is the normal one while the Ultra is even grippier. The 3G is plenty grippy already in my experience so I would probably start with that one and only do the Ultra if you find that you still need more. I think cellists tend to go for the ultra while violinists and violists tend to gravitate towards the 3G, but of course there’s probably some overlap.

January 1, 2025, 4:24 PM · I also use Bernardel and like it, as it was recommended by my luthier. I am not that picky, however. Keep trying and good luck!

January 1, 2025, 4:29 PM · I would start with the magic. And not the ultra.

I have leatherwood for my viola. I was at a conference and got to try it. And got to find out which mix I liked best. I would want to actually try it to find out which mix was preferred but, if you know you like super grippy maybe you would not need to try it first. I would never have spent that kind of money on rosin had I not actually tried it and heard the difference.

I also sometimes use the eco version on my violin bow.

And a friend of mine who plays flute and piano won a cake of Guillaume Rosin when Tonic had the challenge. It is sitting in my case waiting for me to try it. But, since I haven't tried it yet, I don't have an opinion for you.

Leatherwood for me, is really smooth feeling so may not be what you want at all.

January 1, 2025, 7:38 PM · I tried Cecelia Solo and gave up on it for the same reason, the cake kept falling apart. I currently use Pirastro Golflex

Edited: January 6, 2025, 4:45 PM · Thank you everyone for responding; please keep the recommendations coming. :) I currently have a Magic 3G in my shopping cart.

@Christian Harvey @Jeff Robbe : Come to think of it, the rosin cake that the teacher had lent me to try before I got my own wasn't as messy as mine. His was the old Andrea version, though. It's interesting that Jeff had a similar experience with Cecilia Solo because the one that I had back in 2019 didn't have the issue, either. (This Sanctus is circa 2022.) Maybe the company had a period of producing bad batches at some point?? Perhaps it's worth contacting the manufacturer about this.

@Laura McDermott : I wish I could try different Leatherwood varieties before purchase, too! It's too pricy to purchase blindly. I don't like too smooth, but not too grippy either, which makes picking the right variety harder.

January 2, 2025, 1:32 AM · Guillaume might hit the spot. A good shop might have samples in their audition room?

January 2, 2025, 6:32 AM · Violin rosin will act differently dependimg on the humidity and temperature. What may work well for someone may not for someone else based on climate alone.

Based on your description of the stickyness of your rosin, you need lighter one that is less sticky. I would not recommend you purchase more dark grippy rosin. Maybe try something simple like Hill light. It is grippier than other lights. It is a common rosin. Someone you know may have some to try. It is also inexpensive

Edited: January 2, 2025, 8:02 AM · Sooyeon's Cecilia Sanctus looks like plaster of Paris! It seems to be well protected by its (plastic?) container, which should have kept it in perfect condition. Like Gordon, I have become an enthusiast for Guillaume, and find that less is more in number of applications per week. Guillaume's presentation is a tightly sealed tin which guards against dryness and humidity.

January 2, 2025, 8:44 AM · Guillaume and Hill Light are in the cart as well. :) The price of all these combined is still less than that of one Sanctus, so why not...

As for the climate, I live in the Mid-Atlantic region in the US. Humid subtropical climate with all four seasons: mild spring and fall, hot & humid summer, and cold & damp winter. The ambient humidity in my practice room (which is just a corner of my bedroom), according to the hygrometer, is around upper 50s - mid 60s% in the summer and around upper 30s - lower 40s% in the winter with the humidifier on. (Without the humidifier, lower to mid 30s%.) I keep a Boveda in my violin case throughout the year. Hope this extra info helps.

January 2, 2025, 9:49 AM · With such changes in climate, more than one type of rosin may be useful. Given that it is your driest season, maybe try the darker suggestions as opposed to the hill. If they are still too tacky even in winter, then you know you need something light.

January 2, 2025, 11:37 AM · Yea!, the next rosin debate.
My current favorite is Melos/dark/violin. Bernardel is good, but makes more dust, so I do not recommend it for young students. For me the Guillaume rosin is--unremarkable.I have never tried the very expensive brands. The optimum rosin will vary with the brand of strings. That's half of the reason Pirastro makes a different rosin for each of their string labels. The other reason for doing that is to sell more rosin. I have always suspected that the best rosin for the E string would be different from the best rosin for the G string. I read somewhere that Heifetz used Hidersine (cheap) rosin.

January 2, 2025, 12:03 PM · Best bang for your buck: Bernadel or Melos

Fancy Rosin: Leatherwood 50-50 blend (what I use).

I recommend most people start with Bernadel. It's a good all-around rosin. Lasts forever and it's inexpensive. When I went bow shopping they handed me a cake of Bernadel to use on the bows.

Edited: January 2, 2025, 12:53 PM · Last night I took a look at my Cecillia Sanctus rosins and noticed the same problem as the OP, especially with the violin cake, but a little with the viola and cello cakes as well. And I also use my thumb to protect the rosin from the ferule. My rosin experience over the past 50 years includes all those named above and a bunch more. I have been a "rosin nut.

I started using Leatherwood Crisp and Supple rosins for all three (string quartet) instruments as soon as the Australian company announced a half-price special some years ago and these were all I used at home. But at those prices those rosins never made it into my cases and out of the house. I carried (cheaper) other rosins until I finally bought a cake of "50/50 'Bespoke'" Leatherwood for my violin case. But I find no advantage of that vs. applying alternate strokes of Crisp & Supple. And now Leatherwood "Bespoke" has come out with a "Concerto" variety of rosin that it claims has some special unnamed ingredients (and warns that it has "pine" that might irritate those who are allergic). But is good stuff. This last is in the $100+ category at this time.

More3 recently I have found that "new" Guillaume rosin in the green "tin" cylinder, for a reasonable price, seems very nice on all my bows and instruments. I have found it especially nice for my 25 year old ARCUS (CF) bows.

January 2, 2025, 5:00 PM · Thank you all! -Hill Light and +Bernadel in my cart.

Meanwhile, I wrote to the Cecilia rosin company (the email address listed on their website) and they offered to send me a replacement. (Yay!) I still want to try alternatives, but this is a very nice gesture on their part.

January 3, 2025, 7:07 AM · I am also a fan of Bernadel. I started using it in High School and found no reason to change to anything else.

January 3, 2025, 4:49 PM · Bernardel and Melos Dark are good. I like Salchow too.

I'm currently using Leatherwood Concerto, which may be slightly better than those in some ways.

I used to use Andrea Solo, then Cecelia Solo and then Signature when they changed names, but either my tastes changed or the rosin changed somehow.... I can't use it anymore.

January 5, 2025, 8:52 PM · Here's a possible solution for one of your problems with Cecilia Sanctus rosin. The edges fracture off like that because they've become sharp due to wearing the cake down through use. Those edges were somewhat rounded when the rosin was new, at least that's how it's been in my experience. So round them over again. You could do that by rubbing them on a piece of heavy canvas as one possibility. Admittedly, that doesn't solve your dust problem.

Edited: January 6, 2025, 1:32 AM · @Mark Bouquet : Unfortunately, I have to respectfully disagree. First, the chipping started from literally day one. Second, as you see in the picture of a new product below (source: Concord Musical Supplies) the new cake's edges come 99% sharp, not rounded.

By the way, while googling a new cake image, I found a similar complaint among Amazon reviews. Although this is only one complaint compared to 17 other 5-star reviews, at least it looks like some batches are more prone to this issue than others.

January 6, 2025, 4:54 AM · @Sooyeon, doesn't that cake look as though it contains irregularities or friable patches in the texture? Whenever I've opened a new rosin it looks consistent: the blonde varieties look almost edible when new!

Edited: January 6, 2025, 3:31 PM · Okay, fair enough. But many rosins do come new somewhat rounded over. So try rounding the edges anyway. Experiment to see if that helps. Maybe you'll improve it. I'm confident that it won't hurt.

Edited: January 12, 2025, 7:44 PM · @Richard Pairaudeau : Good timing because the new replacement rosin just came in the mail today. It was packaged very well and I'm impressed. (Thank you @Christian Harvey for encouraging me to contact the maker!)

So here are some real world shots of a brand new cake.

As you can see, seen from the above, it's crystal clear. However, the side walls aren't as clear and smooth. That's interesting because the earliest and largest chunks off the old cake were from the side wall (like, the cake was chipped through an entire wall vertically; you can see it in my OP photo, too, near the 6 o'clock mark.) But then it started to chip along the top edges, too... (shrug)

In addition, the side wall of Guillaume rosin is also not perfectly smooth. (Zoom in to the linked image and you'll see. Also courtesy of Concord...)
(Edited to add on Jan 12: Now that I have the actual product in hand, Guillaume rosin's sides are actually okay in person. There are some fabric marks perhaps from the fabric that wraps it, but otherwise it's fairly smooth.)

And @Mark Bouquet , that's an interesting observation because it looks like all of the Cecilia rosins come with flat top with sharp edges, and @Jeff Robbe said he had the same chipping issue with Solo. Maybe there's something to that theory??

Anyhow, my Concord shopping cart now has a Guillaume, Bernadel, and Magic 3G. (By the way, this is the only major retailer that has the Guillaume rosin in stock. I wonder why??)

January 6, 2025, 8:59 PM · Hit “enter”. You have more than enough to experiment with.

Edited: January 8, 2025, 1:44 PM · How do you test the three new rosins ? Will you be washing and drying your bow hair between each playing test ?

January 8, 2025, 6:40 PM · Yep, I realized that testing multiple rosins at the same time won't be easy and some people argue that rosins can go stale over time, so I just ordered a Guillaume alone last night. One at a time. :)

@Gordon Shumway :
I've been using the same amount/frequency as all the other rosins that I've used in the past, including other Cecilia/Andrea models. That said, perhaps this one needed to be applied in less amount and/or more sparingly. However, that doesn't change the fact that the dusts are sticky and hard to clean. It's unlike anything I've ever experienced before.

January 8, 2025, 7:13 PM · I'm sorry to tell you that there is no rosin which does not display the characteristics you have described.

Edited: January 19, 2025, 11:26 PM · I received the Guillaume rosin in the mail, and the first impression was "whoa, it's small." (lol!) That's probably a good thing, though, since rosins seem to last a very long time...

By the way, I ordered it from Concord even though the item page said "tin box color may vary"... and guess what, I received the silver tin. (haha) (But the inside of the tin is green... Has it been always like this?) I have an older generation Arcus bow, too, so what @Andrew Victor said about the green tin intrigued me and I was secretly hoping to receive the green one. Well, I won't find out until maybe I get to replace this one; and since rosins seem to last forever, who knows when that will be. (shrug)

January 12, 2025, 11:43 PM · Again, every rosin will leave sticky rosin dust, including Guillaume which I have been using for many years. The solution is frequent cleaning with a cloth.