When your chinrest presses on your tailpiece

Edited: January 7, 2026, 9:32 AM · Can you lift the chin rest by inserting a thin layer of cork or a rubber sheet under the feet?

Edited: January 7, 2026, 9:30 AM · I also use a Kaufmann CR and I filed away the offending material. I was concerned that the variations in downward force on the tailpiece would affect the pitch of the violin. I wasn't concerned that the tailpiece would compress enough to touch the belly of the violin. That would take a lot of movement. Inserting a rubber sheet won't solve that issue, but it will make the contact less abrasive. I would talk to a luthier about a solution that eliminates the contact if it's more than a small amount of material that you have to remove. Some tailpieces have a ridge up the middle, others are rounded. The ridge could also potentially be filed down if you have that. I also filed the lip on the edge of the CR down some because it was cutting into my jawbone.

January 7, 2026, 12:33 PM · Can't you feel your chin vibrating? By pressing down harder you could get a significant muting effect as well as an increase in pitch. I'd c) change my chin rest.

January 7, 2026, 12:40 PM · The chinrest should not be in contact with the tailpiece at all, as it has a considerable deleterious effect on tone and can cause buzzing. If there’s enough material in the chinrest to accommodate reshaping, that option is good. Of course, you can simply move the chinrest to a spot where it no longer contacts the tailpiece, but if this means a move to a spot where you don’t like your chin, you’ll have to decide between modifying your chinrest or switching to another one. One of the biggest drawbacks of side-mounted chinrests with a lip on the tailpiece side is that the lip is often not high enough. Some center mounts don’t have enough cut out under them, especially if there is a tall saddle. Making sure there’s adequate clearance is a routine part of setup.

January 7, 2026, 1:10 PM · With a side-mounted chinrest, there's a few options:
Move the chinrest further left so it doesn't touch the tailpiece. This depends on where you like it positioned, however.
Put a thin layer of rubber or cork underneath the chinrest to clear the tailpiece. This will raise the height just a bit, and unless you have a very short neck it shouldn't be a problem.
Carve out some material underneath the chinrest. This is the most difficult/risky option I think.

January 7, 2026, 6:07 PM · I filed my Kaufmann chin piece and never looked back. You could buy one and file it instead of your original if you are concerned. For the price of a pizza you can get it figured out.

January 8, 2026, 9:30 AM · I got more tilt on my Teka rest by sawing a wedge-shaped sliver off the base and glewing it back the other way round.
I also filed a channel for my jawbone to escape in the left half of the "spoon".