The innovative handmade chin rest, envisioned, designed and produced in Cremona Italy, made of boxwood that grows in the region between Spain and France in the Pyrenees Mountains.
The imaginative design allows freedom for the players to hold the violin on the left side or in the middle over the tailpiece with greater comfort.
The chin rest accommodates the recent trend of holding the violin in the middle.
The special design covers the tailpiece, preventing the player's chin from pushing on the tailpiece and thus changing the tuning and muting the sound.
The shape and the hight of the chin rest allows a comfortable grip without havingto raise the shoulder. In many cases this eliminates the need for a shoulder pad.
The rare and speciality chosen boxwood is very high in density allowing for a slim design and light weight.
What makes this chin rest even more effective, is the fact that the density of the wood, coupled with the special design and hight, rather than absorbing the sound, reflects the sound and thus enhances the poweful accoustical effect of the violin.
The chinrest comes with titanium hardware.
Freedom of movement, greater comfort, accoustical edge and ring to the sound.
Experience the difference now!
The Pyrenees with its Majestic Mountains and Cascades of raging waters that create streams ad wild rivers of ultramarine colors, is a land of incredible beauty.
The peaceful villages nestled along the narrow roads, seem to hand on the cliffs of the mountains in the land of Magical Boxwood.
Begining as a small bush, boxwood struggles through tough conditions in high altitudes for almost 200 years before it reaches some 8 - 10 centimeters in diameter.
Due to its limited availability, high demand and distinctive yellow color, it is known as "GOLD" to local people.
Traditionally Boxwood was used to make woodwinds; recorders, flutes, oboes and clarinets.
Being the hardest wood in Europe, with natural acoustical qualities, it is obvious and inevitable that it makes perfect material for the highest quality violin/viola chin rest.
Testimonials
"Boris Sverdlik's chin-rest in my opinion is a real break-through invention which makes my violin (Stradivari 1717) sound fuller & better than ever before. The combination of a very dense boxwood with a wonderful new shape of a chin rest, brings out all the overtones of the violin in a most dramatic fashion. I would recommend this chin rest to all my colleagues - violinists to try this truly revolutionary new asset to get the best sound of their violins."
~ Dmitry Sitkovetsky | London
"My chin rest, beautifully crafted by Boris Sverdlik, is the most comfortable I have ever used. I was on the look-out for years for a chin rest that allows my neck to be in a natural position, but I am also very particular about quality of materials and beauty of design. Knowing how skilled and meticulous Boris is, it was no surprise his chin rests are outstanding. What did exceed my expectations, is that my violin actually sounds better, which made me realize even a chin rest has some acoustical effect on the violin."
~ Lev Polyakin | Cleveland Orchestra
"I am always skeptical of new accessories for my violin, but now I wish you created this wonderful chin rest 20 years ago! I never thought that it could improve the sound of the instrument so greatly."
~ Misha Keylin / New York
"I am a fellow San Francisco Symphony violinist and friend of Yukiko Kamei. Your chin rests have made quite an impression on many of us in the violin section of SF Symphony. The sound change is remarkable and we all like it so much. I promised my stand partner I would write to you this evening post concert! Anyway, thanks for your time to read this... maybe we can be a Sverdlik section! Thanks so much."
~ Catherine Van Hoesen, San Francisco Symphony
"The chin rest which Boris had built was put on my violin when I was visiting Cremona. I was a student in the Jascha Heifetz Master classes in 1971 - 72, and then became the accompanist of his class, and his personal accompanist till his death in 1987. I have just returned from Switzerland, where I played a concert in a concert hall, where I had performed last year. I played on the same violin, but this time I had Boris put on his new chin rest, whereby one can freely move the chin sideways. To my great surprise, and also comments I received from listeners in the hall, I was told that the sound of my violin was much more rich, bigger than it was before. I really wish to recommend the use of this chin rest to all violinists and violists around the world."
~ Ayke Agus | Los Angeles
"Boris Sverdlik's chin rest has not only improved the resonance of my violin but has made it much more comfortable to hold. It is also very beautifully made."
~ Glenn Dicterow | New York Philharmonic
"I wanted to thank you for your beautiful chin rest. I am very happy with it and I played a week with the Philharmonic with it and the chin rest was very comfortable."
~ Karen Dreyfus, New York
"I am Eric Wyrick, concertmaster of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. I had the opportunity to try one of your chin rests today and was surprised by the improvement to the sound of the 1737 Del Jesu that I have the good fortune to play on right now. I congratulate you on developing a remarkable aid not only in comfort for the chin but also in allowing the violin to resonate freely!"
~ Eric Wyrick, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra
"Besides amazing comfort, it's the best acoustical improvement every violin deserves."
~ Leonid Keylin | Seattle Symphony
"I play on the chin rest made by Boris Sverdlik from June 2009, and since then I found comfort I looked for during my performing career. I play as Concertmaster of the orchestra, 1st violinist of the Aviv String Quartet and as a soloist, and the flexibility which comes together with an unbelievable support, is amazing. I can play both with my head holding straight at the direction of the finger board, and putting my head on the side, every angle I takeis feeling the most natural, which I never experienced using other chin rests. I believe that this chin rest, made by Boris Sverdlik, is a revolutionary model and I recommend it to all my colleagues, solosists, chamber musicians and orchestra players."
~ Sergey Ostrovsky | Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
"I will never forget the moment this chin rest was put on my Guarneri. I had enjoyed playing this beautiful violin for over 25 years, and yet, I heard sound then I had never heard before. It was so exciting to feel that the violin had more life than I had known. The sound became richer, deeper, livelier, and more interesting. Now, the chin rest is a musical part of the instrument."
~ Yukiko Kurakata | San Francisco Symphony
"Boris, your new chin rest is fantastic! Over the years I've tried countless different chin rests, without satisfaction. Your new design is brilliant! It gives height, monoeuvrability, and space for the sound to escape beneath the chin rest. I have never felt this comfortable playing the violin and have never heard my violin resonate this well. I wish more players could experience the liberation! Many thanks, Boris!"
~ Piet Koomhoff | South Africa
"I recently tried out your chin rest on my viola and I am very happy with the results. I am a principal violist in San Francisco Symphony, where your chin rests seem to be very popular! The sound of my instrument is quite different with your chin rest, and I find it very comfortable."
~ Jonathan Vinoccour, San Francisco Symphony
"Your chin rest is amazing! Thanks for sharing with us your great tallent."
~ Amy Chang, Atlanta Symphony
"Your chin rest is fantastic! I think it works perfect. Also, I even can almost play without a shoulder rest."
~ Freddy Varela, Concertmaster Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires
"I received one of your chin rests to try and i love it - the sound of my instrument (Andrea Guarneri) was immediately more open, brighter without losing any warmth. I look forward to meeting you and trying a matching tail piece. Thank you very much."
~ Dan Banner, San Francisco Symphony
"Thank you so much for introducing your chin rest, my viola sounds wonderful now! I'm looking forward to try your tail piece when it's available!"
~ Jay Liu, San Francisco Symphony