Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

Contrabass Conversations listener and double bassist Greg Sowell wrote in recently with a very interesting dilemma, wondering if he has stumbled across a very old cake of Oak Bass Rosin. He writes:

I love the show. Its an excellent source for all us Bass Geeks out here.
I am a double bassist reborn from years ago. I took lessons from Lyle
Wolfrom at Eastern Kentucky University back in the late 70s while I
was a percussion major. The music thing didn’t work out so I ended up
becoming a Graphic Designer of which I am better at anyway. I got
back into playing when my daughter decided to play cello in 5th
grade. While getting to know all of her music instructors, I got bit
by the Bass Bug again, and now I’ve got it bad.

Anyway, back when I was taking from Lyle, he sold us some Bass Rosin
that came in a dark blue cloth pouch. When I got it, he told me that
this was the last batch of rosin like this, because the guy that was
making it had passed away. This rosin is the best I have ever used.
One swipe up and one swipe down on the bow is all you need. Although
I know I can’t get anymore of this rosin (or can I?), I would like to
know where it came from. I have searched on the internet for answers,
and I am quite aware that this could be one of the last batches of
the famous “OAK ROSIN”, but I still do not have any proof of that, or
where this stuff came from. I am attaching an image or two of the
rosin so that maybe in your network of friends, or the Blog,
I can get the answer that has escaped me for years.

Here’s the mystery rosin cake. What do you think?

I have only had experience with the ‘new’ Oak Bass Rosin currently being sold, and I’m definitely a fan of this stuff. Readers–is this an old cake of Oak, and if not, what is it?

Also, have you ever seen rosin this expertly framed and photographed? Amazing.