KorfkerRest® 2 Viola Shoulder Rest

Vert comfortable and my viola never sounded better!

It’s amazing! Fresh out of the box and without major adjustments, it already felt better than my previous one.

Overall, this shoulder rest opened up my sound and created more ring to my tone. It helped bring out my lower range with more resonance and clarity, and it’s SO LIGHT. I didn’t realize how heavy my viola was before the switch.

My viola feels more stable on my shoulder, and I’m now able to play with my left arm moving more freely and without restriction.

I will never go back.

This really is the perfect shoulder rest for anyone who has used shoulder rests that are “good enough”. With the Korfker, you can sculpt it to fit your shoulder, with all the individual dips and bumps that make your shoulder unique. You can also sculpt it to any angle and have it grip your shoulder, complete freedom of movement or something between the two.

The shoulder rest is very light; I did not imagine that it would be such a plus but it really does make a huge difference in the comfort and playability of the rest. With my particular instrument, it seems to have amplified my sound and it brings out more of the soprano qualities but I am yet to take it into a hall to do some sound checks.

The reason for only 4 out of 5 stars are two fold: first, to have a shoulder rest that can be adjusted to any shoulder requires extra hardware and time dedicated to learning what works for you and what is the most comfortable. The time is a small price to pay for such comfort and freedom but it will take a couple hours to find something that can work for you and then many more doing all the small adjustments to find that perfect fit. The other reason for 4 out of 5 is the obvious one: price. I do not regret having purchased this but the financial commitment is a deterrent to most people and for good reason. I understand the price as to make something that can work this easily takes a tremendous amount of research and the highest quality of materials but it does not make dropping such a chunk of change any easier.

So if you are wanting a top tier rest, this is one that has to be on your list and if you are willing to put in the work, will reward your efforts.