Kréddle Chin Rest Review

A proper set up on a violin and viola is essential to prevent neck and shoulder injuries. I recently had a doctor reveal that my neck has a curve to the left and slightly forward. Two decades of resting my chin has created a permanent curvature that if not corrected may have career ending results in the future.

I have always held the belief that the violin or viola should sit on your collar bone. My goal was to have a chin rest that allowed me to support my instrument with zero adjustment of my head. So my instrument could be brought to me, instead of me moving to the instrument.  I stumbled upon the Kréddle. It seemed like the safest bet as it was extremely adjustable unlike some of the tall wood rests on the market.

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Image from Kreddle.com to show the adjustability of the Kréddle angle.

The center mounted and side mounted version allow the same amount of movement. I went for the center one and did have to adjust my tailpiece as it was just a millimeter to large to fit.

I'll start off with saying that this chin rest has saved me. For the past year I have been able to play without the shoulder pain that I have been accustomed to. 

There are four different plastic pieces to adjust the height. I go between the 2nd and 3rd. Already with that it is extremely tall. I cannot imagine anyone thinking the rest cannot go high enough. The rest comes with two different chin cups, however I find myself not using either at times to just have a nice flat surface. I do find I adjust the chin rest often, possibly once every few weeks. This is mainly because I will sometimes be wearing a t-shirt, sometimes a collard shirt, but especially when I need to wear a suit or tuxedo coat. It is not difficult to adjust but this does bring me to my one gripe. The entire thing is made of plastic. Although this is understandable because wood would make it difficult to adjust, I can hear the plastic creaking and flexing at times. tightening the different parts together take a lot of force because if it is not secure the plastic will slowly move out of place. 

I don't mind the way it looks as once it is under my chin, the audience doesn't see it. I know this can be a deal breaker for those who prefer their chinrest, tailpiece, and pegs to all be matching.

The Kréddle chin rest is a great step forward for comfort for violinist and violists. I would love more cup shape options in the future and possibly a high end version that is not made of plastic.