This BonMusica violin shoulder rest review shares an overview of this shoulder rest and will help you determine if this might be a good accessory for you. Spoiler: it’s an ergonomic option to consider!

Choosing a shoulder rest—and whether or not you want to use one—is an important consideration to make. A good shoulder rest can help you feel more comfortable on your instrument. If it’s not right, it can cause bad posture and pain.

There are a variety of shoulder rests available to upper-string players, and they’re all just a little bit different. The Bonmusica shoulder rest is a popular option that’s loved and used by many. Today I’m sharing an overview of this shoulder rest, along with pros and cons to help you decide if this might be a good option for you.

Introduction to the Bonmusica Violin Shoulder Rest

The Bonmusica shoulder rest is promoted as an ergonomic accessory, since it’s more flexible and customizable than many older, more traditional shoulder rests.

The design is minimal: the base is made of metal, with foam padding on the outer side, and there are two feet with plain screws on each end of the shoulder rest. It’s made in Germany using high-quality materials.

A large draw to this particular shoulder rest is the fact that the metal is thin and is meant to be bent to form to your left shoulder. The foam is soft and squishy, which will make it feel comfortable for most players.

The Bonmusica rest is offered in 1/16-4/4 size for violin.

And, there’s a viola version, offered in 15-17-inch options. I know others who have tried the viola shoulder rest have felt the same way I do about the violin version. It’s the exact same product, just larger.

A quick overview of the pros and cons of the Bonmusica Shoulder Rest

We’ll go more in-depth over my thoughts and explanations for each pro and con of this shoulder rest in a bit, but for now, and in case you’d like to quickly reference this later, here’s a list of the benefits and drawbacks:

Pros

• Very customizable
• Soft foam padding
• Rubber on the feet protects your instrument from scratches
• Lightweight

Cons

• Lots of exposed metal that could potentially scratch your instrument
• Foam degrades easily
• It can take a while to find the right shape and placement
• The large size and odd-shaped footprint make it more difficult to fit in some violin cases

Who might benefit from the Bonmusica Shoulder Rest

The Bonmusica is great for violin players with a long neck. If you find yourself leaning your chin and neck down to hold your violin in place, your posture—and overall comfort—will benefit from trying a taller shoulder rest and/or chin rest. The Bonmusica shoulder rest has extra long feet, making it taller than most of the more standard shoulder rests out there.

The Bonmusica rest hooks around your shoulder, which will be very helpful if you have trouble holding up your violin, or if you feel that it slides around while you play, especially when you’re shifting. You might feel more secure using this one, once you adjust the shoulder rest to the shape of your own shoulder.

Pros of the Bonmusica Shoulder Rest

1. You can customize Bonmusica to your needs

2. Bonmusica has soft foam padding

Another pro is the soft foam padding. In comparison to other popular shoulder rests like the Kun and Everest brands, the foam on the Bon Musica rest is particularly squishy, and feels thicker than some others. With other shoulder rests, If I press down on the foam, I can feel the metal or plastic that it’s attached to. With this shoulder rest, I feel less of the metal backing when I press down; it just feels denser.

3. Protecting rubber on Bonmusica’s feet

One other aspect of the Bon Musica that I really appreciate is the rubber on the feet. The rubber is longer than the feet, providing extra protection. You don’t want the feet to scratch your violin as you put the shoulder rest on and take it off!

4. Bonmusica is lightweight

Finally, the Bonmusica violin shoulder rest is very lightweight. If you have a hard time holding up your violin, especially for long periods of time, this shoulder rest could help you hold your instrument longer, with less strain.

Cons of the Bonmusica Violin Shoulder Rest

Unfortunately, I don’t think this shoulder rest is a perfect solution for everyone…

1. Metal parts could potentially scratch your instrument

First, there’s a lot of exposed metal on the side of the shoulder rest that faces the instrument, which is a little frightening. I’ve had a few shoulder rests that would come loose and bump the back of my instrument. If that happened with the Bonmusica, it would probably scratch my violin.

Exposed pieces include the length of the shoulder rest (opposite the foam padding), the screw ends of the feet, and bolts that help hold the feet in place. If you love this shoulder rest but are worried about the metal, maybe you could try covering the metal with some cloth to help protect your instrument.

2. Bonmusica’s foam degrades easily

The next con is actually the foam. I know I said the foam has a great texture, but it degrades easily over time. I guess what makes it feel so comfortable also makes it weaker than other foam I’ve tried. The plus side is that you can actually buy replacement foam (and replacement feet in different lengths) if it wears out.

3. It takes a while to adjust the shoulder rest to your needs

Something that can be a bit frustrating with this shoulder rest in particular is how long it can take to find the right shape to match your body, and where exactly to place it on your violin. If you’re not patient, this process will feel grueling and can spoil your opinion and experience. With most other shoulder rests you’ll know whether or not it works for you soon after unboxing it. With the Bonmusica, your opinion is more likely to change over time as you try different options and placements. If you try this shoulder rest, stay patient and explore all your options!

4. Bonmusica doesn’t fit easily into a violin case

The final downside I’ve noticed is that this shoulder rest doesn’t fit in quite as many cases as most other competitors do. The Bonmusica shoulder rest has a bit of a larger, odder footprint than most others. The side that hooks around your shoulder makes it considerably larger than the space that’s offered in many violin cases.

Customizing Your Bonmusica Shoulder Rest

Many violinists customize their shoulder rests by adjusting the feet, adding padding, or changing where it sits on the violin. The Bon Musica shoulder rest can be customized in various ways because that’s what it was made for!

It can take a long time to make the best adjustments and to find where on your violin or viola it sits best for you. Not to mention finding the right height—it can be a journey! This process can take a while, as you try the shoulder rest out on different days with different clothing, repertoire, and postures. Stay patient and give any shoulder rest you try a fair chance!

Aside from the common customizations, you can also buy shorter or longer feet for the Bon Musica shoulder rest online. If, after a bit of an adjustment period, you find that your shoulder rest is either too tall or too short, you can experiment with different lengths of feet and see if it’s more comfortable for you.

Bonmusica Shoulder Rest vs. Other Shoulder Rests

While Bon Musica has a growing audience and reputation, two of the most popular shoulder rest brands right now are Everest and Kun. I’ll compare these three.

Compared to Everest and Kun, the Bon Musica shoulder rest has the capability for a lot more customization. This shoulder rest is bendable, unlike the stiffer Everest and Kun options. If you try to bend those shoulder rests, they’d probably break!

The Bonmusica shoulder rest also has longer feet than the other comparable options, although you can find extra long feet replacements for the other two shoulder rest brands. If you’re generally happy using one of the more popular shoulder rests but feel it simply isn’t tall enough, I’d consider testing out longer feet before shelling out the money for a Bonmusica.

My Overall Thoughts on Bonmusica

In general, the Bonmusica shoulder rest is a great option for violinists or violists who want a more ergonomic option with the ability to customize whenever needed. While it’s more expensive than most of the more popular shoulder rests, this product is well-loved by those who have longer necks and are looking for a customized fit.

If you’re ready to experiment with your setup, this is a great shoulder rest to consider. If you don’t have the patience for that, I’d recommend looking at other shoulder rests and seeing if they meet your needs instead.

Overall, this shoulder rest isn’t the best for me personally (my current favorite is the Everest shoulder rest!), but it’s a reliable option for those who are willing to take the time to mold exactly what they’re looking for.

If you’d like to learn more about types of shoulder rests, how to put a shoulder rest on your violin or what are the pros and cons of playing with or without it, make sure to click here and read my post: The Essential Guide to Using a Violin Shoulder Rest

If you’re interested in other ways you can modify your violin setup, try reading about violin chin rests, bows, or strings next!