The Comford Violin Shoulder Stand is very different from any other shoulder rest on the market today. Rather than sticking to opposite sides of the violin with two sets of feet, like Kun’s popular models, it has a more complex set of flexible rods that secure on both sides of the lower bout, just below the C-shaped cutout. Allows the Comford Cradle to sit on your collarbone, which, according to the manufacturer, makes for a more stable, natural and comfortable rest.
Comford Cradle is available in a variety of different models. There is the gold model, which comes in tall and medium varieties, and the plastic, which is also available in tall and medium sizes. The plastic model is considerably cheaper but also slightly lighter. The tall one is very tall, and even the medium one brings quite a bit of height.
There are two major (and I mean really major) problems with this remainder. The first is that it is extremely heavy. It seems to almost double the weight of the violin. Although the plastic model is somewhat lighter, it is still the heaviest rest I have ever tried.
The second big problem is that this armrest affects the tone of the instrument more than any other rest I have evaluated. In fact, the company claims that the rest have a hollow “resonant” chamber that sweetens, softens, and really enhances their sound. Translation: its sound becomes muffled and muted. In my opinion, it takes considerable arrogance to claim that the armrest actually “enhances” the sound of the violin. Tell that to the owner of a Stradivarius and see how much that claim falls short. In fact, the biggest sin an armrest can commit is affecting the sound. The fact that the Comford affects the sound is and should be considered a design flaw, not an advantage.
For me, this would be a last resort shoulder rest option, one to adopt only after you’ve tried all the others and only the Comford is comfortable for you.