Viva la Musica VLM Diamond Light Maple VN 4/4

To be fair this is my first shoulder rest, opting to go with something a bit more costly than the cheaper alternatives so i cannot say if that really gives much in sense of performance, but i can say that this shoulder rest does a great job. It is very adjustable in angles and height. It sits very well on my sholder and does not move around at all once attached.
It also looks stunning, which is one of the reasons i chose it in the first place. The material may not be as amazing as looks make it seem, but still worth it, looks new after 6 months use.

Despite looking simple, violin shoulder rests are complicated in their nature and each player is an individual so what works for one doesnt necessarily work for others.

That said, this shoulder rest is worth it. The design is not like the rest of the bunch. The ability to rotate the feet bases means you can position the rest right where you want it to be - not in some predetermined location. This means the feet can still be attached to the violin at the best (widest!) location - and they grip the violin exceedingly well - the violin never pops out of this rest. This security is brilliant....but it means that it will take you a few days to get this set up absolutely right for you - because it is so adjustable it takes time - but it *is* worth investing the time in getting this rest correct. Because once its there...its a dream. Complete freedom of movement whilst at the same time complete security. I know - thats often a contradiction. This just doesnt get in the way.

Ive used this for several years now and my only complaint is that the foam sometimes peels away at the edges. A bit of glue helps here - nothing to worry about.

Is the sound of the violin in any way compromised? Absolutely not - quite the opposite - its ability to not interfere is obvious when you start using it. Its well designed, my instrument has not suffered any wear regarding the feet. The feet are still going strong after several years of playing every single day.

Just going back to the adjust-ability - this rest will go lower than any other there is. The essential idea of a shoulder rest is not to lift the violin away from the body - the bottom edge of the violin should still contact the collar bone in a natural manner - the rest should "fill the gap". And because this rest is so adjustable, and will go exceedingly low it does just that.

All in all its superb. In 13 years of playing this is the rest I am happiest with - and I own a second one which I use on my other violin - purchased because this one was so good.

All in all...its brilliant - but understand that it will take time to get set up - it might even take a couple of weeks to find just the right settings - but when you do youll not regret it. No more shoulder pain for me!

Pros : made of beautiful figured maple wood, weighs as little as plastic shoulder rests, wide adjustment options for feet positions. The manufacturer-recommended feet position allows feet to be positioned nearer to the neck. I no longer find the need to readjust the shoulder rest between playing.
Cons : Feet do not tilt like Kun or Viva la Musica Professional shoulder rests, which can be an issue for some people. The "hook" is not as pronounced as Mach One, Bonmusica or even the Kun shoulder rest; can be a problem for people who rely on the hook to secure the violin on the shoulder.