Violin Forum/Message Board

[johngia]

I've been making mine to a constant 42mm R. Just received some blanks that decrease the radius towards the nut end. Recall reading somewhere that this is sometimes done. Is it? Pros cons of either way?

Thanks.

[Michael Darnton]

Historically there have been a lot of different strategies. The reason for that is that none of them are really perfect. The board probably should be slightly conical, to follow the strings, and your blank is an attempt at that (probably overdone, if you can see it). The problem with that is that it's too round at the nut, and the players feel like their fingers are slipping off the edges.

In order to match the bridge arch, the whole shape needs to have a smaller radius, and that makes the falling-off problem worse, at both ends.

Constant radius (that is, cylindrical rather than conical) has it's own problems, but it's become the most common. With that, you can't keep the radius constant AND get the theoretical scoops (play around with a straightedge and an oatmeal box making various string paths and you'll see the biggest problem--no scoop for the middle strings = negative scoop for the outer ones, so cylindrical, with scoop, can't really work), and you sacrifice relative string height for the two middle strings. But that's what most people do, anyway.

I get around the oatmeal box problem by making the curve towards the center of the board rounder, but parabolic, not circular, so that the edges of the board stay high and the player doesn't feel like he's slipping off the edge.
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[johngia]

Thanks Michael.

The radius at the nut was way too small. It looked small. After reading your reply, I put my fingers up to the board as if I were playing. It felt too small. So I used my handy dandy home made radius scraper and brought it to mostly 42mm R. Maybe slightly less at the nut end.

I know how one is supposed to shape a fingerboard, but I could never plane fine and smooth enough, and without gouging the surface. So I took a piece of 1/8" stainless steel and with my lathe bored an 84mm diameter hole, cut it into segments, and use it to scrape a perfect radius.

Thanks again.