relief on violin fingerboards

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Anders Eliasson
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:38 am

relief on violin fingerboards

Post by Anders Eliasson »

Is it normal to make a small relief on the fingerboard of a violin and i this case how much?
Chet Bishop
Posts: 94
Joined: Thu Mar 08, 2012 3:50 pm
Location: Forest Grove, Oregon

Re: relief on violin fingerboards

Post by Chet Bishop »

When I press the string to the board on both ends simultaneously, thus making the string a "straightedge", I expect to see approximately the diameter of the string underneath the string itself. Probably there are more sophisticated ways to approach it. The center of that scoop is not in the center of the board, but slightly south. Maybe there is a precise measurement somewhere....
Chet Bishop
Violin-family instruments
Forest Grove, Oregon
Anders Eliasson
Posts: 12
Joined: Sun Mar 04, 2012 4:38 am

Re: relief on violin fingerboards

Post by Anders Eliasson »

Thanks Chet. No nead for precise measurements. I fully understand your description. When making the relief on the Spanish guitars that I build, I dont meassure, but I know what I want.
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Barry Guest
Posts: 115
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 10:40 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: relief on violin fingerboards

Post by Barry Guest »

The conventional thinking is .03 inches or three quarters of a millimeter under the "G" at the neck stop diminishing progressively to a quarter of a millimeter under the "E" at the neck stop. Personally, I don't think that it is necessary at all. A fingerboard/neck made perfectly straight will always have some natural relief under the tension of the strings, even if undetectable by the naked eye.
Alumnus of Wood and Strings
John Fabel
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2012 2:31 pm

Re: relief on violin fingerboards

Post by John Fabel »

I was taught similar to Barry. ("Make it look like this" were the precise instructions, and believe me, it had to look EXACTLY like that). Player preference will sometimes influence, also. My favorite tool for this is the little Lee Valley "Apron" plane, SHARP blade.
JF
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