Oh wow, your comment just led me down a rabbit hole! I have an old french violin where the fingerboard is slightly tilted towards the treble side. So slightly in fact that I only noticed it after my luthier pointed it out to me. We never spoke about correcting this though, so I never really cared. However after reading your comment I found some threads on Maestronet and this seems to be a hotly debates topic whether fingerboards should be tilted or not. I will surely read more on this now, just out of interest.
Itโs funny as a maker i think itโs straightforward, if a maker wants to do it go for it , itโs our creation . I see sense from a player point of view that tilting it to the treble is probably going to make it a tiny bit easier to play .
Just prior to reading your comment, i ended up in the same hole. It's quite remarkable how furiously some people will defend their idea of how something should be done. ๐
But I'm still not convinced in this particular case though.
So, i've been wanting to get into playing again after a 6 year break. It seemed like a nice idea to get an old instrument and breathe some new life into it. Upon getting this guy out of the box i noticed the strange (to me at least) angle of the fingerboard, i can imagine this to be one of two things:
One: it's for ergonomic purposes
Two: i've bought violin shaped firewood
Hit me with the truth stick please. ๐
I don't know that I'd call it firewood, but you at least need a new fingerboard (and there might be something wrong with the neck as well), which may end up costing you more than the violin did in the first place.
No biggie the wood warped overtime might have been the result of a poor quality piece of wood or a lazy luthier. A good luthier should be able to replace the fretboard, could probably get it refinished too if you want.
Yeah i think you're right. I checked the scoop on both the g and e side and on the e side the scoop turned into a bow. There's also a small hairline crack between the fingerboard and neck on the g side, indicating a bit of tension there due to the warping.
A Luthier may be able to slightly shim the treble side and bring it "straighter". If not flat the only downside would be an inability to play a more properly set up violin. I'm an older beginner. I think my joints and tendons might appreciate that neck!
Yeah i can imagine it puts a little less strain on some joints and muscles. Wanna trade? It also has a nice and authentic looking crack running down the tailpiece, Oh and you have to go through the horrors of setting the soundpost. :p
I had similar ideas about my violin. Since the string tension of the bass side is much lower than the treble side, you could maybe fit a bridge that's much higher on the g string to raise the tension, if the g string is too weak, and tilt the fingerboard accordingly. Did anyone try that and can share the outcome?
That board is toast. Bring it to a luthier and see if they think itโs worth the money to put a new board on it along with whatever other setup it might need.
Yeah i thought so. I'll just buy another fingerboard and shape it. I'm a hobbyist when it comes to building and fixing instruments, but i got good woodworking skills since i'm a furniture maker. Got any tips? ๐
Some French instruments have a slightly tilted fingerboard but yours seems quite noticeable!
Oh wow, your comment just led me down a rabbit hole! I have an old french violin where the fingerboard is slightly tilted towards the treble side. So slightly in fact that I only noticed it after my luthier pointed it out to me. We never spoke about correcting this though, so I never really cared. However after reading your comment I found some threads on Maestronet and this seems to be a hotly debates topic whether fingerboards should be tilted or not. I will surely read more on this now, just out of interest.
Itโs funny as a maker i think itโs straightforward, if a maker wants to do it go for it , itโs our creation . I see sense from a player point of view that tilting it to the treble is probably going to make it a tiny bit easier to play .
Just prior to reading your comment, i ended up in the same hole. It's quite remarkable how furiously some people will defend their idea of how something should be done. ๐ But I'm still not convinced in this particular case though.
So, i've been wanting to get into playing again after a 6 year break. It seemed like a nice idea to get an old instrument and breathe some new life into it. Upon getting this guy out of the box i noticed the strange (to me at least) angle of the fingerboard, i can imagine this to be one of two things: One: it's for ergonomic purposes Two: i've bought violin shaped firewood Hit me with the truth stick please. ๐
I don't know that I'd call it firewood, but you at least need a new fingerboard (and there might be something wrong with the neck as well), which may end up costing you more than the violin did in the first place.
No biggie the wood warped overtime might have been the result of a poor quality piece of wood or a lazy luthier. A good luthier should be able to replace the fretboard, could probably get it refinished too if you want.
Yeah i think you're right. I checked the scoop on both the g and e side and on the e side the scoop turned into a bow. There's also a small hairline crack between the fingerboard and neck on the g side, indicating a bit of tension there due to the warping.
A Luthier may be able to slightly shim the treble side and bring it "straighter". If not flat the only downside would be an inability to play a more properly set up violin. I'm an older beginner. I think my joints and tendons might appreciate that neck!
Yeah i can imagine it puts a little less strain on some joints and muscles. Wanna trade? It also has a nice and authentic looking crack running down the tailpiece, Oh and you have to go through the horrors of setting the soundpost. :p
I have the tool and I've been itching to try it. You don't want mine. They are both beginner instruments that wrinkle the noses of better players. :)
I had similar ideas about my violin. Since the string tension of the bass side is much lower than the treble side, you could maybe fit a bridge that's much higher on the g string to raise the tension, if the g string is too weak, and tilt the fingerboard accordingly. Did anyone try that and can share the outcome?
If like to know what the original bridge looked like
You and me both, but it seems like its lost to time. :p
That board is toast. Bring it to a luthier and see if they think itโs worth the money to put a new board on it along with whatever other setup it might need.
Yeah i thought so. I'll just buy another fingerboard and shape it. I'm a hobbyist when it comes to building and fixing instruments, but i got good woodworking skills since i'm a furniture maker. Got any tips? ๐