How much 'scoop' should there be on a violin fingerboard ?

March 15, 2012 at 03:49 PM · The scoop over the fingerboard is around 0.5 to 1 milimeter. The string moves while it is being played and can touch the fingerboard causing noises, hence the scoop. It may vary depending on the style of the player.

The sides of the fingerboard are also lightly scooped.

The "feeling" of the strings may be related also to how responsive and good the instrument is, so the action may be OK but you may find the instrument hard to play because you are making a huge effort to make it sound.

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March 15, 2012 at 03:51 PM · 1 mm scoop (yes, that's the right term) is huge... way too much, unless you are a really strong-arm player. I think .25 - .5 mm is more normal for classical violin setup. I personally prefer almost flat, but I am a fiddler with steel strings. Strong bowing on non-steel strings might need the higher scoop.

If you think about it, 1 mm scoop at the middle of the playing zone would need a bridge ~3 mm or so lower if you want it to feel close to the flat fingerboard. It can never be the same everywhere, though.

March 15, 2012 at 11:14 PM · On an older fingerboard, the scoop might have increased, by the wood being sanded down to remove string and finger indentations which eventually occur, if the same reduction isn't done up to the end of the fingerboard.

March 16, 2012 at 05:53 AM · Both of my violins are new. The one that I have had for 3 months I call my 'older' violin. The new violin I have only had for 3 weeks.

I suspect that the new one may have a more 'correct' fingerboard which conforms to what most violinist would expect but that it feels quite strange having gotten used to the flatter fingerboard on the older violin.

March 16, 2012 at 08:48 AM · A good rule of thumb on this is that the deepest point in the scoop in the middle of the fingerboard across its length should be equal to the width of the string (approx. 0.25 to 0.75 mm from E to G string).

March 16, 2012 at 09:54 AM · Individual player requirements can vary, and different strings have varying levels of excursion when they are played or pizzed, but Marc's rule-of-thumb is a good starting point which will probably satisfy 90+ percent of classical players. So would the Weisshaar specs, but a gap equal to the string diameter is a little easier to visualize.

March 16, 2012 at 05:59 PM · I setup my fingerboards with a .5 mm scoop unless I am asked to do it a little deeper. Never more than 1 mm.

March 16, 2012 at 09:13 PM · Brian,

Have you verified that the string clearances at the nut are the same? In my experience that is the most overlooked factor in feel.

March 17, 2012 at 01:45 PM · Lyle : Yes, the nut looks fine. It is the first thing I looked at because it is not something I am prepared to fool around with at this stage. If the nut had needed adjustment then I would have sent it away.

UPDATE : I have adjusted the action by sanding the top of the bridge and it has made an amazing difference to the sound. I have taken 3.0 mm off the top of the bridge. It was VERY high when I got it ! I think this might turn out to be a nice violin. It still has the factory strings on it so there is still room for improvement when I put better strings on.

The violin came fitted with the Chinese perlon strings on it. They are not too bad ; it is the first time I have played on them. They are much better than the average factory strings but perhaps just a bit too bright for this violin.