fingerboard angle

March 4, 2005 at 07:02 AM · I had a violin with a very low fingerboard angle, hence a low bridge. The problem this created for me was a tendency to bow against the c-bough mainly on the e-string.

I had a moderate wedge installed raising the finger board angle. The result is a violin with a slightly higher bridge - no bowing issues, and slightly less sonority (bit less richness).

March 4, 2005 at 12:55 PM ·

There are a lot of little things that affect comfort. Board angle, as you've noted, but also the tilt of the board, the shape of the neck and the sharpness of the edges of the board, the overstand (the projection of the end of the neck above the top) board thickness, heel shape and size, fingerboard width, the position, height, and spread of the strings over the board, and the scoop of the board, string length, neck length, and stop length.

It's a pretty long list, but when players are having comfort problems, I check all those things. It may not be obvious to the player exactly which is the problem, either: for instance, players will often say the neck is too wide when the real problem is the shape is bad. Even the shape of the upper bout can affect a player's perception of the handling of a violin.