During my off-season I usually get my violin's maintenance done. Well, there's not much to be done really, just my fingerboard needs to be planed. As you play (a lot) your fingers make marks on fingerboard and they eventually become bumps. After 10-12 months of playing that becomes such an annoyance -- it becomes hard to shift (sliding on string to go up and down, e.g. to play higher/lower range) and you feel like your fingers get stuck in each bump.
So anyway, this is my annual violin maintenance. I always go to Robert Isley, a luthier in Rye, NY. He let me take photos for this blog. If you are not familiar with violin parts, here's a diagram.
So anyway, this is my annual violin maintenance. I always go to Robert Isley, a luthier in Rye, NY. He let me take photos for this blog. If you are not familiar with violin parts, here's a diagram.
Take off all the parts (strings, bridge, tailpiece end button, chinrest and nut). Mark where the bridge was. Then plane the fingerboard
Using two different sand papers, finish off the surface.
You see how smooth and shiny the fingerboard looks?
Put everything back together.
It's about an hour procedure. The violin was unstrung for that long and it needs to be played a lot to break in (it sounds raw for a while). The fingerboard is perfectly smooth and playing on it for the first time is like stepping onto untouched snow ground.
Thanks to Bob Isley for his awesome work -- my violin is always happy after coming back from his place.
If you're interested in how to make a fingerboard, here's what I found: Shaping A Fingerboard -- Violin Making School
Thanks to Bob Isley for his awesome work -- my violin is always happy after coming back from his place.
If you're interested in how to make a fingerboard, here's what I found: Shaping A Fingerboard -- Violin Making School
