Fingerboard and Bridge relationships

[Ken McKay]

Ken, we (local luthiers) see this all the time cellos and basses especially but also with violins and viola. I think the factories are both uninformed as well as compromising because no single set up is good for every season and string type. This becomes more important with the bigger instruments. A fingerboard that is too flat from the start is just bad.

I check every new instrument I sell for proper set up before I send it out. A lot of cellos need fingerboard work, all basses do, most violas violins need nut work. And then when I see them back in a year or two I can determine how green they were by the unreasonable warping. That is where I learn what companies/factories produce the best instruments. Shen for example is GOOD.

Judge: "You are sentenced to play this instrument for one orchestra season!" Gavel slam.