Violin Forum/Message Board

[Jack H.]

working on a very nice old german viola, VERY small. 383mm.
It still has a baroque neck on it but a modern bass bar and modern ( Obligato with Pirazzi) the tension is too much for it and the fingerboard ( which has been raised with a maple wedge a long time ago) projection has sunk to 28 mm.
ok enough of the history, there are many ways to raise it up if it needs.

Here is the question. What would you say should be the proper a. fingerboard extension and b. the propper bridge height for a modern instrument of this size.

The neck is 143mm and the mensur is around 210-215 mm I forget which as I did not measure it, just got a brief look at the ruler.

thanks for taking the time.

[KenN]

I'm just starting a viola so I have zero experience (I have almost zero experience about violins as well) but I was under the impression that you shoot for a string angle of 156 deg. or so for violas and make the neck/fb angle to suit. Whatever bridge height that gives you, assuming you don't mess with the neck angle only the fingerboard, is pretty much what you have. I think from what I've read that a flatter string angle will make it sound more like a violin. Don't know if a higher string angle will make it sound more like a cello!

[MANFIO]

Hi! In the book "LA VIOLA E I SUOI FORMATI", published in Cremona, the fingerboard length for a 390 mm viola is 302, but that may vary a little depending on the string length.

The same book reccomends 37.5 mm for the bridge heigth for a a 39 mm viola, but that may vary depending on the top and model, I think.
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