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Neck Work

 
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Jack Rushing
Member


Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 170

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 9:59 pm    Post subject: Neck Work Reply with quote

I have a friend that says the neck of his violin is too large for his
hand and fingers, and he wants me to cut it down for him. Having
never done this before, I am kind of hesitant to attempt this job.
This instruction is in none of the books that I have, and if it has been
previously discussed on the Forum, I missed it. Thanks for your advice.
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Mat Roop
Senior Member


Joined: 24 Mar 2007
Posts: 911
Location: Wyoming Ontario

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jack, Do you mean the neck and figerboard are too big around on the cross section? If so, How thick is the fingerboard... often they are too thick (should be about 4.5 mm on the sides) and also check the curve of the finger board, the curve should be on a 42mm radius...in the raw they are a much smaller radius making it higher in the middle... and therefore bigger around. Depending on the width of the neck, That too can be sometimes slightly trimmed. It does not take a lot of change to make a big difference in the feel. I measure the circumference with a piece of paper wrapped around the neck and mark where they overlap. If you change the circumference by just 1 mm it will make a noticeable change.
Cheers, Mat
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Jack Rushing
Member


Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 170

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:08 am    Post subject: Neck Work Reply with quote

Thanks Mat,
I have not received the violin yet. I was trying to get some information
about the job beforehand. Should be here in a few days, then I will take
the measurements as you suggested, and try to go from there.
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Michael Darnton
Moderator


Joined: 23 Mar 2007
Posts: 1281
Location: Chicago

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 9:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You want to be careful about taking what players say literally. He may be right, but usually I find that this criticism relates to just two things that are comfort problems, not size. Remember, people with small hands play violas and cellos, too, which have much larger necks.

First, if the back of the neck is circular rather than egg-shaped, just where the player's thumb goes is bulky and the neck is perceived as too thick, when the front-to-back thickness really isn't the issue. Taking off the roundness lets the player's thumb sit on a flatter, more comfortable, surface.

The other problem is that if the sides of the board are straight, with a sharp upper edge, the board is perceived as being too wide. Rounding the sides inward very slightly towards the top, and taking off the sharp upper edge, decreases the intrusion of this area and helps feed the fingers around the neck, without narrowing the neck.
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