Johnnyboy, you don't have to go to Egypt just to have this issue fixed! )
To answer your question about violin needing a fingerboard dressing, the answer is absolutely yes... and violas, and cellos, and basses. This is
usually something I address during setups. I advise most professional musicians to have a good checkup and setup done on their instruments at least
every 6 months. Kind of like going to the dentist to catch a cavity before it turns into a root canal!
Ebony is ebony, and it should be very consistent piece to piece in terms of hardness. It's a very good material for the fingerboard for that reason.
Also, there are no shortcuts a luthier can take which would make an ebony fingerboard wear faster than another. If you want to reduce "grooves" then
know these few things about how they occur over time.
Playing style (intensity of downward pressure exerted)
Amount of playing
Oxidization on strings
Fingernails on the left hand
My strong advice is change the strings when they become very corroded and oxidized. Rapid etching occurs chemically with the corrosion on the string
when it comes into contact with the fingerboard. Just think about this: When you do a vibrato on lets say the 4th string, 3rd finger position (a place
that receives heavy wear due to frequent traffic). the motion of performing a vibrato pulls the string back and forth with your finger as you vibrate
the string. Oxidization (iron oxide) is like a metal that begins growing on the wound strings. This physical change to the string combined with
horizontal motion, plus the heavy downward pressure actually removes minute amounts of material. Of course its not a lot each time, but if you play a
lot, and there's a lot of corrosion on the string, over time etches the wood underneath where the string contacts the fingerboard. It should be noted,
you can get wear without any corrosion, even with newer strings. But from experience, most of the wear happens when strings are not new. If you look
carefully in the light into the depressions made from wear, you'll notice a filmy deposit in the depressions that is a very similar make up of the
corrosion from the string. It can be also soot, or a combination of the two.
Good idea to keep the strings clean, wipe fingertips before playing.. especially if they are sweaty and clammy. Keep a cloth with the instrument, and
wipe the strings down after playing.. they will last longer, and not corrode so fast. Everyone has different acidity, and some people just tend to
perspire more than others. This is something I see on a daily basis with their instruments. There can be a connection with excessive caffeine intake
and rapid string corrosion.. but so many other factors to mention here.
Dressing or "leveling" the fingerboard to correct wear is not so much of a simple thing. Be careful who you take your instrument to. This operation
has the ability to change the angle of the neck. They will need to uniformly remove material across the fingerboard until the low spots at gone. The
nut might have to be lowered as well. If material is sanded or planed only where the wear is, the fingerboard will go out of flat, and have hills
where you done want them causing buzzing in other areas. |