Fingerboards

Information on dimensions, materials and designs

Scope of delivery: Fingerboards are delivered including material for lower and upper nut.

Prices: Dealer prices. Taxes/VAT, shipping costs, customs fees (for orders outside Switzerland) are not included. All applicable charges will be displayed at checkout before the order is completed.

Specifications of Fingerboards

We manufacture fingerboards in various lengths using different Sonowood variants or the wood composite Ebonprex. The fingerboards are available in two versions: the restorers model provides sufficient wood for adapting the shape to the specific requirements of your instrument but requires further fine-tuning. In contrast, the makers model is already precisely CNC-shaped and requires very little adjustment work.

Dimensions
Violin, Makers Model

Length: 270 mm, Widths: 24.1 mm to 42.6 mm, Edge thickness: 5.5 mm, Top/bottom radius: 39 mm / 41 mm, Maximum depth of hollow under G/E string 0.6 / 0.25 mm

Violin, Restorers Model

Length: 271 mm, Widths: 25 mm to 43 mm, Edge thickness: 6.5 mm, Outer radius: 40 mm

Viola, Makers Model

Length: 316 mm, Widths: 24.5 mm to 48 mm, Edge thickness: 5.6 mm, Top/bottom radius: 39 mm / 41 mm, Maximum depth of hollow under C/A string: 0.8 / 0.35 mm

Viola, Restorers Model

Length: 310 mm, Widths: 26 mm to 48 mm, Edge thickness: 7.0 mm, Outer radius: 40 mm

Cello, Makers Model

Length: 585 mm, Widths: 32 mm to 63.5 mm, Edge thickness: 8.7 mm, Top/bottom radius: 38.5 mm / 45 mm, Maximum depth of hollow under C/A string: 1.1 / 0.7 mm

Double Bass, Makers Model

Length: 890 mm, Widths: 45.1 mm to 98 mm, Edge thickness: 10.5 mm, Top/bottom radius: 36 mm / 68 mm, Maximum depth of hollow under E/G string: 1.6 / 0.8 mm

Special Dimensions

Available upon request.

Material Parameters
Sonowood Spruce Sonowood Beech native or
black colored		 Sonowood Maple Ebonprex Ebony
Density t/m3 1.2-1.4 1.2-1.4 1.2-1.4 1.1-1.25 0.9-1.2
Compression Hardness (MPa) >80 >80 >80 60-63 40-60
E-Module N/mm2 >30'000 >21'000 >21'000 >21'000 12'000-19'000
Signal Speed (m/s) 5'300-6'300 4'500-5'400 4'500-5'400 5'000-5'300 4'000-5'000
Damping (Q) 80-110 70-100 60-100 100-110 80-110
Material selection
Black Beech

Sonowood, densified, colored beech. Density 1.2-1.4

  • The dark brown to black color makes it visually almost indistinguishable from ebony
  • Good workability, slightly more brittle than natural beech
  • Excellent sound
  • Depending on individual skin moisture, gray discoloration may occur during play. Contact us if you are unsure. We will be happy to advise you
  • Bestseller
Beech

Sonowood, densified beech, natural color. Density 1.2-1.4

  • Visually calm and premium look
  • Excellent sound
  • More stable than black beech
Maple

Sonowood, densified maple, natural color. Density 1.2-1.4

  • For traditionalists who love maple
  • Elegant, homogeneous brown tone
Spruce

Sonowood, densified spruce. Density 1.2-1.4

  • Popular with many of our customers
  • Excellent workability, best dimensional stability
  • High rigidity, very high sound conductivity
  • Ideal for a brilliant sound
Ebonprex

Unidirectionally glued beech wood, colored. Density 1.2

  • Ebony-like appearance
  • Very good acoustic results
  • Easy to work with, good dimensional stability, sanding dust smells unpleasant
  • High rigidity, medium sound conductivity
  • Cheaper alternative to Sonowood, contains glue
  • Very suitable for bass fingerboards
  • Slight swelling possible after prolonged contact with water
With or Without Glue Channel

Fingerboard with glue channel

A glue channel reduces mass and can offer acoustic advantages.

Information for violin makers

The dimensions, shape and frequencies of the fingerboards play a major role in the sound quality of the instrument. Thanks to the high density and rigidity of our materials, fingerboards can be made thinner than those crafted from lower quality ebony available today.

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