Correct fingerboard scoop..

[grunter]

I know this has been talked about before, but this is my problem..

I took my bass in to have the fingerboard planed, and the luthier put in too much scoop making the bass much harder to play. I plucked up the courage to phone the shop and told them that I wasn't happy and took my bass back. They planed it again (free of charge) but its still not right - with the bridge adjusters set really low, the strings still feel hard to finger even in the lower positions.

Is it a hard job to 'straighten out' a fingerboard thats had too much scoop put in?
Is there anything I can tell or show the guy that might help him get it right?
Should i take it back to the same shop and get it done for free but risk them messing up a 3rd time?

[Picknbow]

It sounds like the "luthier" also does day care and in an attempt to keep one of the little ones busy until "mummy" came to pick him up, he had the child do the work.

[Don Harris]

A good rule of thumb is that there should be about a string's diameter of "relief" at the deepest part of the scoop under each string. So the G string side will have less scoop than the E string side. You can use the string as a straight edge by pushing down the string in front of the nut and at the end of the fingerboard to eyeball how much scoop there is for each string. Maybe explaining this approach will help with your luthier. In my experience, some just don't understand good bass setup. Also check to make sure the nut slots are deep enough. About a business card's thickness should fit under the string at the nut. Much more than that and you're working too hard with no real benefit. Planing the fingerboard without re-deepening the nut slots could cause your problems (hard to finger in lower positions). After two similar unsuccessful rounds with a luthier in another city I figured out how to do it myself (which I'm not recommending). Good luck!

It's not hard to straighten out a fingerboard with too much scoop, but there is the danger that if he removes too much wood each time that the fingerboard will become too thin. 10-12mm edge thickness might be average, but I'm no expert! Others should correct me if I'm wrong.

[juuzek]

I feel your pain. My bass has a crazy scoop planed into it. And if I lower the bridge, the action is way to low near the bridge and the volume and sound suffers greatly.
After playing it set up this way for almost 4 years, I am finally starting to develop some 'pain' in my elbow, a result of fatigue-leading to improper left hand/arm technique. It has 'inspired' me to make a trip to Mike Shank for some neck work.
To address your concern, Mike told me via email that if there is enough fingerboard left and the neck is not twisted, the fingerboard can be replaned. If I was you, I would take it to a different luthier to have the work done. I bet there are several talkbassers who could refer you to one in your area.

[Ken McKay]

Life is too short to play on a bad set-up. Go ye to a good luthier and get it fixed!