Double Bass Beveled Fingerboard Preference

[PBandJazzBass]

I’m just curious.

Who here uses a beveled fingerboard? Why or why not? Do you think it affects your playing?

I’m considering having the bevel taken out of mine in hopes it might help make the pizzicato attack on my A string a little easier.

 

[Wasnex]

I have used both. From a visual and logic perspective I prefer sans-bevel. From a playing perspective I have never noticed a difference.

 

[JimmyM]

My Upton Hawkes has a bevel. I was a little shocked at first, but I asked Eric at Upton about it, and he said I wouldn’t notice it after a week and I’d end up preferring it. He was right. I do kind of miss it when it’s not there on a DB. That said, you can get used to anything.

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

My first bass had a bevel. Every bass since then has not. At ISB this year, surrounded by the some of the greatest luthiers and players in the world, I don’t think I have seen a single bevel all week.

 

[AGCurry]

My orchestra bass - a mid-1950s German shop bass - has a bevel. My Krutz basses do not. I don't notice the difference at all.

 

[Jason Sypher]

I’ve never seen a high end bass with a bevel, only student basses. I think I would see it as a speed bump. I want evenness across the neck. A bevel would drive me crazy.

 

[ole Jason]

I've had both and never noticed much of a difference

 

[Scott Lynch]

Are we talking about a Romberg bevel, the sharp cut put under the low strings of cellos and basses toward the end of the fingerboard? I’m no expert on this at all but garnering from at least a couple of recent conversations I’ve had, it seems that more and more folks are regarding them as a dated practice, at least on basses.

The last time I had my fingerboard dressed, it was done so that there is a little more clearance under the lower strings than the standard 1 mm difference between the height of each string at the end of the fingerboard, maybe an extra half a mm under the A and 1 mm or so under the E. The curve of the board was maintained and honestly it’s all but unnoticeable to me, besides having some extra dynamic range for loud bowed notes on the low strings before they run the risk of slapping the board.

My preference is for rounded, but if an older bass fell into my hands that I absolutely loved, and it had a bevel, I’d probably leave it as is unless the board was due for a replacement.

 

[bassically_eli]

My Upton Hawkes has a bevel. I was a little shocked at first, but I asked Eric at Upton about it, and he said I wouldn’t notice it after a week and I’d end up preferring it. He was right. I do kind of miss it when it’s not there on a DB. That said, you can get used to anything.

Wouldn't notice it AND prefer it? Haha

What is it that you like about it? I've used both and am in the don't-even-notice-it camp.

 

[evanrunyon]

If the top didn’t move seasonally, it would be pretty cool to be able to dial in the slope for each string individually. Or rather, it would be cool for someone else to do that for me. Also, if parallax didn’t mean that visually everything would look weird and off unless you were looking at the thing dead on—that’d bug me for sure.

 

[Steven Ayres]

I think the various answers would be more informative with the string types we're using. I'm under the impression that gut players in particular will generally prefer the beveled fingerboard because of the greater travel of those thicker strings, and a low-B five-string setup emphasizes this further. That said, I play what I have: my two fivers are not beveled, and one of those is my gut setup; the only bevel I have is on the American Standard. The difference does not rise to perception when playing for me.

 

[bassmanbrent]

My former bass had a Romberg bevel and I had it removed. For me, the difference was pretty subtle. I don’t think I’d bother if the situation came up again.

 

[JimmyM]

Wouldn't notice it AND prefer it? Haha

What is it that you like about it? I've used both and am in the don't-even-notice-it camp.

Are you saying I contradicted myself?

I don’t know what exactly I like, to be honest. Been a long time since I played one without it.

 

[Pings Bass]

my Kay has the Romberg bevel, and I'm just used to it. If I ever get confident enough to play a lot of thumb position I might develop a preference one way or another. Spirocore mittels, for the record.

 

[AGCurry]

my Kay has the Romberg bevel, and I'm just used to it. If I ever get confident enough to play a lot of thumb position I might develop a preference one way or another. Spirocore mittels, for the record.

It's pretty rare to play on the E string in thumb position!

 

[Lo-E]

Both of my 1950s Kays had the bevel on their original fingerboards. I eventually had both boards replaced and opted out of the bevel on both new boards. I didn’t really notice any difference.

 

[AGCurry]

I think the various answers would be more informative with the string types we're using. I'm under the impression that gut players in particular will generally prefer the beveled fingerboard because of the greater travel of those thicker strings, and a low-B five-string setup emphasizes this further. That said, I play what I have: my two fivers are not beveled, and one of those is my gut setup; the only bevel I have is on the American Standard. The difference does not rise to perception when playing for me.

My bass-with-a-bevel has, in my stewardship, worn Spiro weich, Gamut guts, Original Flat Chrome, and currently a full set of Tempera Basso.

I really don't think there's any difference in how much string travel is allowed. After all, clearance and fingerboard angle under the E aren't different; it's just whether there is an abrupt CHANGE of angle at the bevel.

 

[Steven Ayres]

After all, clearance and fingerboard angle under the E aren't different; it's just whether there is an abrupt CHANGE of angle at the bevel.

Right, the correct relationship between string and fingerboard is the same, the difference as I understand it is that the bevel allows a lower position of the fourth string at the bridge on a large-diameter string, opening space for bowing.

 

[Pings Bass]

It's pretty rare to play on the E string in thumb position!

heh, yeah, that's just where the bevel becomes more pronounced. It actually starts at the nut on mine. At my level of playing I don't think I notice or care honestly My EUB is not beveled. I have it set up with the same strings and similar action, and can't say I notice any difference in how it plays. I didn't even think to check if it was beveled till just now.

 

[PBandJazzBass]

Thank you everyone for your responses.

My bass is a c. 1920 Juzek and I’m using a mixed set. Spiro Weich E & A with Perpetual D & G. It needed a new fingerboard 6 or 7 years ago. I think the blank they started with already had a bevel and I didn’t have a preference. As far as my current string height, I don’t worry too much about numbers and just set it where I like it. I would consider it medium or average. Some players play my bass and tell me my strings are way too high. Others say they’re too low.

I just got an estimate from my local shop to have the bevel removed. Unless I get the impression it’s going to make a night and day difference, I’ll probably just leave it be.