compensated fingerboard

[rwh4]

I have two pre-slotted fingerboards from different suppliers.
If you hold them side by side you can see that the fretslots
are not at the same positions. One is supposed to be "compensated" and the other is not.
What is the theory behind this and do I do anything
different when I do my set up of string height and bridge
location.

Richard

[Chris Baird]

I've never heard of a compensated fretboard. If the slots are in different places either they are different scale lengths or one or both is cut wrong.

[Michael Lewis]

Some slotting services will compensate the first cut where the nut goes. It's only about .012" difference. I now cut my own fingerboards with a small amount of compensation. This really depends on the strings you plan to use and the string height you work to. So find the combination that works for you and make your fixtures to produce those results.

[sunburst]

I'm not sure I've ever compared mandolin fingerboards from various suppliers that were exactly the same. That's why I made my own jig to cut my own.
Remember, however, that perfect intonation is impossible, so minor errors cannot always be noticable.

[London Al]

The moral seems to be that if you want a good nights sleep get a vernier gauge and learn how to cut your own. I even bought some new reading glasses!
Al

[Gavin Baird]

If you do all the calculations for fret placement from the nut [0] all the way up to the 24th fret, you will find that from 0 to the 12th fret there is an error that occurs. From the 12th to the 24th the calculations are right on. What I do is to begin the fret or [0] .030 short. I think you will find that most builders will do this on all stringed instuments. As the scale gets longer the error become larger...G
If you measure from the nut to the 5th. fret it should be half the distance to the 12th. fret....g

[Gavin Baird]

Wasn't certain if people who wanted the information would read an edited post so here it is again..The distance from the nut face to the centre of the 5th. fret should be one half the distance from the face of the nut to the 12th. fret...g

[Chris Baird]

Thanks, Good info to know. It always bothered me that the first frets are sharp.