Anyone Else Have Difficulty Getting Used To Radiused Fingerboard?

[Robert Smyth]

I recently procured an Eastman MDA-815 mandola that has a 12-inch radiused fingerboard. Being so used to my Gibson mandolin's flat fingerboard, I'm finding it difficult to get used to a radiused fingerboard, so much so that I'm thinking of selling the mandola!

Whereas I can see the potential benefits with regards to hand mechanics and such, it just feels weird under my fingers and my thoughts cycle through," there's something wrong with the strings...oh, yeah, it's a radiused fingerboard..." The strings, particularly the C-courses and the A-courses, feel like they are of different gauges to my fingers that are used to a flat fingerboard when in reality, the radius puts one of the strings "higher" than the other. It's a bizarre feeling and I'm not sure if I can get used to it. It almost feels like the outer course is rolling off the edge of the frets but it isn't...it's just the radius is throwing off my brain.

The mandola is otherwise fun to play although the wide fingerboard also takes getting used to, but that is a minor issue compared to the radiused fingerboard issue mentioned above.

Anybody else come across this issue?

Anybody interested in a basically brand-new, mint, Eastman MDA-815 mandola that's only been played for a couple of days?:(

[John Garcia]

The first time I played a radiused fingerboard, it felt like I had found something I loved. My original was flat, and my Weber Bitterroot is radiused. I absolutely love it, and my hand always feels more relaxed.

YMMV

[Phil Goodson]

How long have you had it? Give it a month or so. If you still hate it, sell it.

My experience mirrored John's description above. My mando has a compound radius, ranging from about 9" at the nut to 17+" above the 12th fret.

[OldSausage]

My bet would be that the cause is not the radiused board, but some other set up issue that you haven't yet recognized.

[CelticDude]

Yes, I had the same experience as John and Phil. The radiused fretboard felt so natural and easy to play. I could get used to a flat board relatively quickly, but I'm glad I don't have to.

[Bill Baldridge]

Well, here we go again, some of us like them and some of us don't. I have had both, and ordered my mandolin with a flat fretboard after my version of your story. I do support the idea of giving it a little time to see if you don't get used to it or even come to like it. After all, you will not get any less for a two month old mandola than a two week old one.:)

[Bob Clark]

Hello Robert,

I have both (flat and radiused fret board instruments) and go back and forth between them without difficulty. Perhaps in time, you will as well. I don't really see any major advantage of one over the other, although some Cafe members certainly do and you could ultimately be one who does. It doesn't even play a role in my decision to buy or not buy an instrument.

To echo the sentiments above, I'd suggest you make sure it is otherwise properly set up, then play it for a month or so. You may get used to it and if so, good for you. Then again, maybe you won't get used to it but at least you will know. If I were you, I would hate to send it down the pike and then wonder whether or not you could have gotten used to it.

Best wishes,

Bob

[Steve Sorensen]

Check to see that each string is the same height above the first fret. Might just be that David is onto the real issue.

Steve

[Robert Smyth]

Hey thank you guys for all the good advice...I'll give it more time and see how it goes. The mandola has a great sound and I'm looking forward to hearing it open up over time.

[John Flynn]

I like the radius. I have two with and one without, all from domestic small builders of good reputation. Two subtle things I learned the hard way: The A string always sounded poorly on one of them. Two good luthiers tried things that did not fix the problem, but a third succeeded. The bridge had not been set up properly. It was a radiused bridge, but not the right radius to get proper clearance for the A string. I have heard radiused boards are no harder to set up than flat, but it would seem they can be trickier.

Second, I made a recording of my instructor playing one of my radiused mandolins and wound up playing it for someone who really knows mandolins. He could tell by the recording that my instructor was not used to playing radiused boards, which was true. The giveaway was that the strings don't get attacked evenly. If you think about the geometry, if you are strumming flat, the G gets a solid attack, the D even more so, but the A can get less and the E gets the least.

Of course, you can't round your strokes to conform to the radius, but what you can learn to do is use a heavier pick and hold it loosely and let it glide over the strings to get a more even set of four tones. It will be the tension and flexibility of how the pick is held that will make the strings sound evenly.

[trevor]

Could the problem be the change in scale length?

[Drew Egerton]

I recently procured an Eastman MDA-815 mandola that has a 12-inch radiused fingerboard. Being so used to my Gibson mandolin's flat fingerboard, I'm finding it difficult to get used to a radiused fingerboard, so much so that I'm thinking of selling the mandola!

Whereas I can see the potential benefits with regards to hand mechanics and such, it just feels weird under my fingers and my thoughts cycle through," there's something wrong with the strings...oh, yeah, it's a radiused fingerboard..." The strings, particularly the C-courses and the A-courses, feel like they are of different gauges to my fingers that are used to a flat fingerboard when in reality, the radius puts one of the strings "higher" than the other. It's a bizarre feeling and I'm not sure if I can get used to it. It almost feels like the outer course is rolling off the edge of the frets but it isn't...it's just the radius is throwing off my brain.

The mandola is otherwise fun to play although the wide fingerboard also takes getting used to, but that is a minor issue compared to the radiused fingerboard issue mentioned above.

Anybody else come across this issue?

Anybody interested in a basically brand-new, mint, Eastman MDA-815 mandola that's only been played for a couple of days?:(

I'm definitely interested if you do decide to sell, let me know!
I love the radius on my Flatbush mandolin and am happy to hear this mandola has one in case that's what I wind up with. Still searching the used market, but of the new options this is high on the list.

[Pittsburgh Bill]

I recently acquired a mandola and did anticipate an adjustment period due to the larger finger stretch required by a mandola. For this reason I purchased a Weber mandola rather than an Eastman primarily because it has a smaller nut closer in size to a mandolin.
Perhaps the wider nut and larger fret board are contributing to your adjustment difficulties. This is certainly my learning curve since I have only owned radiused fret boards.
I am now finding it easier to transition between instruments, but I'm not there yet.

[barry]

I'm used to flat boards these days. I recently swapped instruments with a guy during a jam. His had a radiused board. My left hand was completely comfortable. But my pick kept missing the E string.

[Tom C]

To me radius does not make sense. The D and G strings are on a "down slope" going away from the side your hand reaches from.

[notepicker]

The radiused fretboard was an important reason why I purchased my Eastman. I have rheumatoid arthritis and was having great difficulty with barre chords when I was playing a flat fretboard. I still feel it but I can get the d and a courses down better now and overall play more comfortably. I would probably not be playing much longer if I had not found the radiused fretboard.

[Steve Ostrander]

I've never played a 'dola with radiused FB, but I have mandos with both and can go back and forth without issues. I prefer radius.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

My personal view is that when an instrument doesn't feel right, or causes discomfort when playing, its usually many reasons. Nut width, height at the nut, neck shape, radius vs. flat, scale length, etc... they all can play a part. If you've played mandolas that feel comfortable to you and this one doesn't, my experience says sell and move on. Get one that feels right. But don't just automatically think a flat board version of the same mandola will feel right because its doubtful the radius is the whole, or even majority, of the issue. Its just the most visible.

[Phil Goodson]

To me radius does not make sense. The D and G strings are on a "down slope" going away from the side your hand reaches from.

If you hold the mando in the usual fashion, with the neck in the V of your thumb and index finger, and then watch the trajectory of the tips of your fingers as they approach the G & D strings; they are actually moving back towards the palm of your hand before they touch the strings. If the board is flat, this is actually pulling the strings towards the middle of the board. (At least that's the way MY fingers move.):)

Does this make any practical difference? I think probably not.
But at least that's how it makes sense to me. YMMV.:):mandosmiley:

[mandroid]

No, I have both..

[Robert Smyth]

Okay, I found the problem! It was the string slots cut into the nut and to a lesser degree, the bridge. It was almost as if they used the same file to cut all the slots so the A strings were deep in the nut, the Ds not so much, the Gs were riding high, and the C strings were just about on top of the nut itself. It became blatantly obvious when I sighted down the strings from the tail towards the headstock. I recut the grooves with attention to action at the first fret and keeping a nice radius going from the Cs all the way to the As. The bridge slots needed some filing too as the C strings were just riding high on top of the bridge, with barely a nick holding them in place.

Now the mandola feels awesome to play with no weirdness anymore!

It goes to show that you need to do your own set up, even if you've been told that the shop had already done it.

Thanks again to all you fellow mandolin cafe folks for all the respectful responses to my distress signal!

[Drew Egerton]

Okay, I found the problem! It was the string slots cut into the nut and to a lesser degree, the bridge. It was almost as if they used the same file to cut all the slots so the A strings were deep in the nut, the Ds not so much, the Gs were riding high, and the C strings were just about on top of the nut itself. It became blatantly obvious when I sighted down the strings from the tail towards the headstock. I recut the grooves with attention to action at the first fret and keeping a nice radius going from the Cs all the way to the As. The bridge slots needed some filing too as the C strings were just riding high on top of the bridge, with barely a nick holding them in place.

Now the mandola feels awesome to play with no weirdness anymore!

It goes to show that you need to do your own set up, even if you've been told that the shop had already done it.

Thanks again to all you fellow mandolin cafe folks for all the respectful responses to my distress signal!

Sooooo....you don't want to sell it? LOL. Glad to hear you got your problem resolved. I'll be on the lookout for that if I get one.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Looks like Dr. Sausage, Web M.D.diagnosed this one without making a house-call.