Fretboards

[Jim P.]

So I'm fooling around with my Breedlove crossover, not anything special, nothing to be called practice. I hadn't played my 1913 Gibson A in a while so I switched over to it thinking I'd give the old boy a run. After tuning I started on a tune and immediately ran into fingering difficulties. Nothing really major but enough to miss some notes and not fret properly.

After a little thinking the only difference I came up with is the finger boards. The Breedlove has a radius while the Gibson is flat. Has anyone else had a similar experience with differing fret boards? Or am I grasping at excuses for my ineptitude?

Jim

[marbelizer]

I switch between my Collings (radius) and Gibson (flat) from time to time. The radius vs flat differential doesn't feel that extreme to me. It's the difference in string spacing that I have to adapt to both in nut width and at the saddle.

[rcc56]

If your old A model has the original tiny frets, you might want to consider re-fretting it with modern fret wire. Larger wire is much easier for many of us to play on.

I have had good results with wire with a crown that is .080 wide by .040" high.

Flat or radiused has never made a difference to me on mandolins.

[Bob Clark]

Flat vs radius doesn't make much difference to me. Large frets vs smaller frets also doesn't make all that much difference. Elevated fretboard with a higher join vs the older style top- level fretboard with a lower join (short neck) makes a bigger difference. It could be that my older, hard-worked elbows and wrists are problematic, but as I get older,I prefer the shorter reach of the top-level older style necks. They are just working better for me and making a bigger difference than radius vs non and fret size. Obviously YMMV and that's cool. There is room for all of us.

[Phil Goodson]

Heck, that sounds normal to me. Two mandolins are different and it takes the fingers and brain a little time to adjust to the difference. Normal.
If you alternated between the 2 mandolins every other day for a month, I bet you'd see less of a problem switching.

[Jim Garber]

I also have a problem with switching to wider fretboards. The only mandolin I own that has a wider one is my National RM-1 with 1-1/4" at the nut. That throws me off.

I am also probably one of the few who prefer the smaller fret gauges like the original Gibson ones. I may be in the minority. And I also have no problem with radius or flat fretboards.

[MontanaMatt]

I don’t fully understand why, but fiddle and mandolins have different scale lengths! Be thankful your mandos don’t have that.

[Todd Bowman]

My Gibsons have small fret wire and flat fretboards, my Ellis has larger EVO frets and a radiused fretboard. Like Jim, I am a fan of the smaller frets, but don't find the difference all that noticeable. I try to play all three each day, but always play at least one Gibson and the Ellis each day, sometimes in the same session. Maybe because I switch so often I don't notice the differences that much anymore.

[Jim Garber]

I don’t fully understand why, but fiddle and mandolins have different scale lengths! Be thankful your mandos don’t have that.

Actually my Lyon & Healy Pro A and all of my bowlbacks have the shorter scale length. I use those for mostly playing classical but am able to adapt to the scale length differences.

[pops1]

I too play radius and flat and don't really notice a difference. I do it every day tho and maybe going back and forth is easier when it is done often. You may have someone look at the condition of the frets on your Gibson, they may need dressing or replacement.

[Bill McCall]

I’m more sensitive to the different neck profiles and dimensions than flat/radius fingerboard. I’ll bet that Gibson has a much different neck than the Breedlove.

[Jim Parriott]

While my left hand seems to adjust pretty easily between radiused and flat, my right hand, on the flat fretboard (and bridge), seems to hit that open e string from time to time as I chop three finger chords up the neck. Anyone else have that problem?

[Br1ck]

It takes a while for both hands to expand movement and regain acuracy when I switch, but after ten minutes I seem to adjust.

[Matt DeBlass]

I do like the slightly wider nut and radiused fretboard on my Breedlove, and I find it a bit easier to get a clean sound on some chords, but it's a small thing. I've played a couple mandolins with the "violin scale" fretboards, and my pinky keeps wanting to overshoot the high B on some tunes.

[Mandobart]

I know some players who can really tell the difference and are affected by any nut width, neck profile, radius etc. that are not ideal for them. I'm a multi-instrumentalist switching frequently between mandolin (two main players, one radiused, one flat), mandola (10 stringer with a very wide flat neck), OM, mandocello, fiddle (3 different main players) and guitar (radiused archtop, old 12 string, narrow necked sel-mac copy and a chunky-necked guit-jo). I can't get hung up on just one ideal neck/fingerboard/scale length combination - I enjoy variety too much.

[Jon Hall]

I know some players who can really tell the difference and are affected by any nut width, neck profile, radius etc. that are not ideal for them. I'm a multi-instrumentalist switching frequently between mandolin (two main players, one radiused, one flat), mandola (10 stringer with a very wide flat neck), OM, mandocello, fiddle (3 different main players) and guitar (radiused archtop, old 12 string, narrow necked sel-mac copy and a chunky-necked guit-jo). I can't get hung up on just one ideal neck/fingerboard/scale length combination - I enjoy variety too much.

The difference in my "modern" mandolins and my 1918 Gibson is the scale length. The frets on the Gibson are closer together.

[Phil Goodson]

The difference in my "modern" mandolins and my 1918 Gibson is the scale length. The frets on the Gibson are closer together.

What is the scale length of the 1918 Gibson? StewMac gives A's a scale of 14.125". Is that right????
Were teens A Gibbys different scale than Loars or present day instruments. (13 7/8-14")?

[Jim Garber]

The difference in my "modern" mandolins and my 1918 Gibson is the scale length. The frets on the Gibson are closer together.

As far as I know, teens and later Gibsons had 13-7/8" scale lengths. In this short older thread Paul Fox posts a chart that Gibson published in 1910 and the scale they mention is 13-7/8. I don't own any teen Gibsons any more but my 1923 has 13-7/8" scale.

Perhaps, Jon Hall can measure the scale on his 1918 Gibson and let us know what it measures? It is possible that they were shorter before 1910.

[Phil Goodson]

As far as I know, teens and later Gibsons had 13-7/8" scale lengths. In this short older thread Paul Fox posts a chart that Gibson published in 1910 and the scale they mention is 13-7/8. I don't own any teen Gibsons any more but my 1923 has 13-7/8" scale.

Perhaps, Jon Hall can measure the scale on his 1918 Gibson and let us know what it measures? It is possible that they were shorter before 1910.

That's why I was confused when I saw the StewMac page with:

[kurth83]

To me everything is noticeable, and while much can be adjusted for, I prefer taller frets, more spacing between courses. I can play mandos without that, but it isn't as good. Takes more effort and concentration that I would rather devote to the music.

Never tried a flat fingerboard, they have a few at Gryphon, I should go in and try one sometime.

I have a wider nut mando on order, I hope that works for me, won't know till I get it.

[rcc56]

Except for the large body A-50's made from 1937 to 1942 [or thereabouts], all Gibson mandolins I have seen or heard of have a 13 7/8" scale, from the incorporation of the company in 1902 to the present.

Gruhn's Guide lists the long scale A-50's at 14 1/2". The Stew mac listing is a mistake.