A CT scan of a Stradivarius suggests that its critical difference from other violins is the density of its wood:
Link (Photo: Brendan McDermid of Reuters)
Using an adaptation of a computer program developed to calculate lung densities in people with emphysema, they were able to analyze the physical properties of violins without risking damage to instruments worth millions of dollars.
They found no significant differences between the median densities of the modern and the antique violins but did discover far less variation between wood grains of early and late growth in the old ones.
Link (Photo: Brendan McDermid of Reuters)
Does this mean they can clone me a Strad? :D
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A lot of hard science has been applied to try to figure out *why* a Strad sounds better. But none has been used to prove it actually *does* sound better. Like all flavors of audiophiles, the people who worship these things are idiots. They sound better because you expect them to.
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Give me two! It´s happy hour.
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Not really, you can tell how different a Strad sounds compared to a cheap factory made violin.
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i wonder if that'll change how the chicago school of violin making teaches.......
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perhaps i'm a time traveler and don't know it but it seems this "news" came out like 20 years ago.
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i play the violin and i would kill to get my hands on that one!
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Can you point me to a double blind study that proves that anyone can tell the difference?
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Who would give a Stradivarius to a blind guy to test, let alone someone who's double blind? That's just asking to have it broken.
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I'm with Rob. They figured out a long time ago that trees harvested that were grown during the "little ice age" were more dense, and therefore sound better.
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