Found an interesting news item on the BBC website today about some new research that's been done on Stradivari violins.

Wood density key to violin sound

(For the non-techies, don't worry, it's not too techy in content).

I heard about the mini-ice age theory before.

What about trees that naturally grow in colder climates then...should Scottish fiddles be better than Italian ones now?

Strads are usually played by very very very good violinists. People like me almost never (or at least very rarely ) get the chance to try one. Thus when they are played they usually do sound wonderful. How much is due to the violin and how much to the violinist is difficult to decide. I'm sure a very very very good violinist would make my violin sound a lot better than I can

(However I will say that the Strad I did once have the honour to try was a different animal to my violin, and felt almost alive in it's response. A bit like trying to drive a Ferrari after owning a Morris Minor - but then any superb violin may well have felt the same)

You played a Strad?!
The closest i've come to playing a Strad is my fake one haha

I have promised my self I will have the 500k or so i need to buya strad.

I'll probably be dead before I can afford it though.

When comparisons between Strads and modern instruments etc are discussed, it should be borne in mind that not all Strads are equal. Some Strads can be matched or bettered by modern instruments, others have an utterly magical quality that has inspired studies of the sort that Amanda mentions over the past two centuries or so. One of the most memorable experiences of my life was hearing the Habaneck Strad at close quarters a couple of years ago. I simply would never have believed that so much sound could come out of such a small box!

It depends on the player-instrument match too. Every player I've spoken to or read an interview by who's played a Strad has said it has a life and an opinion of its own. If that matches your playing style, that's brilliant. If it doesn't, you get a battle of wills, and it doesn't sound as good.

Also, how far away were the judging public? I've heard that Strads often don't sound as good close up as they do far away.

Hmmmm, actually not really. "Lesser" strads go for sums that are "only" in high hundreds of thousands, while the real gems would go for millions.

For dealers, sound quality (whatever that means) doesn't come into the equation at any point in the food chain from Gliga to Stradivari. The best sounding Strads, though, do tend to have the best antecedence. Having said that, the last time I heard Paganini's "Cannone" (OK, it's a Del Gesu, but you get the point) it sounded distinctly average!
Let's not forget that the instruments of Stradivari, and those of the Amati and Guarneri families are stunning and innovative works of art created by geniuses. That is why they cost what they do.

If it was the same event at which I heard it played then the poor Cannone was suffering quite a bit that day, from not being played in, not set up properly (despite much trying), and it was also very very fragile, and had to be nursed the whole time it was played. I'm sure it would sound a lot better if given a proper chance and lease of life. And yes it did sound disappointing after all the hype.

I wonder if a strad is really worth what they are valued at. You could buy a 5k violin and still get a very good quality sound, if you are a decent player.

Just not worth the extra thousands in my opinion.

Strads and Amaits are prized due to their age, perfection, calibre and rarity. But it's interesting to know that a modern French violin was preferred to the strad and amati for sound. Especially in my case, as I happen to own (and love) a modern French fiddle ...

ho ho

denmark

I'm not sure what is 'new' about that research. There are dozens of studies of old violins and the materials used, and the link to the climate of the 17th century.
Even ct scans of stringed instruments are not a new idea:

Cat spots worm in ageing violin