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To: decimon
People went nuts over Stradivarius, Amati, and the other good instrument makers precisely because their instruments were so much better than what was generally available.

Of course, they're still better . . . for the time being. Unfortunately, wood has a useful life, it's measured in hundreds of years but it DOES wear out. My mother in law gave me a book that is a survey of some of the great instruments, and the author noted that there is a horizon line beyond which they are going to start to fail. Some of them are preserved in nitrogen-filled cases and never played for precisely that reason. Which is a shame.

But the average quality of violins continues to improve. Even the mass-produced Chinese ones sound remarkably well for what they are.

16 posted on 08/31/2009 6:28:16 AM PDT by AnAmericanMother (Ministrix of ye Chasse, TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary (recess appointment))
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To: AnAmericanMother
But the average quality of violins continues to improve.

I would hope so. We have so much more to work with than did some guys in some European villages.

23 posted on 08/31/2009 7:03:50 AM PDT by decimon
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