[EternalVigilance]

The rumor that seems to best suggest the reason for the problem is that Gibson, being unable to get the kind of finish they want on the rare rosewood from woodworkers in India, reprocesses the pieces in the USA. India had no complaints — its rule that rosewood imported from India must be finished in India had been met, and an Indian woodworker has a job — but some trouble maker (probably not connected with Martin) still claimed Gibson had violated the Lacey act.

I've heard it said that part of the reason a Stradivarius is a Stradivarius is the finish.

Not hard to imagine these modern bureaucrats trying to tell Antonio Stradivari how he must make violins.

[Neidermeyer]

I’ve heard it said that part of the reason a Stradivarius is a Stradivarius is the finish.
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It’s been documented that the reason a Strad sounds the way it does is because of the aging process of the wood ,, a fungus attacked the wood store used at the strad workshop,, a fungus that only eats the center of each cell leaving the walls (and therefore the strength) intact... The wood was as strong as before but much lighter and therefore reacts with more brilliance and amplitude.

Instruments created today with similar wood sound fabulous.

[HiTech RedNeck]

There’s a grain of truth to that, though I don’t know of anyone who has been able to prove he has duplicated the finish of these famous violins.

However, it’s not uncommon to find that when a newly built, unfinished violin is tested before finishing, the tester reports it sounds better than the typical finished violin.