Ditch the Stradivarius? New violins sound better: study

Despite the lofty reputation of old violins by Italian masters such as Antonio Stradivari, blindfolded listeners in concert halls in New York and Paris say they preferred the sound of newer instruments.

Passports for 'endangered' musical instruments

From pianos with ivory keys to violin bows crafted with tortoise shell, musical instruments made from protected species will soon be able to roam the globe more easily—with their own passports.

On the road to creating an affordable master instrument

Violins made of wood treated with fungus need not hide their lights when compared to a Stradivarius, as a blind test has already demonstrated. However, these tonal masterpieces are only available as individually-made instruments. ...

'Biotech violin' outdoes Stradivarius

At the 27th "Osnabrücker Baumpflegetagen," one of Germany’s most important annual conferences on all aspects of forest husbandry, Empa researcher Francis Schwarze’s "biotech violin" dared to go head to head in a blind ...

Carbon copying the 'Stradivarius' sound

(PhysOrg.com) -- It's every violinmaker's dream to produce an instrument to rival the sound of a Stradivarius but now researchers at The University of Nottingham are trying to do just that… using acoustic physics and carbon ...