There are maybe a few hundred thousand violins from Germany circulating in the United States that are between 100 and 300 years old. In my high school, nearly e

There are maybe a few hundred thousand violins from Germany circulating in the United States that are between 100 and 300 years old. In my high school, nearly every violinist was using an instrument that was affordable and older than 100 years. These are still delicate. It's a weird piece of insight porn to always point to selection bias, I mean it's very well possible that as long as it weren't destroyed by some big trauma like a fire, maybe every old violin has pretty much survived. Is it a selection bias, a survival bias, that says that violins are particularly durable and fancy if they didn't accidentally light on fire? No. I think the author is completely right that it has to do with functionality and taste.