I think I heard this guy interviewed on the Nature podcast last year, when his Nature paper came out (warning, PDF link): http://www.nagyvaryviolins.com/Nagyva

I think I heard this guy interviewed on the Nature podcast last year, when his Nature paper came out (warning, PDF link): http://www.nagyvaryviolins.com/Nagyvary_Nature_Page.pdf http://www.nagyvaryviolins.com/Nagyvary_Nature_Page.pdf He was great. His contention is that the key to the unique sound of the Strads and other great violins of that era is the treatment of the wood, which the makers did to preserve it better. Apparently the heirs lost the recipe, replaced it with something else, then spent nearly 300 years lost and wandering in Violin Phase Space trying to figure out where they went wrong. Those of us who have worked in semiconductor manufacturing recognize this problem all too well. :)