New Violins vs Great Master Violins - is it POSSIBLE?!

In this video, I react to "Why Can't We Make New Stradivari Violins?" and share my thoughts on why modern violins can match the quality of Stradivari's masterpieces.
Join me as I explore the factors that influence violin sound, including craftsmanship and materials. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more insights into violin making!
Meanwhile all the best from Cremona
Edgar
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[@a.s.clifton544]

“Just like me.” Now that takes confident nads. Bravo!

[@peterbaxter8151]

To be honest, my violins and violas are all around 100 years old. I chose them based on the size of my budget at the time and sound and responsiveness compared to the others I was offered.

[@Ilcannone1743aficionado]

500 likes...great video...the best part of the violin is when you play a little and can feel the difference and listen different instruments to appreciate the voice ...(that could change any time depending on many factors)....

[@peterbaxter8151]

As you spoke, my mind strayed to the concept of value for money. A modern violin from a great maker seems to make more sense.

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

I own a three year old fiddle, and I like it. If I ever buy another one, I think I’d like a brand new one.

[@winterhorse290]

From a Strad to a cigar box fiddle, they all have their own sound. It just depends on what you want or like.

[@user-jk2lk2et9n]

Hi I would like you to make a video about the body length(LOB). If I'm missing the video, somebody please let me know. Thanks😊

[@DanielMessiasSantos-gy8bk]

Hello, Edgar Ross! Your channel is really good! Thank you so much I realized this craft demands great reflection in all aspects one's intention; and last but not least, time and patience

[@mtv565]

There are already modern violins which sound as great as (and some even sound better than) an average Strad or Guar! Not all Strad/Guar violins are of equal quality;- some are better while some are worse due to damage or poor maintenance over the decades.

[@mylesjordan9970]

The “mystique of Stradivari” is actually the mystique of the artists who played them. Very practical people, they preferred the flat arching of the Strad model because they could give a concert one day at sea level, then another the next day in the mountains, without having to adjust-or even carve-another soundpost. Even today, amateur musicians are very curious what brand of rosin their favorite players use, because they believe if they use the same one they’re a step closer to their ideal sound. I have played many of the greatest Italian instruments-including the Castelbarco Stradivari (aka the Bass of Spain) in Washington D.C. and the Sleeping Beauty Montagnana in Philadelphia-and can attest, to my astonishment, that even a mass-produced, Chinese student cello can compare with them in every way if set up properly as a concert instrument. Russ, who makes much better instruments, is correct; the quality of the sound setup is everything.

[@mtv565]

In blind tests, many people actually prefer the modern violins over the Strad

[@mylesjordan9970]

@@mtv565 In this case, not so blind.

[@gregmonks]

My takeaway is that the next time I play, I should check the local sea level and keep an eye out for nearby mountains.

[@mtv565]

@mylesjordan9970 And also natural ageing of the wood (instrument owned for many years) + many years of playing = even an intermediate level instrument can "open" up to sound very close to a Strad!

[@mtv565]

@@gregmonks Strad and Guar violins cost so much because of their history and collector's value! Not so much of the sound as modern violins have proven to sound very close or even better!

[@picksalot1]

Nice critique of the other video. I think you were very objective and fair. Thanks

[@gregmonks]

A trivia question: what was the make of the violin played by the violinist opposite Paul Tortelier on the 1st Thomas Beecham recording of Don Quixote? Quiet fiddle but the most silky tone I've ever heard.

[@markuswx1322]

I don’t have that answer, but here you are, implying that there is something very special in the tone of a particular violin-when all those double blind tests showed that neither players nor listeners could distinguish one fiddle from another. Give the performer some credit, at least.

[@gregmonks]

@@markuswx1322 You really need to avail yourself of a course, or a least of book explaining, the mechanics of logic. No one said anything about not being able to tell one fiddle from another. Many violins have distinct voices, sometimes to the extreme. The QUALITY of violin sound is the thing that can't be ascribed to any particular make or model. The ASSUMPTION that led to the creation of the double-blind tests, starting in the 19th century, was that anyone with a good ear would READILY pick a Cremonese fiddle from the lot whose sound was on display. The tests invariably DEMONSTRATED that the best ears in the business rated the Cremonese fiddles lower, in terms of perceived quality, than new-made offerings by living luthiers. Just a suggestion- get yourself one of these. It'll save others a lot of grief over the course of your life. www.abebooks.com/9780070037182/elements-logic-Barker-Stephen-Francis-0070037183/plp

[@gregmonks]

@@markuswx1322 That's not what I said. Not even close. What the double-blind tests were created for was to see if the best ears in the business could detect a particular make of violin. The assumption was that they could easily pick out the fiddles made by the old masters. In practice that's not what happened. Not only that, but they were asked to judge perceived quality based on the sounds they heard. Newer instruments have been winning in that department since the 19th century. This is exactly what makes the double-blind tests so interesting: despite the evidence, the myths persist.

[@markuswx1322]

@@gregmonks That’s all fair enough, and I did attend the 2017 tests closely. I believe it does follow in a general way that the perceived tone of a violin from the listener’s point of view will likewise reveal little about whether the tone came from the player or the instrument, the presumption leaning toward the player. For example, expert listeners in those tests were sometimes able to detect the familiarity of certain players with their [famous] violins. The PREFERENCE of what one hears, as respecting old vs. new violins in a direct comparison, was addressed in the tests. Your question about the silky tone being particular to the violin in the performance you heard, to me requires a skill that hasn’t been objectively demonstrated anywhere.

[@markuswx1322]

@@gregmonks You’re giving yourself impossible airs over someone else’s grasp of logical inference, which borders on trollery. It’s the kind of debate that unfortunately rouses a few self-assertive intellectual coxcombs who can’t resist instructing everyone in the room. After a very few posts, no one else will be listening. Personally, I am moving on.

[@gardeningfromscratch.]

I guess there is a similar debate on piano's such as can you compare a Steinway to a Baldwin, I guess Steinway are still producing piano's though. Although Victor Borge did once quote "Before we start, the Baldwin Piano Company has asked me to say that this is a Steinway piano [or vice versa]." to much laughter from his audience. :)

[@solakitarecelje6988]

Awesome video

[@Skinny_Karlos]

I want a Guarneri del Gesu, myself. Only approx. 150 left but that's still 149 left for other people. Why, oh why can't I have one ?? And don't reply with $$ being my problem - THAT I well know !!

[@violatione]

The new masters have surpassed the old masters. You've probably heard a Zymuntowicz or a Greiner in concert and had no clue.

[@markuswx1322]

I don’t know if they’ve been surpassed, but today’s finest players have used so-called tonal copies for some time. Who could argue that they’d have sounded better if only they had a Golden-era Strad? A bit insulting really. My guess is that some of those exalted soloists leave their Cremona masterpieces in the insurance company vault when they go on tour. No one is the wiser. And there are a few not-so-secret secrets about the antiques: Some have been hollowed out by regraduaters to the point where new wood had to be grafted into the top plate to prevent the bridge from sinking in. The original intention of the maker would have been lost, sometimes decades ago. The debate will go on, but it’s probably time to send the old works to the preservationists where they can be revered and only occasionally played.

[@roylin3490]

fun jai is crazy

[@ssb73q]

Hi, Strad are an historical investment, nothing more.

[@markosterman419]

If you are going to have text … please don’t have a thumbnail picture of the violin maker obscuring it.

[@nickiemcnichols5397]

Not better, just a lot more expensive.

[@ssssssss6678]

😂

[@gregmonks]

The Strads were never great violins. They cost the equivalent of around $2600 US new, if I'm remembering correctly (in today's market), no Strad has ever taken top spot in a double-blind test, current, living luthiers have always taken the top spots, and the rest is hype and baloney. If they were so great, then luthiers would not have been busy in the early 19th century ripping the necks out by the roots and remanufacturing the old Strads to sound like the then modern violin. Regardless, they sound nothing like they did when they were new.

[@knightsimperium4277]

Never heard more bull** and ignorant words of unknowledge.

[@markuswx1322]

@@knightsimperium4277 Right. Edgar Russ’s estimate of ~50 years is correct. Acoustic research, the availability of information and tools has resulted in more good violins being made today than ever before. The Italian masters perfected the craft more than 300 years ago but were unable to quantify it and make it consistent as we can now. I don’t know where this guy got the $2600 number. I don’t think he does either.

[@fatdoi003]

very bold statement but top string players will disagree with you...

[@gregmonks]

@@fatdoi003 They're probably violinists. Speaking as a violist, I take violinists with a grain of salt. Huge egos, buckets of opinions, tiny, wee brains.

[@watching7650]

@@markuswx1322 The $2,600 estimate is a complicated calculation involving exchange rates and cost of living ("the Homemaker's Shopping Cart" type) from the 1700s Lombardy to today's US. This guy must be some kind of bank employee or somesuch -- that explains the post.