http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/12/08/stradivarius.secret.ap/index.html

"Grissino-Mayer at Tennessee and Dr. Lloyd Burckle at Columbia suggest a
"Little Ice Age" that gripped Europe from the mid-1400s until the
mid-1800s slowed tree growth and yielded uncommonly dense Alpine spruce
for Antonio Stradivari and other famous 17th century Italian violinmakers."

"Grissino-Mayer at Tennessee and Dr. Lloyd Burckle at Columbia suggest a
"Little Ice Age" that gripped Europe from the mid-1400s until the
mid-1800s slowed tree growth and yielded uncommonly dense Alpine spruce
for Antonio Stradivari and other famous 17th century Italian violinmakers."

Nobody knows exactly where Stradivari got his spruce, but the best explanation
I've heard is that it was from the Black Forest in Bavaria, which did in fact
have a century of perfect growing seasons prior to that time. I've also heard
Italians claim that it couldn't be anything other than Italian spruce from the
northern provinces. Nevertheless, the perfect grain is attributable to a long
period of optimal weather conditions.


Scott Fraser

I saw the article on cnn.com. It's very interesting to me because I'm
a long time coinsurer of spruce guitar wood and one of my best friends
harvest red spruce and re-saws it for guitar and mandolin tops. Pretty
cool info.

Rob Adelman wrote in message ...
http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/12/08/stradivarius.secret.ap/index.html

"Grissino-Mayer at Tennessee and Dr. Lloyd Burckle at Columbia suggest a
"Little Ice Age" that gripped Europe from the mid-1400s until the
mid-1800s slowed tree growth and yielded uncommonly dense Alpine spruce
for Antonio Stradivari and other famous 17th century Italian violinmakers."

Rob Adelman wrote "Grissino-Mayer at
Tennessee and Dr. Lloyd Burckle at Columbia suggest a
"Little Ice Age" that gripped Europe from the mid-1400s until the
mid-1800s slowed tree growth and yielded uncommonly dense Alpine spruce
for Antonio Stradivari and other famous 17th century Italian violinmakers."

I've also heard that Stradivarius would soak his wood in a bathtub for
up to a year. Supposedly this helps to break down the (tanins?) in
the wood and allow it to vibrate more freely.

In article writes:

Nobody knows exactly where Stradivari got his spruce, but the best explanation
I've heard is that it was from the Black Forest in Bavaria, which did in fact
have a century of perfect growing seasons prior to that time. I've also heard
Italians claim that it couldn't be anything other than Italian spruce from the
northern provinces.

I remember an article from Scientific American from the late '70's or
so that suggested that Strad chemically treated his wood. A spectrum
analysis of a violin found traces of chemicals that could have removed
oils from the wood and tightened up the grain structure.

An instrument builder friend of mine who read the article treated some
wood for guitar tops using the guidance in the article and made some
different, but in a good way, guitars from that wood.



--
I'm really Mike Rivers )
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me he double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

(Mike Rivers) wrote in news:znr1070925090k@trad:

An instrument builder friend of mine who read the article treated some
wood for guitar tops using the guidance in the article and made some
different, but in a good way, guitars from that wood.

Check back in 300 years and let us know how it turned out.

We all know it had to be the tools, skill or knowledge could not have been
involved...

rgds:
Eric

another reason to review your own contributions to global warming?

it is generally reckognized by bow makers that slow growth of
pernambuco trees provides a denser wood for better bows...

rt60



On Mon, 08 Dec 2003 13:18:04 -0600, Rob Adelman
wrote:


http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/science/12/08/stradivarius.secret.ap/index.html

"Grissino-Mayer at Tennessee and Dr. Lloyd Burckle at Columbia suggest a
"Little Ice Age" that gripped Europe from the mid-1400s until the
mid-1800s slowed tree growth and yielded uncommonly dense Alpine spruce
for Antonio Stradivari and other famous 17th century Italian violinmakers."