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CRAFT: Secrets of Stradivarius; Radical Archtop Guitars No instrument maker is better known than Antonio Stradivari. Of the roughly 600 of his creations that still survive, about 50 remain in prime condition. The most precious have sold at auction in recent years for prices well over $1 million. (Private sales may have exceeded $4 million, and the "Messiah" violin has been valued at $17 million). What makes his instruments so special? Folklore credits the varnishes, although scientific analysis has revealed that most of the original varnish is gone, having been replaced with other varnishes over the centuries. In any case, no special recipe was ever recorded, and most researchers think that he used whatever was easily available at the time, nothing remarkable at all. Recent research has focused on the wood, and in particular the trees that yielded the wood. Paleo-climatologist (old weather) Lloyd Burckle and dendrologist (tree-rings) Henri Grissino-Mayer have pointed out that Stradivari's supply of Alpine spruce was growing during the "Maunder Minimum" of 1645-1715, a period of unusually cold weather that produced tightly spaced tree rings. They hypothesize that the denser wood contributed to the remarkable tone of all the instruments of the Golden Age, with Stradivari's special skills serving to distinguish his own creations from a group of instruments that already had a built-in advantage. Read more about their work in a Wall Street Journal article by Barbara Jepson (March 3 2004) [fee required], or read a transcript of the CNN show (NEXT@CNN, March 6 2004) highlighting their research Read more about the researchers and their work at the Earth Institute News, or visit tree-ring geek Grissino-Mayer’s Ultimate Tree-Ring Page Learn more about Stradivarius (German and English)
The archtop guitar is a more recent creation, with the first models coming from Orville Gibson's shops at the end of the 19th century. Early jazz stars adopted the instrument, and with the addition of the first, crude magnetic pickups, the archtop became the first electric guitar, making possible such renowned guitarists as Charlie Christian. Since that time other types of guitars, both acoustic and electric, have surpassed the archtop in popularity, although the archtop remains the signature design for mellow-toned jazz artists. The March 2004 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine profiles the work of several contemporary luthiers who have been creating beautiful archtop instruments for a new generation, sometimes incorporating a new generation of materials, designs and construction ideas. According to luthier Steven Andersen, most acoustic guitarists today are more familiar with flat top guitars. "You could put... the best archtop guitar ever made in their hands, and they would want to like it, but they really can't connect with it." The article suggests that even most archtop players use the instrument as an electric guitar, and this leads them to put on strings that are too light and set the action too low. No one seems able to really appreciate the original purpose of the instrument. Today's luthiers have been experimenting with hybrid designs (e.g. flat on the bass side, carved on the treble side), variations in the conventional f-shaped sound-hole (new shapes and positions), different internal bracings, no cutaways, unconventional tonewoods (walnut, cedar or rosewood instead of maple), and other innovations. Visit Acoustic Guitar magazine and browse the March issue [not yet searchable; usually lags publication date by 1-2 months] The luthiers featured in the Acoustic Guitar article include:
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