Throughout the years, many have attempted to recreate Antonio Stradivari's quality violins. However, nothing beats the original. His violins are considered the best in the world when it comes to craftsmanship and sound. In fact, the sound produced by a Stradivarius violin was the focus of a study that MIT conducted. Researchers believed that the secret to the unique sound was caused by an elongated "f" hole on the violins, making the sound better, as reported by Phys.org. It is also suggested that Stradivari may have added an unknown substance to the wood to produce a sound that cannot be replicated by imitations.
Despite the quality of Stradivarius violins, they are far from perfect. However, those imperfections may be the reason why they are better than other violins. Physicist Dr. Franco Zanini studied Stradivari's craft and said, "We noticed there were a lot of asymmetries in the instruments. In principle, they have no reason to be there, but it is possible these imperfections were made to remove the unpleasant harmonics that you get in symmetrical instruments" (via The Telegraph).
There are many Stradivarius violins in circulation, but most are not authentic. Stradivari violins are known to have a Latin inscription that reads "Antonius Stradivarius Cremonesis Faciebat Anno" followed by the date when it was made. Although this may be present on a violin, it doesn't ascertain its authenticity, and authentications and appraisals are best left to experts.
