Nearly perfect Stradivarius violin replica recreated using X-ray tech

Anyone who knows classical music has probably heard of the Italian master luthier Antonio Stradivari — several hundred of his instruments are still in existence today, despite having been made over three hundred years ago. Those that do still exist are worth millions of dollars, and are sought after by musicians and collectors the world over. While it's commonly accepted that Stradivari constructed some of finest violins, mandolins, and cellos, it's not known precisely why his instruments produce such beautiful tones.

Dr. Steven Sirr, an amateur violinist and radiologist at FirstLight Medical Systems in Mora, Minnesota, decided to see if he could use modern technology to recreate one of the master's violins. He teamed up with violin makers John Waddle and Steve Rossow and borrowed a violin built in 1704, known as "Betts," from the Library of Congress. They then scanned the instrument using a 64-scanner CT imager and converted those images into stereolithograph files, which were fed into a CNC router — a machine that produces precise objects from computer diagrams. The process is much like 3D printing, but CNC routers cut material away rather than creating it layer by layer, creating an extremely accurate copy of the original object.

The CT scanning technology is invaluable for examining and recreating historic objects, because it's completely non-invasive. Researchers can see details such as wood density and even discern the repair history of an instrument through evidence left by tiny cracks and worm holes, without damaging the irreplaceable original.

The Betts Project didn't stop there, though. In June 2011, Sirr, Waddle, and Rossow participated in a violin makers workshop at Oberlin College in Ohio. Using the images they produced of the Betts, the class created another copy of the famous violin, which is complete except for the varnish (which will be done next June). The general consensus is that the copies are easy to play and have a powerful, clear tone.

Purists argue that nothing can account for 300 years of worldly experience, and there's no way that a computer-generated copy of a Stradivarius could possibly compare to the original. But if technology such as this could result in high-quality instruments that are affordable to young musicians, it might just bring Stradivari's legacy to a new generation.

[Image credit: Robin Zebrowski]

[via Gizmag]

(Source)

Leave a comment