OrganicZed
Fractal Fanatic
There is an interesting article published in the ASAP section of the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition right now claiming that the researchers have finally uncovered the secret to why Stradivarius and Guarneri violins are tonally superior to other violins from that era and even superior to those produced today.
A few quotes from the article read:
"It is plausible that Stradivari and Guarneri had exposed their
soundboards to strong sunlight, as described in Stradivari's
personal letter,[5] but we cannot rule out the possibility of
baking or more complex chemical procedures."
"Chemical additives were applied to Cremonese soundboards as well as back plates—likely
intended for wood preservation and acoustic tuning. The Amati recipe was relatively simple but his pupils, the
Stradivari and Guarneri families, developed much more
complex formulations. The consequences of chemical treatments may include hemicellulose fragmentation, altered
cellulose nanostructures, and metal crosslinking. "
Here's a link to the open source article.
The TLDR is that the sound board material was clearly chemically treated and probably baked or dried in sunlight for an extended period of time. These processes gave the wood additional strength that allowed the craftsmen to make instruments with unusually thin sound boards that produce a more pleasing and lively tone.
A few quotes from the article read:
"It is plausible that Stradivari and Guarneri had exposed their
soundboards to strong sunlight, as described in Stradivari's
personal letter,[5] but we cannot rule out the possibility of
baking or more complex chemical procedures."
"Chemical additives were applied to Cremonese soundboards as well as back plates—likely
intended for wood preservation and acoustic tuning. The Amati recipe was relatively simple but his pupils, the
Stradivari and Guarneri families, developed much more
complex formulations. The consequences of chemical treatments may include hemicellulose fragmentation, altered
cellulose nanostructures, and metal crosslinking. "
Here's a link to the open source article.
The TLDR is that the sound board material was clearly chemically treated and probably baked or dried in sunlight for an extended period of time. These processes gave the wood additional strength that allowed the craftsmen to make instruments with unusually thin sound boards that produce a more pleasing and lively tone.