Re Stradivari's and their alterations: living with a concert violinist wife has subjected me to much violin history when surrounded by her friends. Essentially, the only Stradivari left unaltered, as far as anyone knows, is the "Messiah". It's a cool story, but yes, all other Strads have new necks, many have had many repairs, as would be anticipated; tops popped on and off, cracks repaired, etc. What could one expect? There's a book out there called "Stardivari's Genius" by Toby Faber, that goes into the whole history, legend, ethos, etc in great detail and in an entertaining way. If you're a fan of old instruments of any family, it's a great read, and actually fun. If anything, it only serves to make one more appreciative of the really great instruments out there, with the potentially disastrous effect of wanting to buy every instrument ever made.
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