Stradivari 1705 P

"This is my latest instrument modeled on the order of Stradivari's Golden Period" violins. It was built on a reproduction Stradivari 1705 P mould. The blocks and linings are made of willow. Its two piece back, sides, and neck were fashioned from premium Bosnian maple. Italian spruce was used for its top. The materials were purchased from Timberwood Industries, Inc. (tbrwood@aol.com)

A major feature of this violin is its edges. The edges were formed as Stradivari would have formed them although they have been left faceted and not smoothed round. The purfling is made from stained maple and pearwood, giving it a more pronounced appearance. Its purfling is also set in from the edge a little more giving the edges a bolder appearance.

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There are 6 coats of varnish along with several coats of various treatments. This fine transparent varnish is mostly of the spirit variety coupled with oil ingredients. The finest available ebony fingerboard has been installed to a slightly higher inclination to allow for settling. The present bridge is a wonderful, artificially aged specimen from Michael Sheibley. He would not tell me how he does it, although it certainly seems every bit of 200 years old. Check him out at SpecialtyViolin.com.

I dressed the violin in a stunning set of ebony accented pernambuco fittings from Arcos Brasil (Arcosbrasil.com). With the Thomastik Infeld Blue strings the tone of this violin is bright, extremely resonant, even, and easy to play....................The current asking price is $12,000.