Lutherie

The ‘Betts’ Stradivari: The progress of progress

2021-08-18T11:44:00

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A century after The Strad published its first article on the Stradivari ‘Betts’ violin, maker John Waddle asks what the magazine’s descriptions of the instrument reveal about lutherie expertise, and explains his latest high-tech analyses of the instrument. Taken from the May 2010 issue

In May 1709 the ‘Betts’ violin was five years old and Antonio Stradivari would have been 65. Had the instrument been sold? Was it still in the Stradivari shop waiting for a buyer? We don’t know…

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