Acoustic versus perceptual differences between Stradivari and del Gesù Violins: A preliminary study on recent copies

The Cremonese luthiers Stradivari and Guarneri del Gesu` are highly esteemed by violinists and collectors.As a result, the models created by these two masters are frequently reproduced by contemporary violin makers.Variations in the model can influence the sound and response of the instruments, as can differences in materials such as wood, glue, varnish, and setup.Moreover, neither Stradivari nor del Gesu` adhered to a single, definitive model; rather, their instruments exhibit multiple design variations.Nevertheless, del Gesu` violins are generally believed to have distinctive sound characteristics compared to those by Stradivari.Leveraging a large database of acoustical measurements from violins made by Sam Zygmuntowicz, we investigated this question through sound synthesis.Two short musical excerpts, recorded via piezo sensors placed on a violin bridge, were convolved with the radiated responses of different instruments built on either a Stradivari or del Gesu` model.These synthesized stimuli were then used in a preliminary listening test based on pairwise comparisons.The results suggest that the instrument model could be consistently identified by one of the two participants, but only for one of the excerpts.While differences in auditory excitation patterns were examined as possible explanations, no conclusive correlation was found.