Violin maker Jacob von der Lippe explores this question, via a recording of works performed by various musicians on his instruments
“Violin making today is a craft closely related to the period spanning from 1550 to 1750. Often, when looking at violins made in our time; whether at violin making competitions, international workshops or friendly encounters between colleagues, it is striking how many violins today look much like one another. […]
Having worked with classical patterns like Stradivari and Guarneri for more than ten years, I felt eager to try something new. I had met François Denis, a French violin maker and author of the book Traité de Lutherie. His book inspired me to start drawing my own personal model. I tried to figure out a model that gave a balanced, full bodied and projecting sound. For me, this is a work of intuition. After having made a certain number of instruments, you develop a gut feeling for what works. This is, of course, also based on the feedback from many musicians along the way. I am privileged to see nearly all my instruments on a regular basis, and this gives me valuable information on how they evolve. This is a crucial point for all violin makers. I always ask the musicians for their positive and negative feedback. The constructive input on what to improve, is my guiding light. […]”
Read the full article on The Strad
