In reply to:
What could be more simple than a violin? a neck, a fingerboard, pegs, some pieces of wood, some strings. How many variables do you have to deal with to explain the differences in sound between 2 violins? Fewer for certain than between solid state amps which employ different capacitors, resistors, circuit designs, transformers, transistors, materials.
Respectfully, I would submit that there could is as many variables in a violin as there could be in a solid state amp, and probably more.
For example: the type of wood used in each part of the violin - the top; the bottom; the neck; the bridge; the bracing etc. The age of the wood in each part when the tree was cut, the size of each part, the shape of each part, all of which can be different in violins by different makers.
The type of finish applied; the chemical makeup of the finish; how it is applied;, how MUCH is applied.
The type of glue used to hold the parts together; how much glue is used.
All these things, and more, can make one violin sound different from another. Yet, in the end, the difference between violins is very subtle. I would be surprised if 99.9% of the general public could tell the difference between a Stradavarius, and a lesser violin. Do they sound different? Absolutely! Different enough that the vast majority of people can tell them apart? No!
