

'Priceless' Stradivarius violin stolen in armed robbery in Milwaukee - ari_smith
http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/stradivarius-violin-stolen-in-armed-robbery-in-milwaukee-b99193907z1-242463151.html

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JonnieCache
Pretty sure the whole stradivarius thing is just audiophilia all over again.

EDIT: yeah, pretty much:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradavarius#Comparisons_in_so...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradavarius#Comparisons_in_sound_quality)

EDIT2: "just" was the wrong word. Obviously they're fabulous pieces of art in
themselves, and doubtless beautiful to play. But like other art, they aren't
valued based on how good they sound/look. I'd like to point out that I care
about this a lot less than the tone of my original comment might imply.

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rquantz
What are you talking about?

Edit: oh I see, you think strads are nothing special. Too bad for you.

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JonnieCache
I didn't say they were nothing special. Those $15,000 dollar headphones sound
_amazing._ It's that the price is way out of proportion to the quality.

It would be fine if people admitted that strads are great largely because
they're old and historically important, but they insist that they're superior
violins.

(Of course, that's still fine. Whatever.)

I suspect that violinists are actually able to play to a higher standard on a
strad, just because they're so thrilled to be doing so and this makes them
focus more/less. This then feeds back into the idea that they sound better.

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S_A_P
Stealing a 6 million dollar stradivarius is an incredibly stupid idea, really.
With only about 650 surviving Stradivari instruments around, this is about
more than just the sound. Its the same reason I bought a Martin over a 100
dollar import acoustic guitar. The Martin has a flawless 3 piece rosewood back
and the construction quality is pretty much impecable. I know I could play
just as well on a cheap guitar, but the aesthetics of my guitar make me want
to play it more often, take better care of it and I do think there is a
negligible sound quality difference vs something cheaper.

Maybe there isn't, but I know that 40 years from now when my kids inherit this
guitar they will have something that has retained its value and will be
treated like a keepsake instead of relegated to a landfill as "junk".

Its just like any hobby or discipline, when you are interested in it, you want
to have great hardware/software to participate.

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fr0sty
> It's the same reason I bought a Martin over a 100 dollar import acoustic
> guitar.

The difference between the $99 (or even $199) plywood special and even an
entry-level solid-wood guitar (starting closer to $500) is much more than just
aesthetic. There are obviously exceptions but as a rule, the playability
difference is profound.

There is another increase in quality/playability as you get into the mid-range
offerings. Fit and finish are just a little bit better, tolerances are
tighter, materials are of higher quality.

> Maybe there isn't, but I know that 40 years from now when my kids inherit
> this guitar they will have something that has retained its value and will be
> treated like a keepsake instead of relegated to a landfill as "junk".

I cheated on this count by buying a guitar made in 1974, so my kids will get a
75 year old guitar.

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cushychicken
I imagine that the thieves would likely treat this as an art theft, and hold
it for ransom rather than try to sell it.

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test1235
I think I've seen two other reports of thefts involving this particular make
of violin here in London in the past year or so. It really is a very high
profile instrument.

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AlisdairSH
They are very high profile. And the fact that they get moved around, used,and
loaned out probably makes them a much more tempting target compared to a
painting or sculpture that, for the most part, stays in one museum.

