Stradivarius Violin Recreated By CAT Scan

Stradivarius, a name associated with excellence in any field, originated from the finely-tuned instruments that the Stradivari family crafted. They are renowned for their pristine and heavenly sounding violins that have eluded replication for centuries, although their superiority is sometimes disputed.

Thinking outside of the box, a team of experts has used computerised axial tomography (CAT) scanning to recreate a 1704 violin known as "Betts." Steven Sirr, M.D., a radiologist at FirstLight Medical Systems in Mora, Minn. worked alongside professional violin makers John Waddle and Steve Rossow to unravel the mysteries of the famed violin without taking apart the original.

"CT scanning offers a unique method of noninvasively imaging a historical object," Sirr said in a press release from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Sirr, an amateur violinist, completed the process out of more than just curiosity. "We have two goals: to understand how the violin works and to make reproductions of the world's most prized violins available for young musicians who can't afford an original," Dr. Sirr said.