Violin Forum/Message Board

Mat Roop · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:15 pm Post subject: Milanollo vs Messiah

I was looking at the grads for the Milanollo and Messiah violins.... the Milanollo is a later version and is generally thinner.
Is there a generally accepted opinion as to which has the better sound?
Cheers... Mat

Michael Darnton · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 4:19 pm Post subject:

I don't know of any comparison of the two, but I would not make a violin as thin as the Milanollo.
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Lemuel · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 5:45 pm Post subject:

I don't know how to process the information I'm getting from another thread in relation to this question.

AntonPolezhayev, another forum member is a professional violinist in NY. We were discussing violin strings. Recently he quoted:

Michael Darnton · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:55 pm Post subject:

I would never take just one violinist's word on tonal issues and apply them to everything. In general, thin violins usually sound boxy, and they won't offer enough resistance to strong playing. Some players like that, but not enough for me to make violins that way. There's a quite famous player in town with a new violin that I think is too thin, and another was in my shop commenting that he'd heard him on the radio and thought "such a beautiful player with such a bad sound. . . that must be Xxxx" and he was right. But Xxxx has said in print that his new violins was better than the Strads he had played. This was all about a year ago, and now someone has loaned him a Strad, and guess what he's playing instead of the new violin that was better than Strads.. :-)
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Lemuel · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:40 pm Post subject:

Michael Darnton · Posted: Tue Mar 29, 2011 8:12 pm Post subject:

Hollow tube is a good description. In that particular case what you did was add dead weight to the bottom block, which provided resistance at the bottom end by inertia instead of plate thickness. At the other end, replacing a thin board with a normal, thicker one, will help in the same way.
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Mat Roop · Posted: Wed Mar 30, 2011 8:04 pm Post subject:

As usual... Thanks for all that great advice.
Cheers, Mat

rs · Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 5:51 pm Post subject:

How thin is The Milanollo?
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Michael Darnton · Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 7:16 pm Post subject:

If I remember right, the top has a whole lot of 2.1mm or so. I like 2.5-2.7, and these days even more. At the post, no matter what else you do, that should be 3.0mm or over to prevent post cracks.
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DonLeister · Posted: Sun Apr 03, 2011 11:25 pm Post subject:

Mat,
I'm guessing you were looking at the Strad poster of the Messie, not the Pringle drawings put out by the Ashmolean.

I was comparing the poster vs. the drawings and was surprised by the differences in the graduations and arches in some places. The grads in the back were often 3/4 and up to 1mm different, in the top it was often 1/2-3/4mm difference. The thicker numbers were in the drawings.

rs · Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 2:22 pm Post subject:

Thank you kindly, as always.
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Mat Roop · Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2011 8:59 pm Post subject:

DonLeister · Posted: Tue Apr 05, 2011 11:24 pm Post subject:

I don't think I have heard anybody say which is more accurate. I can only offer my non-expert opinion on the subject- I favor the Strad poster.