By Colin Berry
In the market for a Stradivari or an Amati? Before you buy a US$1 million fiddle, talk to Steve Sirr, a Minneapolis radiologist who makes CAT scans of rare violins and other bowed instruments. These radiograms reveal details of an instrument's inner surfaces and imperfections - such as wormholes, glue lines, and other structural defects - all of which could affect sound quality and estimated value. "It was fortuitous," says Sirr, himself an amateur bow scraper. "One day, after I scanned a patient, I looked over and saw my violin on the table and thought, 'I wonder what that would look like?'" Considering the hefty price of a Strad, Sirr's scans are a great insurance policy.
ELECTRIC WORD
Sesame Street, The Next Generation
The Violin Doctor
