What makes a Strad a Strad?

Strad, it seems. New research on the violins of Antonio Stradivari finds no secret ingredient in the varnish, knocking down one set of theories about why the instruments sound so exceptional. Stradivari's mixture of oil and resins is "a very basic recipe," Philippe Échard of Paris' Musée de la Musique tells The New York Times' Henry Fountain:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/science/04strad.html?_r=1&ref=music