<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6001.18063" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Stephane,</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I was wondering, if wood changes over time, does a Stradivarius, even restored, sound like it did when it was made? How would we know? I have also heard that the varnish used was tantamount to the performance of the instrument.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Does soundboard wood reach an optimum moisture content and remain there, on average, for the rest of its life? Is there another factor, such as compression of the fibres or growth rings that change it into something entirely different from its original form?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Antoine</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>