Why can't top-notch violins be made nowadays?

The violin, known as the "queen of instruments" among the stringed instrument family and a treble instrument, has become one of the most charming instruments in the field of music with its beautiful tone, rich expressiveness and wide application. But why can't top-quality violins be made nowadays?

With the development of the times and the advancement of technology, more and more instruments have emerged, diverting most people's attention to other instruments. The number of people interested in the violin has decreased, and the factories producing violins are struggling. The already difficult production process of violins has become even more challenging. The quality has deteriorated significantly, and top-quality violins are rare. Those who truly like the violin and want to buy good-quality ones can only purchase those produced in the 1980s and 1990s. Why is this?

A simple truth: Is there any man-made product in this world where modern people do worse in terms of use value and performance than the ancients three hundred years ago?

Three hundred years ago, ancient craftsmen were trapped by technological bottlenecks throughout their lives and could not make further progress. They could only make breakthroughs with limited underlying technologies and ingenious ideas. They imagined that perhaps in the future, people would use tools more magical than magic to make better products.

Three hundred years later, craftsmen are still adhering to the ancient traditional processes without being enterprising. Is it more difficult to make something from planing wood or to send a rocket into space?

Moreover, the production of top-quality violins often relies on traditional craftsmanship and cultural inheritance. In some regions, this traditional inheritance may have been affected, leading to the gradual loss of the skills for making top-quality violins.

Even now, there is still the possibility of making top-quality violins in modern society, but it requires the luthiers to have exquisite skills, high-quality materials, sufficient time, and inheritance and innovation of traditional craftsmanship. At the same time, the inheritance and development of music culture also require the joint efforts and support from all sectors of society.