Maestro James Ehnes visited this week before an important recording session for maintenance and adjustment. While here he was able to compare his 1715 ‘Marsick’ Stradivari with the 1714 ‘Joachim’ which we recently restored. Stradivari used maple from the same tree for the back and sides on both of these violins. This particular wood was among Antonio’s finest maple he used primarily in the heart of his Golden Period.