What does it take to make a violin?
Alberto Bachman, in Encyclopaedia of the Violin (1st ed.1925), wrote that the surest way to make a fine violin is to trace a master's model. Perhaps for the world as it was in 1929 it was the surest way indeed, but the knowledge unearthed since then would be wasted if not used.
Making violins require a creative mindset with a subtle swing of fantasy and order, precision and spontaneity: one needs to know the rules, where and why they come from, how to enjoy bending these rules or even - why not - break them if it gives an extra spice to the design and the sound of the violin, an extra inspiration to the musicians and the audiences.
It also requires a complete command of tools, knowledge of wood and acoustics, specially as the latter was addressed by the european predecessors, violin-makers from the end of the 16th century till the end of the 18th century. I do not believe in computers, sophisticated software or hi-tech which anyway did not exist in the period when the violin was born - the Baroque period. I believe in fairly simple hardware, time-tested intelligence