Or that he soaked his wood before using it, or it was the varnish he used, or the fact that most surviving instruments have been re-graduated, had new bass-bars fitted and new necks for a modern playing conversion. Lots of people have tried coming up with ideas about what made his instruments sound the way they did. I think alot of it is simply the age of the instrument and good craftsmanship.
One thing about that ice-age-wood idea is if a tree was to grow in a mini ice age, that part of the tree would still exit today, just deeper in the tree, so wood like Strad used could technically still be available today.....
How are you clamping the top on, ~john~?