With a great Italian instrument, you can't really force your will on it.

With the collapse of the postwar dollar in the early 70's, demand for perhaps 5,000 to 7,000 credibly certified old Italian instruments went global.

The main advantages are the flexibility of its use and its economic convenience compared to Italian traditional juridical instruments.

"These types of Italian instruments are frequently unsigned," he said.

Almost all top soloists play fine Italian instruments.

No one can say for sure how many Italian instruments there are to buy.

They differ slightly in construction from the Italian instruments described by Praetorius.

It is estimated that fewer than 7,000 Italian instruments of such pedigree exist in the world.

"I thought it was some kind of Italian romantic instrument," he said.

Replicas of classic Italian instruments form the basis of his work.