All true points Ken. Didn't mean for this to be a -my shape is better than your shape- style thread. It's just one of those many mysteries of our fine instrument that I'd always been curious about. Probably shouldn't have titled the thread 'Gamba Vs. Violin... - Should really have been - Is there an audible difference is bass shapes?
No one shape is better than the other. If a shape/sound doesn't do what you want it to do then it's not the 'best' for that job.
Or to quote my grandfather - A penny more than you need and you're rich. A penny less and you're poor. -
I think it would be a shame if our instruments went the way of the Formula 1 racing cars. No variation or flair. Rewind back to early last century and race cars came in all shapes and sizes. Then again maybe this ****ogy highlights that difference - our instruments are not about competing with each other, whereas car racing is all about the competition so all things have to be equal (or as equal as possible
)
I digress.