Mayer, a plant expert from the University of Tennessee, and Bill Clay, a climate expert from Columbia University, studied climate data from 16 forest areas in western France to southern Germany over the past 500 years. They found that from 1645 to 1715, many regions in Europe continued to experience a climate of "long winters and cool summers", with slow growth of local trees. Stradivari was born in 1644, and his most famous violin was mainly "born" between 1700 and 1720. The spruce tree, which grew between 1625 and 1720 and was used by Stradivarius to make violins, has extremely narrow annual rings.

According to Mayer, this type of wood has a very dense texture and is durable, making violins made from it capable of producing extraordinary resonance effects. Of course, the production process and varnish used in Stradivarius violins are also unique. However, the consistently colder climate played an important role in improving the sound quality of the violin.