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Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19673, 15 December 1933, Page 12

That New Zealand woods are highly suitable for violin making is the opinion of Mr J. C. Stubbs, of Claudelands, Hamilton, who has made some highly successful experiments with kauri and mangahau. He has just finished the manufacture of an instrument *he tone of which rivals that of many old imported violins. Mr Stubbs uses wellseasoned kauri for the body of the violin and mangahau for the head. He modelled it on the lines of a Guarnerius, made in 1734, and sold recently for £40,000. Excellent finish is a feature of the instrument, the scroll of which is finely carved, while the ribs and body are solidly co-ordinated to give qualities of resonance of outstanding merit, superior to those of the average instrument. Several Hamilton musicians have commented favourably on the results achieved with the "kauri violin.” It is Mr Stubbs’s intention to construct another violin from imported timbers for purposes of comparison.