This study investigates whether the iconic outlines of stringed instruments from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries were the result of arbitrary intuition or the application of rigorous geometric and numerical principles. Kevin Coates, an expert in the field, challenges the assumption that historical lutherie relied solely on acoustic trial and error. By analyzing the structural design of thirty-three specific historical instruments, the author argues that makers utilized sophisticated mathematical frameworks to achieve both aesthetic harmony and structural integrity.

Experts and historians recognize this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of mathematics and musical instrument construction. Readers frequently note the technical density of the prose, which provides a rigorous, evidence-based approach to a subject often shrouded in speculation.