Robert, I claim that my violins are more powerful because i place the STLs at a narrower angle. They also have more resistance to the bow.
Question to the study:
Why was unusual plates used?
Low freqencies, heavy top and light back.
If tap tones are not important but archings are...
Tap tones are a consequence of arching and wood properties. Too late to start thinking about tap tones after you have made the arch height and shape.
Agree, but I have also seen fiddlers "frantically" moving the sound post around (destroying the top) in late summer, when the problem is the fiddle, that usually sounds fine, except in summer when they usually play.
Yes, there is a strong correlation between humidity and loudness!
But it depends very much on your violin. Some are louder when humid and some when dry
I was thinking that this is so well known, that it didn't need explicit explanation.
Rephrasing:
You can only compare free plate modes like M5 and M2 (there are many others) and B1 modes on a finished violins, if you know their EMC at the time of reading the frequencies.
Ex.(with chinrest)
In mid winter my violins B1+ modes are ~535-540 Hz and in late summer ~520-525Hz.
Free plate mode M5 (winter/summer) ~350-355 Hz/335-340 Hz
To OP
You have discovered that you can not compare frequencies with others and hence the effect they may or may not have on the sound.
You can only compare frequencies M5, M2 and B1 modes on a finished violins, if you know their EMC at the time of reading the frequencies.