The original instrument is privately owned. It has been adapted to modern playing practices through modifications, in the process of which the neck, bass bar, and other components were lost. In the replica, the neck length is reconstructed according to the “golden ratio,” a proportional ratio from the late Renaissance. The resulting playing length, assuming a hypothetical bridge position at the f-holes, is 34 cm. However, it can be assumed that the frets were set lower before the invention of wound strings. This is at least supported by iconographic evidence.
The fingerboard and tailpiece are crafted for this replica based on originals from a tenor viola by Gasparo da Salò, featuring diamond-shaped inlays. The bridge and peg designs are taken from period paintings. In terms of construction and tone, Brescian instruments differ greatly from those of the Cremonese school. The necks were not nailed in from the inside, as is customary in Cremona, but instead protrude into the body, with the top sides glued in from the sides. The curvature, which is important for the sound, is convex after a short, deep groove and very full.