the museum collects musical instruments of historical significance, in particular violins and other string instruments by antonio stradivari, guarneri del gesù, jacob stainer, amati, rogeri, joseph guarneri filius andrea, vincenzo rugeri, seraphin, gagliano, guadagnini and other famous artisans. the collection is noted for the guarneri del gesù "ole bull" violin of 1744, which is believed to be the last work of guarneri del gesù. as of 2019, the museum houses more than 1,370 violins and has allowed more than 3,000 violinists to borrow from the collection, with more than 220 violins out on loan. the museum loans the antique instruments to distinguished musicians free of charge. in 1999, yo-yo ma borrowed the "pawle stradivarius" cello for a concert in taipei. in 2015, yu-chien tseng won the silver prize (no gold prize was awarded) at the 15th international tchaikovsky competition with the "castelbarco-tarisio guarnerius" violin from the museum.