Violin Forum/Message Board

Tommy Traddles · Junior Member Joined: 07 Feb 2014 Posts: 4

I have a rather irritating, fluctuating "B" on my "G" string. (Forgive my lude explanation, I'm new here). If I play it muted it'll sound like driving on a washboard road and when un-muted it goes sharp to flat at an alarming rate. I don't think it was always like this, but I'm also new to the instrument (since August) and have been learning mostly Suzuki (book one) and Irish tunes. These have tended to stay on E A D. Teaching myself "Ashokan Farewell" now and that has magnified the issue... Anyway, just wonder what I can do.

Thanks!

Scott S · Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 1:14 pm Post subject:

Have a luthier take a look at it. You may just need a new bridge or adjustment made to correct the geometry of the strings over the fingerboard. A luthier should be able to spot this quickly and for free.

Scott
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Tommy Traddles · Junior Member Joined: 07 Feb 2014 Posts: 4

Thank you! I have a friend of a friend who is an amateur luthier. The only pro I'd know to go to is "Ifshin". Anyone have any suggestions for other luthiers in the bay area?

L P Reedy · Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 6:53 pm Post subject:

Sounds to me like a wolf note. They can be tricky to eliminate sometimes. May take more than an amateur luthier. You can try a different type of string, different bridge cut, soundpost adjustment, split fishing sinker on the afterlength of that string, small rubber mute same place and a number of other possibilities. No guarantees. Many people learn to "play around" them. It may not be that, but I can't think of anything else that does that.

Michael Darnton · Posted: Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:36 pm Post subject:

While you play the offending note, have a friend run fingertips lightly around on the top, looking for a place that is more actively vibrating than everywhere else. This should feel pretty wild, relative to the rest. When you find that spot, have friend push on that spot while you play. If this works, stick a weight there. The usual place is inside, since sticky stuff will harm the varnish.
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Tommy Traddles · Junior Member Joined: 07 Feb 2014 Posts: 4

I understand the concept, but how does the weight stay in place? And is this a temporary fix or just isolating where the wolf note is occurring in the body? Thanks for everyone's help so far!

Michael Darnton · Posted: Thu Feb 13, 2014 3:07 pm Post subject:

The weight snuffs the wolf, permanently, by taking away the place that it acts on. This is a very common solution, at least 100+ years old. I am not going to be telling you how to stick things on your violin, though--there are various risks to the varnish.
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