Violin Forum/Message Board

Mat Roop · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 11:09 am Post subject: wolf notes on violin

Recently I had a violin in and it had a classic wolf note on the A string b & c notes. The set up was horribly out of standard, so I assumed the fix would be easy. Never pays to assume! I tried all the tricks of set up both minor and major changes... some helped such as narrower waist on the bridge and post further from bridge towards the end pin... but the underlying wolf was still there to some degree. My low cost solution was the Rezx resonance modulator.
Because I have found wolf notes on many violins over time, and in retrospect, many if not most have been on the A string...
Hence my question...Is it generally true that the wolf notes occur most often on the A string? If so, is there a fairly common permanent solution (assuming normal set & violin condition)?
Thanks, Mat

Michael Darnton · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 12:19 pm Post subject:

The most common place for a wolf is around C or C#, way up the fingerboard on the G string. If the wolf is bad, then it will show up just short of the octave on the D string, and if it's terrible, then on the A string as well. This is all the same note, it's just that the fatter strings are the first ones to go wild. The wolf is not on a string; it's on a note, wherever that note is found. The only reason you don't hear it on the E string is because the E string doesn't go that low.

Almost every violin has some sort of wolf just short of that octave and a half spot on the G. I'm betting the reason you think they're on the A string is because you never play in higher positions.

Solutions vary. The most effective is to put a weight on the top about 35mm below the G-side f-hole, a bit towards the bar. When making, it's smart to make that spot thick. In old English cellos it's not uncommon to find a big English penny glued to the corresponding spot, and that's where internal wolfers go. If you use pairs of magnets, that's where you need the weight. The reason is not magical resonance tuning; it's damping. With that part stiffer or heavier, or with a weight on it, it can't move, so it doesn't wolf. You can easily demonstrate this by having someone play the wolf while you scan that area with your fingertip to find the location of maximum vibration, then press your finger there to calm that area, and the wolf goes away.

Usually there's a corresponding wild spot in the upper bout, also, above the f-hole, that vibrates less, but still in harmony with the wolf, still giving wild vibrations.

This area doesn't only contribute to the wolf, but also to all the notes around it. Killing the wolf affects that whole range of notes, sometimes not in a desirable way. It's a dance. If you put the weight slightly off the spot, you can adjust the response to get the degree of change you need.

The easy way to adjust a wolf out in many cases is to move the post closer to the bridge, and pull it out tighter.

There are some makers who claim to make instruments without wolves. In general the ones built on that claim that I've played have been crappy in every respect. If a violin is dead, it won't wolf--that's one solution. :-)
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Mat Roop · Posted: Sun Apr 10, 2016 1:29 pm Post subject:

Thanks Michael... you are spot on.. not that that should surprise anyone!
You are right, most of my customers are fiddlers and what little I play is mostly in first position.
The effect of the magnets was strongest at about 40 mm below the bass f hole, but that muted too many other notes, so the sweetest spot turned out to be about 60mm below the f hole and a bit toward the bassbar. I worked wth the musician and he liked the final result tonaly, but I am not sure he liked the appearance of the magnet. I did suggest he play for a month or so experimenting with the placement of the magnets, and if he found a specific location that suited all his music, then we could glue an internal weight equal to the magnets at that location.
Thanks Michael, for sharing your knowledge!... Mat

Dave Chandler · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 5:30 pm Post subject:

I embeded two or three small split-shot in a small scrap of soft wood, and using an f-hole clamp, glued it into position. This was on a new violin, and based on using your rezx to find a solution. Some months later, as the violin settled in, I had to pry it back out. I had located it about 10mm above the treble f hole, and over time it began to cause other sound issues I could not resolve until it was gone.
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Mat Roop · Posted: Fri Apr 15, 2016 10:33 am Post subject:

Dave, Sounds familiar... I have often heard that installing one of these (Lupus-ex) https://www.violins.ca/accessories/wolftone_eliminators.html which glues to the inside of the instrument, initially solves the problem, but later the player insists on its removal. I guess that is one advantage of just keeping the Rezx as it is easy to move as needed and when conditions change.
Cheers, Mat