Taming my (Cello's) Wolf | REVIEW - Theunis Wolf Tuner
Okay, so today is a very exciting day for me! Today we’re going to review the Wolf Tuner, a wolf tone solution created by the Luthier Andre Theunis, whose currently located in Brussels.
I’ve actually been having some issues with the wolf tone on my cello lately, so this couldn’t come at a better time. The weather in LA these days is just totally crazy, I’m cleaning and filling humidifiers left and right!
A big thank you to Mr. Theunis for sending me one to review for you guys, and just to be up front, he did send this to me for the sake of reviewing it, but he didn’t ask me to say or mention anything so everything that follows is 100% my opinion.
I’ll give a quick overview of what a wolf tone is and then we can take a look at the Wolf Tuner together.
Okay, as far as I understand it, the theory on why a wolf tone occurs is that the wood of the cello itself is actually tuned to a particular frequency, usually somewhere between E flat and G.
When the same frequency is made using the bow, the cello’s wood starts vibrating to the point of disrupting the tone being played. This creates little pockets in which the tone essentially dies out and then returns.
That’s the beating you hear when a wolf tone is activated…
It should be mentioned that the degree of wolfiness ranges from instrument to instrument, and contrary to what you might think, most, if not all, of the world’s finest instruments have a wolf note, so it’s not a sign of poor craftsmanship…on the contrary!
Now, let’s take a look at this Wolf Tuner and see what it’s all about!
So this wolf tuner is made of silver and is priced at 130 euros.
According to Mr. Theunis’ website, there is also a Titanium option for 95 euros. It is important to note that aside from completely different materials, these two options are designed to be installed in totally different places on the cello!
According to his website, this silver one I have today should be placed on the C string, 18 mm from the wood of the bridge.
His titanium option is designed to tame wolf tones on the D string specifically and is placed in the pegbox!
Speaking aesthetically, this wolf tuner is absolutely beautiful compared to some of the other devices I’ve used in the past. I mean, look at it! It’s polished and shiny and lovely to look at. And yet, when I install it, I don’t find it distracting at all.
I also LOVE how unobtrusive the device is in terms of installation.
No screws or glueing into place on the cello’s front, no insanely powerful magnets. You just slip it onto the C string and you’re good to go!
I even had my mom try installing it since she has really bad arthritis in both hands and she had no problem.
The wolf tuner comes in this packaging and is accompanied by this helpful card that has an 18 mm cut out that makes installation super easy.
I’m a major fan of how foolproof the system is, since the placement of a wolf tone device is often directly related to how well the device is going to work.
With the wolf tuner you just go to the C string, measure the distance with the card, slide on the tuner, and make sure the opening is towards the bass side of the instrument.
And boom, you’re all set.
Okay, the most important part, does it work?
My answer is yes, and honestly I was very impressed.
The wolf on my cello was completely tamed and it was no longer a threat while I was playing.
More importantly, I’m still very pleased with the tone of my cello, I don’t feel like I’ve lost too much tone, both in terms of resonance and color.
That’s probably the biggest concern with wolf tone devices; often if you find one that really eliminates your wolf tone, it also unfortunately diminishes the tone and power of the entire cello to an unacceptable degree.
To hear a demonstration, go to 3:41 in the video above!
So, I should say that in order to conduct this review, I had to remove the Krentz modulator that I’ve been using for a few years now.
With the Krentz, installation is definitely trickier and I’ve never loved the idea that there’s a large cylinder fixed by magnet inside the body of my cello, nor that when I move it, I’m scraping both sides of my cello’s front with powerful magnets (even if they have felt endings).
I also noticed that the Krentz modulator has left a visual imprint on my cellos varnish, which I tried on my own to polish out to no avail. Bummer.
In terms of sound, I was totally fascinated so I spent a lot of time comparing the two and trying the Krentz in a bunch of different places.
I rewatched the Krentz video on placement and experimented with finding the perfect spot, and honestly to my ear and my wife’s ear, the tone I got with the wolf tuner by Andre Theunis was richer and more beautiful.
For me, I already liked the wolf tuner better due to how much less intrusive it is on my cello.
Coupled with the fact that my cello also sounds better with Mr. Theunis’s device, for me and my cello the Wolf Tuner is the clear winner.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve used the Krentz for many years and it definitely gets the job done.
I just found that for my cello the resulting sound with the wolf tuner was a bit closer to what I wanted to hear.
Cellos are different, everyone’s taste and playing technique is different, and these are all important factors in finding the right wolf tone solution.
But for me, I’ve gotta say I’m very excited about this Wolf Tuner.
If you have any questions about these wolf tone devices, please feel free to email me at billy@adultcello.com
Wolf Tuner Website: https://en.wolf-tuner.com/
