Not a live wolf. No more than the bow’s “frog” is a live frog. How could one possibly fit a real wolf inside something with no more depth than a cigar box? No, I mean a wolf tone, so called because it’s supposed to remind you of the animal howling.
Well, not exactly. Not even a crying Israeli jackal, actually. Mine, which occurs on my $500 rental beginner’s violin when I bow a C natural in first position on the A string, is more wispy. Like an intermittent breeze ruffling tree leaves if I were to sustain it past four beats, which I try not to. It’s become a phobia of mine now.
I’d noticed the wispy breeze for months, no matter what corrective I made to bow speed, fingering, shoulder movement, thumb-on-the-frog, etc. So, the other day while trying out some new $500 bows to replace my chunky $30 student fiberglass, which I seem to have outgrown, I asked the shop pro to check it out.
He did, including in a higher position. He said it was a probable wolf, i.e. a sympathetic artificial overtone which could be due to the string or to the spruce-maple combination of the wooden violin itself.
Which cements my previous intention to return this Eastman beginner’s instrument around my one-year beginner’s anniversary in December and buy a new step-up one. I’ll probably get another Eastman, a 405 for around $1,200. And new strings, maybe expensive Dominants. But, first, I’ll be sure to check that C natural. And hope I can say adieu to the wolf. Forever.
UPDATE: Well, now, this fellow says: “On a good violin with the traditional bass bar you tend to have a wolf tone on the B natural or C natural above A 440.” And he adds that’s especially so on the A string. I’m not sure my rental qualifies as “good,” but the wolf is right there.
THE TEXAS SCRIBBLER 
Go ahead and spring for that Strad, Scribbler. “You can buy it, go on, try it. Pay me next week.”
Ten points if you can identify the song that’s from. Without cheating via the web…
Strad’s are waaaay beyond me. At this stage I probably couldn’t tell the difference anyhow. I have no idea what the words are from and, apparently, Google doesn’t either.
That shows you have already up a few steps on the learning ladder, recognizing the fault. Cool.
Could be. After a week’s test of the $500 bows (a wooden one and a carbon fiber one) I decided they aren’t as good as my warped $38 wooden cheapie which I bought off Amazon. So I’ll be testing a few more this coming week.
UPDATE: I finally bought a $300 German Pernambuco which is slightly heavier (by a gram or two) than the more expensive ones I tested.