Faster

[Mat Roop]

Is this for real?   a magic bullet?

https://fastersound.com/?utm_source=Strings&utm_campaign=41789ff1ca-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2020_03_27_STN_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5c9b2872ef-41789ff1ca-364424785&mc_cid=41789ff1ca&mc_eid=3ef86d88f7

 

 

[Don Noon]

"It increases volume, acoustic stability under pressure and humidity variations, harmonics production, dynamic range, sound projection, tone quality, ease of performance, and the lifetime of the strings. It also reduces or suppresses wolf tones, and provides other nice features that will undoubtedly make your life easier, at least, when performing."

But mostly reduces your bank account.

[Nick Allen]

Looks like a buncha horseshit. 

[Violadamore]

1 hour ago, Nick Allen said:

Looks like a buncha horseshit. 

Looks like someone has a supply of cheap plastic end buttons, a case of surplus stainless trocar needles, Internet access, a genius for easy money, and too much time on their hands. 

[Spongebob]

It's a direction like with CDs.
...acoustic stability under pressure and humidity variations, harmonics production, dynamic range, sound projection, tone quality, ease of performance, and the lifetime of the strings ...IS OVERRATED

[Mr. Bean]

But look at the reviews: Yo Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky and a whole lot more of world wide big shots!

Would like to see a valid scientific argumentation though!

 

[GeorgeH]

Rattle snake rattles are much cheaper and easier to install.

 

[mood2000]

 

[Bow and Scrape]

Here is the inventor http://www.lozanoviolins.com/lozanoviolins.com/CURRICULUM_%26_PICTURES_English.html

Here is his US patent https://image-ppubs.uspto.gov/dirsearch-public/print/downloadPdf/10593307

[Wood Butcher]

2 hours ago, Mr. Bean said:

But look at the reviews: Yo Yo Ma, Mischa Maisky and a whole lot more of world wide big shots!

Would like to see a valid scientific argumentation though!

 

It would be useful to know, and this applies to any reviews, if the reviewer(s) gained financially, or received gifts, as a result of their review.

I would have read their reviews, but the website does not seem to be working correctly.

Seems a lot of trouble to put a kazoo in your violin.

[FiddleDoug]

Does it have a 440 pitch pipe in it? Rather than magic bullet, it sounds more like magic bull****.

[mapuu]

From his CV it's apparent he is also the creator of OLD WOOD. Which I haven't used but I know many do, and consider to be a decent product... not that it adds any credibility to the magic acoustic endpin idea, it does certainly sound unlikely! Has anyone who reads this actually tried it??

[Violadamore]

10 hours ago, Violadamore said:

Looks like someone has a supply of cheap plastic end buttons, a case of surplus stainless trocar needles, Internet access, a genius for easy money, and too much time on their hands. 

By reading through the patent referenced above by @Bow and Scrape one sees that the needle like resonator actually has some internal parts not apparent in the website photo.  One also finds extensive explanations and illustrations, of a commendable clarity, compared to many patents I have read.

I'll leave the objective validity of the patent contents, as well as the usefulness of the device described, to the judgement of my learned colleagues.  I've attached a PDF of the patent below. 

US10593307.pdf

[David Burgess]

7 hours ago, GeorgeH said:

Rattle snake rattles are much cheaper and easier to install.

Just don't forget to remove the snake from the rattles, before inserting them into the instrument.

19 hours ago, Don Noon said:

"It increases volume, acoustic stability under pressure and humidity variations, harmonics production, dynamic range, sound projection, tone quality, ease of performance, and the lifetime of the strings. It also reduces or suppresses wolf tones, and provides other nice features that will undoubtedly make your life easier, at least, when performing."

That would seem to include everything that anyone could ever need, except for a "happy-finish". I think I'll hold off until an upgraded version with the happy-finish comes out. Probably any day now.

[duane88]

15 hours ago, Nick Allen said:

Looks like a buncha horseshit. 

Hey, I think that some well known makers have used that substance as part of a very successful ground...

[Michael Darnton]

One aspect is reminiscent of the hollow end buttons that have been popular from time to time. 

Secondly, I remember a long ago report of an attempt at Oberlin to limit wolves by placing a piece of wire with a weight through the endpin with the idea that moving the wire in and out perhaps it could be tuned to the wolf and act like a wolfer. . .  and the subsequent report that the end block turned out to be so mobile from the pull of the tailpiece vibrations that the pendulized weight ended up slapping the inside of the violin. And players do often have a preference for side vs end mounted chinrests for their specific violin. So something is going on there.

But if you made the pendulized wire a stiff tube instead, maybe that would have the desired effect of sapping the wolf. And then if you tuned the tube length to the general neighborhood of the wolf it would work better. And then if you punched holes in the side it would allow the same immediate air flow as the shorter hollow endpin . . .And then if you made it out of fancy materials you could charge $700 for it.

So while it sounds whacky, it's not crazier than plate tuning, magical varnish and wood treatments, remote incantations, various titanium doodads, and a lot of other things people try. I suspect it does have an effect. The question is whether we would all agree that the effect is good. For instance, most people like the wolfer's effect on the wolf, but a certain percentage can't live with what the wolfer does to all of the surrounding notes, and elect to do without.

[Don Noon]

5 hours ago, Michael Darnton said:

So while it sounds whacky, it's not crazier than plate tuning...

In reading the patent, it's all gobledygook about air resonances that make no mention of being tuned to possible wolf notes.  Even if it was supposed to be a wolf eliminator, it would need to be tuned to the exact frequency of the wolf note of the specific instrument at the specific environmental conditions at the time, otherwise it would make the wolf worse.

It looks whackier than plate tuning, but at least its effect is likely to be less detrimental (excepting the $$ aspect).

[mezzopiano]

To some extent, the device looks similar to an idea someone had about 100 years ago:
https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/60/a0/05/a7e70c97a37510/US1777070.pdf
with a few extra "tweaks".

The idea of improving the sound of an instrument by adding, modifying, or replacing an "invisible component" is certainly appealing and through the history of patent applications there have been quite a number of other resonator devices for stringed instruments, the installation of which often requiring opening the instruments and even modifying them. However, it does not seem that any of these devices are being generally advertised or suggested today.

The FASTER device is not cheap, but if some of the reviews are to be believed (several could have been biased by a "treatment expectation effect"), it brings improvements comparable to spending much more for a better instrument...

I was a bit surprised that the inventor only applied for a patent in the US and Spain, and did not file an International patent application instead, which would have allowed him to choose more countries/regions later. Possibly a decision based on financial considerations.

On a less serious note, all this reminded me of the "God Pillar":

 

[Michael Darnton]

1 hour ago, Don Noon said:

....  Even if it was supposed to be a wolf eliminator, it would need to be tuned to the exact frequency of the wolf note of the specific instrument at the specific environmental conditions at the time, otherwise it would make the wolf worse....

Is that theoretical? Because that is certainly not my experience.

[Don Noon]

1 hour ago, Michael Darnton said:

Is that theoretical? Because that is certainly not my experience.

Some experience, some theoretical.  It depends on the wolf eliminator.  If it's something stuck onto the active area of the body, it doesn't need tuning.  If it's a tuned non-radiating oscillator, the damping matters.  A very low-damped oscillator would need to be tuned fairly precisely.

[Violadamore]

The primary purpose of the thing seems to be to produce an airflow through the violin during play.  My major question about this accessory is whether

"inside the instrument remains a great amount of residual air which cannot get out through the holes and is blocked inside the sound box, thus producing turbulences and cramming which prevents the top and bottom plates of the instrument from wholly vibrating, thus reducing the production of harmonics.  Obviously , that restriction in harmonic production worsens to a great extent the ease of performance , the sound and timbre clarity, the volume, and the uniform sound protection ." , as claimed in the patent.

It seems to me that a simple experiment to see if trapped air interferes with violin operation would be to make an end peg with a tube running through it, attached through a light, flexible hose to a source of very low pressure compressed air such as an aquarium pump.  Have someone play the violin, while someone else turns the airflow on and off, and see if any positive improvements occur in the sound as well as in the ease of playing while the air is flowing.  Somebody in need of it could probably get an easy to write string instrument acoustics paper out of this.

And no, I don't need one. 

[David Burgess]

2 hours ago, Violadamore said:

attached through a light, flexible hose to a source of very low pressure compressed air such as an aquarium pump.

When I market this, it will be a tube running from the end button to the mouth. To accomplish the air exchange, you inhale through the tube, and exhale through the nose. The tube will also allow singing or humming into the instrument to produce interesting polyphonic effects.
It will be called "The Tooba", and will take the string world by storm!

[Davide Sora]

4 hours ago, David Burgess said:

When I market this, it will be a tube running from the end button to the mouth. To accomplish the air exchange, you inhale through the tube, and exhale through the nose. The tube will also allow singing or humming into the instrument to produce interesting polyphonic effects.
It will be called "The Tooba", and will take the string world by storm!

Just don't call it "talk box", it may already be copyrighted.

https://youtu.be/GvS8oCqOp5I?t=254

 

[Violadamore]

4 hours ago, David Burgess said:

When I market this, it will be a tube running from the end button to the mouth. To accomplish the air exchange, you inhale through the tube, and exhale through the nose. The tube will also allow singing or humming into the instrument to produce interesting polyphonic effects.
It will be called "The Tooba", and will take the string world by storm!

I see endless opportunities for your usual brand of humor, as well...........      

[Michael Darnton]

9 hours ago, Don Noon said:

If it's a tuned non-radiating oscillator, the damping matters.  A very low-damped oscillator would need to be tuned fairly precisely.

If a cello wolfer on the afterlength is an example of this, again, I disagree. Perhaps you could specify. I adjust a lot of these and find that players often come close enough--within a full note--to subdue the wolf but not eliminate it, but I've never seen a wolf get worse with ANY type of wolfer that's in common use.