We demonstrate an all-fiber acousto-optic tunable filter based on two-spatial-mode coupling, with improved ruggedness and efficiency, by using a new acoustic-transducer design. We use a rigorous modeling of the flexural acoustic wave to analyze the mode coupling with better accuracy. Using the acousto-optic tunable filter, we demonstrate a novel all-fiber tunable laser with a tuning range of more than 20 nm and a linewidth of 0.2 nm.