String Mutes vs. Intonation

[RSY]

I have a very early StingRay that I'm trying to get a mellower sound out of. On one hand, I could string her up with some flats. Or, I could use the bridge mutes. However, I've sometimes heard about such devices really screwing with the intonation.

What's the scoop? Thanks, in advance, mis amigos.

scott

[Phalex]

Mutes will jack up your intonation if they are pressing too hard against the strings. It should be a soft touch. You don't want to jam the mute against the string. Try the flats.

[RSY]

Yeah, I think I will try some flats, instead. The mutes also reduce the sustain of the played note.

I see where they've done away with this "feature" on the newer StringRays. That should be a hint, I guess.

scott

[62bass]

Originally Posted by RSY

Yeah, I think I will try some flats, instead. The mutes also reduce the sustain of the played note.

I see where they've done away with this "feature" on the newer StringRays. That should be a hint, I guess.

scott

Yes, my Stingray had them. If you put them on hard enough to notice anything, it was too much and it did screw the intonation. The mutes were either too much or none at all.

Thomastic flats on a Stingray sound fantastic. You might give them a try. The high price is more than offset by the extraordinary long life.

I use a bit of foam under the strings at the bridge, just touching the strings enough to get rid of some of the annoying harmonics (although there are few of these with Thomastics) but not enough to deaden the sound or kill sustain. It takes a bit of trimming and fiddling about to get it right but it works. You don't want to deaden it down the way the guys do now who think they know how to get a Motown sound. Just a touch. The foam shouldn't be extremely hard or dense. Just about medium. Weather stripping is too dense.