Alright, who's rockin' the foam?

[AndyLES]

Alright, so I'm primarily a finger player, but from time to time I'll use a pick, mainly for the sound (and, for some heavier songs Metallica/Newstead-esque stuff, it just makes more sense to, technique wise).

Anyhow, I'm short (5'6") and when I play with a pick in such a way to get that stacatto/palm muted sound, I then have a hard time fretting the low notes (f/f#).

When I play fingerstyle, I always play over the pickup, as it's way more confortable and facilitates greater ease of movement. But when I play the pick in that area, I lose the stacatto feel.

I've heard of guys taping foam to their bridges, but is there a way to do it that isn't so obstrusive, aesthetically? I'd love to buy one of those vintage Fender Jazz basses with the built-on string mutes, but I'm afraid I don't have that kinda scratch right now.

Any suggestions on how best to incorporate this?

[James Hart]

I use foam on my fretted 5... heavy flats and foam for an old school thump.



it's a piece of left over foam from a window AC seal kit I bought at Home Depot

[TOOL460002]

My previous bass had the built-in mutes, but I rarely used them, as it's not my style. However, the way they are situated in there makes for small knobs, and it's a chore to lift and lower them. If you're planning on changing it from song to song, I would say sacrifice a couple of style points and go with the piece of foam. Also, I tried out a chunk of foam on that same bass and didn't notice a difference in tone. Foam is foam. As suggested above, hit up Home Depot instead of buying a new bass.

[Jaydin Nathan]

I was thinking about getting a bridge cover (if it's a Fender, I guess this will look more 'in place'), and putting the foam on the bottom of that. Then putting magnets on the bottom of the bridge cover, so I can quickly put it on and take it off when needed. I'm not sure if this would work though.

[spigmu]

Foam foam foam.

I never did get all the basscentric angles for maximizing sustain. I don't want it to sound like a low note on an organ. BadAss bridge with extra mass? I use WimpDick bridges with no mass that thump. And the only bass I ever had that was neck through with a BigBrassBridge it was foam foam foam foam.

[The Golden Boy]

I do it with my basses when I need that sound. I use an old neoprene mousepad for some basses and an old neoprene wristpad for other basses:






I just was trying different sizes of foam, and now have a piece of wristpad foam cut to size, instead of a few slices of thinner foam...

[bThumper38]

http://www.bassmute.com/bassmute/bm_mainframe.html

I've got one of this on my jazz bass. it's the kill...brian

[Lichtaffen]

I bought a huge yellow foam sponge from Home Depot and cut a piece out with an xacto knife. Then I mash it under the strings right in front of the bridge. The foam I use is not dense and it doesn't put any pressure on the strings. Not rocket science. Not very pretty either, but I only use it occasionally. The strings still ring out, but it dulls those overtones and gives you the thud.

[HUnt49]

I used to have a Stingray with mute pads -- they were actually not a bad little tool, if used correctly. I kept them turned down just below contact, and it was quick to raise them when I needed them. The trick was to be subtle with them, and just let them graze the string - otherwise I felt like I lost some tone (but gained thump and decay). Experiment with different thicknesses of foam to get different levels of force against the string.

I've also used a chunk of foam to tame some EMG's in a 5, but that was more an indication of a problem with a set of pickups that weren't fit for the job at hand.

[gnasher1993]

I've got a 60s style pickup cover coming for my jazz bass so I can cover the foam. It looks pretty ugly to be honest

[Illbay]

Originally Posted by AndyLES

Any suggestions on how best to incorporate this?

The "old school" way, I believe, is to stuff it in the ashtray cover over the bridge. FYI.

[Illbay]

Originally Posted by The Golden Boy

Trés Elegant.