Foam to deaden strings? Anyone?

[SawgrassRaven]

Hey all!

Anyone else besides me use a small piece of foam to dampen (read 'mute') the strings?

I've never been able to master the palm mute or finger mute technique.

Thinking of getting a Fender ashtray to cover the bridge on my '03 P. I know it isn't 'authentic' but that foam strip is ugly!

As a side note, I *do* like the "THUMP" the foam gives!

Any comments welcome!

[Parabolic Box]

I do it sometimes to kill some of the brightness and sustain off my roundwounds. It also gives that lovely thump when I just want to buckle down and do something rather... skiffle.

[Thunder Pulse]

Originally Posted by SawgrassRaven

Anyone else besides me use a small piece of foam to dampen (read 'mute') the strings?

Yeah, Rickenbacker. They build that feature into their basses.

[Mark Wilson]

I do.

[scootron]

I've used foam on a P to get the thump. I used foam that matched pretty well in color and wasn't very visible from the audience.

[onlyclave]

I've seen this done before and I understand people are looking for 'thump'. Are there any recordings I should check out to hear how this sounds? What is the reason for wanting to do this?

[Parabolic Box]

Originally Posted by onlyclave

I've seen this done before and I understand people are looking for 'thump'. Are there any recordings I should check out to hear how this sounds? What is the reason for wanting to do this?

Jamerson's Tamla-Motown work has the muted flats sound. It's supposed to better approximate the sound of an upright.

[pbass2]

I do it a lot. I have chunks of various pieces of foam--different density, thickness, etc. on hand in my studio, or if I do a session elsewhere I always have a few chunks in my bag. I also use palm mute with pick or thumb quite a bit, but, I consider it a different effect than using a piece of foam. It sounds different, and you play differently too. Obviously, with a hunk of foam, you can play fingerstyle and have the mute engaged, but then you're stuck with that. With palm-mute, you can subtley change how you're muting for different parts, or "release" the mute whenever you like. BUT, you can't play "regular" fingerstyle that way. I find that best for pick or thumb.
Both are great techniques to have in your bag of tricks!
My wife just rolls her eyes if we're wandering through Home Depot and I start picking up pieces of weather stripping or what-have-you, getting all Mr. Whipple on 'em

BTW, try it on GUITAR sometime too!

[Linkert]

I use a fabric roll. It looks like a cigar. Sounds more like palm muteing.

[steve66]

If you want to get rid of some overtones, just get a hair scrunchie and position between the nut and first fret.

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by onlyclave

I've seen this done before and I understand people are looking for 'thump'. Are there any recordings I should check out to hear how this sounds? What is the reason for wanting to do this?

http://s30.photobucket.com/albums/c3...t=Video3-1.flv

This is me playing Sir Duke.
Not exactly the best recording. I had food poisoning when I recorded this, so I was loaded on drugs, and wasn't exactly with it.

[MarkTAW]

I have an ashtray on my '73 (it's original) and use that foam you get at the hardware store to stick in the window above an Air Conditioner to prevent the breeze coming in from between the two panes.

[Sir Edward V]

Yeah I employ the piece of sponge technique. It works well, sounds cool.

It's great for playing some P-Funk

[SmittyG]

I have my P set up with Fender flats and a hunk of foam.

[Erick Lam]

I lay my pinky across the strings. I can change density on the fly.

[FLWing]

James Jamerson used it with flats...so did Carol Kaye on her P-bass in the 60's and 70's along with a hard felt pick. Helps reduce harmonic issues and give a traditional Motown sound.

[OptimusPrime]

http://basspartsresource.com/bhardware_mutes.htm

???

[rodl2005]

Originally Posted by Erick Lam

I lay my pinky across the strings. I can change density on the fly.

+1 this is what I do also, But have thought about doing this & I'm sure it'd work well. My old P bass(early 70's model) had a piece of foam built into the underside of the bridge ashtray cover

[MarkTAW]

The pinky thing is OK if you're willing to hamper your right hand technique (or at least, I find I have to if I do that). Plus I *love* the tone I'm getting from my '73 P with the foam under the ashtray.

Wouldn't a sponge dry out? Anyway, bottom line - the ashtray is fine on *any* Fender bass, whatever the vintage.

Hey Mark - that's a huge ass hunk o' foam you got there. I keep my foam between the ashtray & the strings, not between the strings and the body. Also I think the foam I use is softer than yours, so I think it deadens more with less of it. It doesn't stick out from under the ashtray at any rate.

Which leads me to one last comment - the only thing that sort of sucks about the ashtray + foam thing... If you keep your bass out, as I do, for lots of quick access to play any time you want, it collects dust. Even if you play it very day, it sits there all night being, well, an ashtray.

[rodl2005]

[quote=MarkTAW;5664296]
Hey Mark - that's a huge ass hunk o' foam you got there. I keep my foam between the ashtray & the strings, not between the strings and the body. QUOTE]

+1 thats where my '70's Fender's ashtray had the foam, when it came like it from the shop! btw- that bass was stolen in '88