massive practice mute...

[tbassist4]

http://shop1.mailordercentral.com/lemurmusic/prodinfo.asp?number=A1374

I was looking at this mute today, and I was wondering if these things really work well. I know they have to dampen at least a little bit of the sound, but I've heard that in some cases they do not work too well. Being in my senior year of highschool, I have a lot of practicing to do for college auditions, and a lot of times I cannot do it until late. The only problem is that my parents are asleep by then and the sound travels into their room and keeps them awake, so no I am unable to practice later. Would this help significantly? I practice in the basement on one end of the house and it virbrates through the floor to their room on the main floor. Would this help dampen the low frequencies of the bass? Or would it merely make the sound slightly duller? Any feedback would be greatly appriciated. Thank you!

[hdiddy]

I use a big rubber mute like the one you linked to. It just takes the edge off things and makes it a little duller. It kills the some of the punch but it doesn't dampen the bottom bassiness very much. Don't expect it to quiet your bass.

Still you should get the mute and try other things along with it. You could try plugging the f-holes and then maybe stick a rag between the strings at the bridge. You can also try dampening the bassment. Hang heavy blankets or carpets along the walls and on the ceiling if possible.

The only somewhat sure thing is to go buy an EUB to practice on.

[Just some guy]

You could try begging your parents for understanding in this very important time. I'm sure they put up with alot more late-night noise when you were an infant. A few nights and they might even find it conducive to sleep.

[Arnold]

I have one and it dulls the sound a bit. I'd also try a big rubber rock stop as that can stop the vibrations on the floor and then they dont travel so much. The blankets are also a good idea. After all this your own creativity comes into play. Can you practice in the morning? Then, louder stuff in the daytime, softer stuff at night. Involve your parents, they want you to be happy more than you know.
Peace.
ASG

[bejoyous]

I find these dampen the sound quite a bit, especially if you push it right down so the mute is completely on the bridge. Oh yeah, and play softer, too.

On a slightly different topic:

I found the Torte round mute just doesn't alter the sound at all. A big ebony carved mute really alters the sound but is too clanky when put on and off. And if you want to turn 1100 heads around and look at you, just drop an ebony mute on the floor when you take the mute off at the end of a soft, slow movement!!

so, I sawed the two sides off my Ultra Practice mute so it just has the three prongs sticking out. I use this as my orchestral mute and it works great. The rubber is quiet when you put it on and off, plus it'll stay on the lower ledge of a Manhasset stand no problem when you need to put it on and off rapidly.

[PaulCannon]

Originally Posted by bejoyous

so, I sawed the two sides off my Ultra Practice mute so it just has the three prongs sticking out. I use this as my orchestral mute and it works great. The rubber is quiet when you put it on and off, plus it'll stay on the lower ledge of a Manhasset stand no problem when you need to put it on and off rapidly.

If you're looking for a high quality performance mute, I'd suggest a leather mute. They work very well, but I'm not a huge fan of mutes to begin with and don't want to spend any more money than I already have on the things. But if I wanted a good mute, I'd definitely get a leather one.

[hdiddy]

Originally Posted by PaulCannon

If you're looking for a high quality performance mute, I'd suggest a leather mute.

Leather? Never heard of it. Whats it like? Can you compare to rubber mute for us? Thanks.

[Jake]

Originally Posted by bejoyous

I find these dampen the sound quite a bit, especially if you push it right down so the mute is completely on the bridge. Oh yeah, and play softer, too.

On a slightly different topic:

I found the Torte round mute just doesn't alter the sound at all. A big ebony carved mute really alters the sound but is too clanky when put on and off. And if you want to turn 1100 heads around and look at you, just drop an ebony mute on the floor when you take the mute off at the end of a soft, slow movement!!

so, I sawed the two sides off my Ultra Practice mute so it just has the three prongs sticking out. I use this as my orchestral mute and it works great. The rubber is quiet when you put it on and off, plus it'll stay on the lower ledge of a Manhasset stand no problem when you need to put it on and off rapidly.

Those big rubber Ultra Practice Mutes work very well. I used to have one and it muted the bass a lot. This would probably work great for solos where you're not playing a lot of low notes. The low notes still resonate and travel through the walls.
Also, when I was practicing for college auditions, I practiced in the practice rooms at the University of Florida around the clock. I was never a full time student, I just took bass lessons and played in the orchestra there, so I probably wasn't supposed to be there, but nobody bothered me and it worked out great. Is there a college or university music building nearby where you could practice at night?

[PaulCannon]

Leather mutes have a very noticable change to the instrument's tone, and the sound is good. It also allows the bass the vibrate almost as much as is normal.

[Pete G]

So who sells a leather mute for basses?

[SLaPiNFuNK]

ehhhhhh they dont work well.... best use is for orcastral music that calls for mutes....

[bejoyous]

Hey, I found the website for leather mutes. It is under the very mysterious name of www.leathermutes.com .

[Pete G]

No wonder I couldn't find it.

[Pete G]

I just got my mute from the Canadian site noted above by Bejoyous.

I have to agree with Paul -- this is a very nice option, compared to other mutes I've tried. It definitely mutes the bass as much or more than my rubber tourte mute, but the quality of the tone is much richer.

I heartily recommend this little accessory. Not cheap, but then nothing good is...

[hdiddy]

Wow! $70 big ones for a practice mute!

Oh well, I'll give it a whirl and report back.

[billyfalconer]

Originally Posted by hdiddy

Wow! $70 big ones for a practice mute! Oh well, I'll give it a whirl and report back.

The $70 leather mutes are performance mutes, aren't they? I think the only practice mute that's been discussed in this thread is the massive rubber one.

[Pete G]

No, the practice mute offered at the Leather Mutes web site is $70. The performance mute is $45.

[AndersLasson]

Hi,

My experience from playing cello with a mute (ebenholtz mute by the way) is that the mute changes the tone and instrument dynamics so much that you do not hear the details that you play. I think it is difficult to get a reasonable practice quality for bow technique since the mute hides some of the instrument sound. If you play only pizz this may not be a large problem, but if you want to practice with bow I think you could spend your money better IMHO.

BR, Anders

[Russell Bergum]

Originally Posted by Pete G

I just got my mute from the Canadian site noted above by Bejoyous.

I have to agree with Paul -- this is a very nice option, compared to other mutes I've tried. It definitely mutes the bass as much or more than my rubber tourte mute, but the quality of the tone is much richer.

I heartily recommend this little accessory. Not cheap, but then nothing good is...

+1

Resurrecting on old thread. I just got my leather performance mute and iit is GREAT! Highly recommended. Definitely worth it.

[LouisF]

Try these:

The Bassment - Dennis Roy, Bass Sales & Repair - Mutes For Sale

Louis