wacky idea

[shwashwa]

ive been thinking about my amplification woes on my various basses and it seems that the better quality instruments have a more difficult time amplifying well. this seems to be supported by conversations ive had with some luthiers. maybe the more responsive the instrument is acoustically the more difficult to amplify? this would make sense since solid body instruments amplify the easiest. anyway, my wacky idea is more of a question really. what would it sound like to amplify a bass with a bridge mute on it? has anyone ever tried this? does it cut feedback? provide a more even tone? id try it myself but i dont have a mute. can anyone try this and report back?

[Mike Goodbar]

I have a mute, but my instrument's quality is so-so. If you could shoot me about $35,000, I'll run out and pick up a nice bass to test your theory.

[shwashwa]

well, what happens to the amplified sound with the mute compared to without?

[AMJBASS]

I haven't tried a bridge mute, but I have found that a bass with a more controlled(less boomy) sound is FAR easier to amplify than a big sounding bass. The other thing I have found is that the transducers that are mounted closer to the strings seem to work very well on basses with a big sound. I have a Wilson on my Tyrolean bass and it sounds just great. I am not a huge fan of that pickup on other instruments though... Interesting idea about a mute.

[salcott]

You're absolutely right, Adrian. I did a session a few years ago where a guitarist brought in an old Martin dreadnaught with a HUGE sound that couldn't be miked except in a big room by itself, which was not available. He ended up using a little parlor guitar with a sweet, focussed sound. I believe the same applies to basses, whether miked or through a pickup. The proximity (of the pickup) to the strings is a big factor as well.

[Ric Vice]

Originally Posted by shwashwa

ive been thinking about my amplification woes on my various basses and it seems that the better quality instruments have a more difficult time amplifying well. this seems to be supported by conversations ive had with some luthiers. maybe the more responsive the instrument is acoustically the more difficult to amplify? this would make sense since solid body instruments amplify the easiest. anyway, my wacky idea is more of a question really. what would it sound like to amplify a bass with a bridge mute on it? has anyone ever tried this? does it cut feedback? provide a more even tone? id try it myself but i dont have a mute. can anyone try this and report back?

Shwashwa,
I did actually try a Tourte mute once, and frankly it didn't sound that great on my bass with the Realist. I hate to bring it up but the Fishman BP-100 with it's mounting clips actually acts like a mute. That pickup on my bass was not a good combination.

Ric