Double Bass Afterlength damper?

[tornadobass]

I've been experimenting with an afterlength damper when my bass is amplified (American Standard through RSII).

It's basically a strip of thick velcro that's wrapped around the strings a couple inches below the bridge.

Thoughts on using something like this?

 

[bolo]

I picked up a Vibramute from Lemur a while back when I was ordering strings one time. It was $6 I think. But they don't appear to list them on their web site anymore though.

Clear plastic tube w/ like little corks stuck in each end. You could probably fashion one yourself I reckon. The clear plastic makes it almost invisible, which appealed to me.

IME it does help w/ reducing feedback to a degree. I think in the middle of the afterlength it has the most impact. Sliding it closer to the tailpiece lessens the dampening effect.

With what you’ve shown, maybe you could weave it in and out of the afterlengths to get more 'pressure' on the D and A strings somehow?? Just a thought.

 

[karlgustav]

I am useing something that I dont know how to call in english
but for example basketball players and other athlets are wearing it on a a wrist to whipe sweat I think. If someone understood what I was talking about and nows how to call that thing,then please let me know too!
anyways the "wrist thing" is working quite well against feedback.

 

[mchildree]

I've been using a velcro strap on my basses since I did my first URB studio session. Was having trouble with sympathetic ringing and noticed that my Azola EUB had that velcro strip damper. I figured Steve Azola knows what's what, so I tried it on my acoustic bass and haven't been without it since.

 

[Marc Piane]

I try not the mute anything if possible. I do keep a strip of that red felt that piano tuners use to mute the strings when they are tuning. If things get loud and feeback becomes an issue I thread that through the afterlengths.

 

[Jeff Guevin]

karlgustav, I think that's a "wristband". Please report on whether it works better with or without the sweat.

 

[karlgustav]

works fine without a sweat.
thank you for expanding my vocabulary.

 

[Ric Vice]

Bolo and Toranado Bass:
I also have a "Vibramute" Damper. I just happend to buy two, so I have a spare. Here is the info from the little instruction sheet.

Don Payne c/o Jazzazart Productions
861-NW Avenue
Plantation, Floridia 33317

1-800-406-2320

email:[email protected]

 

[Randy Ward]

Don is a great guy; I take lessons from him now and then and send him as a sub and he does the same for me. You can order the Vibramute directly from him but I don't think there is a way to do it from his site. He is cool with either e-mail or a call but sometimes family members tie up his computer so call if you are in a hurry. The reason the Vibramute is a bit better than Velcro is because you can slide it up and down for varying degrees of muting and it is kind of 'invisable'. He also has a secret 'deluxe' model that he made up for some LA symphony guys that has brass beads and weighs a little more. The Vibramute is a simple thing but I think it really works well. I lost mine recently when it fell off at an gig and I've yet to replace it. I am missing it.

Here is Don Paynes Web Site:

http://www.recyclednotes.com/

Check out his discography.

A very creative guy...he also he hand-made some golf drivers for Ray Brown.......!

If you call say hi for me.

 

[mr.hughes]

I've found plain old insulating tape to do the job fine. Works great for stopping the sympathetic vibrations but light enough not to cause any (noticeable) damping. I do the same thing after the nut on my EB's.

 

[bolo]

Thoughts on using something like this?

I think (and others have attested) that what you've got oughta work fine. I definitely wasn't trying to say you gotta have a Vibramute thing-a-ma-bob.

It looks like yours is wrapped around the E and G strings quite well, but I don't know about the A and D from your pic. Maybe you could weave it in and out somehow to get those inner strings wrapped up too.

Incidently, the tailpiece jack that comes with some of the the K&K pickups acts as a damper (I guess) for the afterlengths on the A and D strings (assuming that's where you hook it), but not the E and G. Once upon a time it actually started generating these odd wolf tones on my bass. Just moved it around a little, and it chased the wolves away.

 

[tornadobass]

With the velcro, it's tight enough that it contacts all four strings on top and does its job...knocking out the stray ringing sounds that the RSII likes to pick up. I think it's actually more predictable than weaving it between the strings.

I will try sliding it a bit toward the tailpiece to see if anything different happens...the top of my AS is pretty lively, especially with the Permanents it now wears.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

You could always just get a length of surgical tubing....

 

[Andy Allen]

I've been using a velcro strap on my basses since I did my first URB studio session. Was having trouble with sympathetic ringing and noticed that my Azola EUB had that velcro strip damper. I figured Steve Azola knows what's what, so I tried it on my acoustic bass and haven't been without it since.

+1 ... Exactly what I do, having got the idea from my Azola.

Andy.

 

[tornadobass]

Likewise, I got the idea from my BugBass...I also recall Steve Azola used to do a special installation for URB that included his version of the BassMax and the velcro/leather thing on the strings.

On the BugBass, the damper gets rid of stray ringing from the afterlength and helps focus the sound.