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FOAM MUTE
- Thread starter redhed
- Start date
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
You've posted this thread in the DOUBLE BASS FORUM by mistake. This thread should have been posed in the electric bass forum.
I've used rectangular strips of various kinds of foam: furniture foam and shipping foam. The best was some foam from inside a box in which a microphone was packaged. I put it between the top of the bass (P-bass or Rogue Hofner violin bass knock-off) and the underside if the strings. The foam was cut to about 5 mm too high and cradles each string. The greater the width of the strip (bridge-to-nut) the greater the degree of muting. Mine's a cm and a half wide. Good foam won't harm your finish.
If you have a bridge cover on you P then one thing that works really well is the foam that goes under a single-coil guitar pickup, like those on a Strat. Just stick it on the bridge cover right where the strings meet the saddles. Go to your local music shop and ask if they have any extras, I'm sure they'll give you one if you ask.
I stuff a sock under my strings next to the bridge as a string mute haha. Works well and is a great conversation starter!
Try looking on eBay for "The Muffler" it's not that expensive and works really well. Makes for a great double bass type of sound as well as the Motown sound. I dig it!
If your bass has a nitro finish, just make sure that the foam material does not chemically react with the finish.
One of the good things about "The Muffler" it's foam covered with a felt type material. I can't imagine it having a problem with nitro. I hope not because its on my brand new nitro'd VP5
You don't actually need to stick the mute to the body of the bass - put it where I did - it just works very well.
Here's another example. I use a thin rubber-foamy material woven through the strings. Works great. Simpler to use palm muting against the bridge if you only require occasional muting.
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Disposable diaper such as Huggies or Pampers. My daughter's newborn sizedones worked great. Got theidea from when Tony Levin used one on Peter Gabriel's SO CD.
Don't for get when you use a mute to retune.
Don't for get when you use a mute to retune.
+1 to the microphone box foam. My mutes come from an EV mic box I have had for 20 years. The box fell apart a long time ago, but the foam still looks like new. It is very dense and just perfect for this.
THIS IS THE BEST MUTE. ITS INEXPENSIVE AND CUSTOM MADE! HAS GREAT REVIEWS TOO!
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/bass-mute-patton-mute-pad.985663/#post-14096672
I use round weatherstrip foam that's about 3/4 inch diameter. Comes in a long coil from hardware store. Just tear off the length you need. Like it cause it's easy to move up of down to adjust the muting. Gives a very slight mute effect, cause it's smooth and doesn't grip the strings and it fades after a while so you'll need to take it off when done so it will return to shape.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
I use leftover the foam from air conditioning insulation - basically the same stuff as what comes in mic boxes. Anything dense, but soft enough to mold from the pressure from the strings. I have a couple of different size, so I can play with the amount of mute.
