foam mutes, what do you use?

I was complaining about not having a proper mute during a recording session a few years ago. Without missing a beat or even standing up, the producer reached over and ripped a piece of acoustic tile off the wall and handed to me.
It is absolutely perfect and I still carry it around with me in my gig bag.

 

I've been experimenting with 5/8" foam backer rod(weatherstripping). It is a round,grey, foam strip available at most any hardware store or lumber yard. I cut a piece the width of the bridge and put it under the strings in front of the bridge saddles. It doesn't deaden it quite as much as a traditional mute, but does work and is easily removed.

 

Any kind of foam that sounds right to you is OK.

 

Subscribed out of curiosity.

I tried a chunk of foam that came inside a hardware case I used for an old pedalboard, but it was too soft and squishy, didn't mute as much as I would've liked.

I thought about trying a BassMute, but haven't bit the bullet. Still looking for less expensive foam options. Treekiller, I like your idea, may have to go wander the hardware store.

5sg.

 

I used foam muting a year ago. The most effective muting, without sympathetic vibration of adjacent strings, consists of a small piece of relatively dense foam per string. Each string its own little mute, this prevents acoustic coupling through the foam.

 

A rolled up purple crown royale bag is perfect. That or a yellow guitar cloth rolled up make my 57 reissue P sound like Jamerson. I learned this from A.Scovanner.

 

They sell mutes over at angela.com

You can use the jaguar guitar version, or buy the one that sticks under the ashtray. They got em'.

I found a piece of very light foam that I just fold and stick under the strings. That does the job! And it was free!

 

I use a chunk of black foam that came with a window AC unit I bought a few years ago.

 

I have used dish sponges before. They work great. Cut them in a strip with a pair of scissors to the width you want, and you're thumping away. You can get a bag full of them in a variety of colors at the dollar store.

 

For a foam mute I use the foam that's used under single-coil pickups on a Stratocaster. I had a couple laying around, and I stuck one in the bridge cover right where the strings break over the bridge saddles. It's got a sticky side, and it's fairly dense so it deadens pretty well.

 

Bob Babbit

 

It doesn't take a dish sponge or a rag, since they are a little too-muted I think. And ugly.

Just a touch of foam can drive the persistence and a lot of the harmonics away without totally stealing all the richness. And look good while doing it too.

 

Everyone has something in their house that will work well for muting. I recommend that you don't spend more than $1 or so on this. Those metal click-on muting contraptions are pretty silly IMO.

 

That's funny that you mention that, because I was contemplating buying a BassMute a year or so ago and thought "The only added advantage here is having multiple degrees of muting or having no muting at the flick of a lever. How lazy have we become that we can't take half a second to pull the foam off or 2-3 seconds to put in back in?"...But that's just my opinion, of course. I used 2 different thicknesses of foam cut from some packing material to get different degrees of muting.

 

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser cut into strips. It's nice and stiff, and holds shape well.

 

+1 to both, and both are reasons I don't have a BassMute either. I've tried the foam thing, I'm just still looking for the right _____ for the job. Got a few ideas from this thread that I definitely want to try!

5sg.

 

Hellbottom those are abrasive they also have a cleaner in them. Not sure long term if it is good for the finish.I do use them around the house for spot cleaning they are awesome

 

thats what I use, I have tons of them around hear and just ripped a piece that fits

 

I have used my built in mutes on my Ric 4003 and they work great on a few songs we do. However, they take some time to adjust up and then back down to the right heights and at a gig, its usually too much trouble. I wish it was a flip of a lever, on/off, so I might just use some cut foam too.