Foam muting and tuning

Retune?

 

Chances are your palm muting makes your bass go just as sharp as the foam mute does and it hasn't bothered you yet. Either figure out a way to position the foam so it doesn't push up the strings so much (try cutting slits into the foam so it surrounds the strings, rather than pushing them in one direction), or retune after you place the mute, or just live with the tiny amount of sharpness.

 

I'll send you a dime and a quarter.

 

He's 10 to 25 cents sharp. He should be sending you a dime and a quarter.

 

I've used flats and foam for years. No problem here. I use the foam rubber from a foam rubber paint brush. Doubled and cut to size then scored with a razor so the strings fit down into the foam.

Offered for what it is worth.

 

I use foam all the time on my P with flats, so I have no problem. I think the only option for you is to bite the bullet and get the expensive Bassmute. Or stick with palm muting.

 

10 to 15 cents is not much to worry about. I often fret more than that amount unintentionally when I'm digging in. And sometimes bend a note 20 cents to accent the note and make it stand out from the guitar melody if needed.

 

How far the foam is from the bridge makes a bigger difference to tuning. There's more string tension near the bridge so the strings don't stretch and go so sharp. I find the further I get away from the bridge the more of an issue I have with tuning.
It's a balancing act and a bit of compromise imo.
Using a mute while recording I'll tune to proper pitch. Live playing I never notice the slight difference and just suck it up.
There's my 25# cents worth ☺

 

Tension is the amount of pull the tuner has to exert to bring the string to pitch.

There is the exact same amount of it at every point on the string from where it leaves the tuning post to where it ties into the ball end.

 

Oh, wrong word then obviously. What do we call the "thing" that makes strings feel floppier and have more give if you play up near the neck vs near the bridge?

 

Stiffness, compliance or flexibility.

 

If you don't have a bridge cover this won't help but it's how I run mine. There's weather stripping on the underside of the bridge cover and a smallish piece of foam under the strings that I take in or out as needed.

 

Not to mention the fact that your intonation is F'ed up by sticking stuff under the strings, even if it was in tune. Having said that, I have tried it, but it didn't do a whole lot for me. Even when I was playing blues gigs, etc, all the time, nobody cared enough to say I needed to foam the strings. As a concept, I don't think it's that important anymore. Palm muting is a more modern vibe.