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Get off my LAWN! "Grumpy Old Farts"

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#6,061
So I'm hard at work trying to finish the tracks for three songs that I owe to the little label I have been working with....
And as I was tuning my bass I got to thinking of the old days - before electronic tuners.
I'm talking tuning forks, pitch pipes and what turned out to be the standard for me:
tuning live on stage to the keyboard. The big variable there was how many pitch altering consumables had been, well, consumed at that point in the show.
The worst memory is that of a guitarist, great player, but used a Gibson SG that I swear had a neck made out of balsa and rubber bands.

Anyway what GOT me on this tangent was that I had used a thick piece of felt jammed under the strings at the bridge as a mute. Sounded perfect for the track but really screwed up the intonation and tuning as the felt moved around a bit while playing.
 
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#6,062
Anything that you feel is felt, to be more specific, James Jamerson used foam as a mute. Below is what came standand in 1963. It used to dry out with time but you could buy a replacement.

IMG_1871.JPG
IMG_1872.JPG



IMG_1870.JPG
 
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#6,063
Over the years (decades actually) I have used several kinds of materials and also different schemes to hold it in place. Lately I have been using this industrial grade felt. It is medium density and about 1/2" thick or so. I snagged a block of it at my day job before the bulk piece (and I LOL) was thrown out. I whittle it into various shapes for different basses. The easiest way is to jam it against the bridge under the strings. I have to retune as the pitch goes a bit sharp of course. The best way would be to figure out some clamping system on top, similar to the Fender ash tray. Don't want any extra screw holes in my basses though.
 
#6,065
I dunno...I've tried felt, just didn't work well for me. I don't like dragging 2-3 basses to gigs, so I've just learned to softly damp strings with the edge of my right hand, mimicking a string mute. For recording work, use a bass setup up with flats and a mute if need be
 
#6,067
I had forgotten about the mute in the bridge cover of my 63 precision. The first thing I did was rip it out. It took a while to get the glue removed but I managed in the end. :) Prior to getting the Precision I had been playing Gibson basses, EB0F and EB2. I was on the hunt for more “twang”. The Precision, strung with Rotosounds, nailed the tone I was after. :)
 
#6,068
It's all kind of relative...so is my sister, but that's a different matter. Sometimes, frequently actually, I suspect I overthink this stuff, we all probably do.

A lot of times, just rolling back the tone control, attacking the strings easier, and releasing the fretting hand quicker can achieve 85% of the desired result I've found...between that, muting with the edge of my hand, it gets close enough in a live stage mix to do the trick.

BTW, I don't use a pick to edge mute, but my thumb...really old school
 
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#6,069
Ken Morgan said:
It's all kind of relative...so is my sister, but that's a different matter. Sometimes, frequently actually, I suspect I overthink this stuff, we all probably do.

A lot of times, just rolling back the tone control, attacking the strings easier, and releasing the fretting hand quicker can achieve 85% of the desired result I've found...between that, muting with the edge of my hand, it gets close enough in a live stage mix to do the trick.

BTW, I don't use a pick to edge mute, but my thumb...really old school
Click to expand...
I'm with you on that. No pop-corn popping thwacking here. Just straight forward rock and roll with two fingers!
 
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#6,070
I really only use a mute for recording purposes. Here's a laugher. I recently picked up a Peavey Foundation fretless with flats for cheap. It has some killer tone and punch and records well. Fooling around, I was slapping it with my thumb while muting it with the (very) fleshy part of the inside of my arm. The tone made me think of slapping a large rubber balloon a against a log drum. I almost fell out of my stool laughing. I did wind up using it on a reggae piece I m working on.
 
#6,071
For an inexpensive piece, the Foundation Bass is an amazing bass...if I didn't know how much it (didn't) cost, I'd think it was a great sounding instrument anyway...

Bought mine used here for $230...which brings me to another 'fights the conventional wisdom' topic: my entire stage rig was procured at well under a grand, yet offers hands down the best best bass sounds I've been on stage with, either with me driving or someone else playing while I was on 6 string, with some esoteric and idiotically expensive setups...

Foundation Bass - Ampeg Classic Pre - Straight Ahead power amp - 440Live or Eden 112EX Cab..Radial DI if needed. At some point, a Mesa Pre will get introduced, but dang...
 
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#6,072
Ken Morgan said:
For an inexpensive piece, the Foundation Bass is an amazing bass...if I didn't know how much it (didn't) cost, I'd think it was a great sounding instrument anyway...

Bought mine used here for $230...which brings me to another 'fights the conventional wisdom' topic: my entire stage rig was procured at well under a grand, yet offers hands down the best best bass sounds I've been on stage with, either with me driving or someone else playing while I was on 6 string, with some esoteric and idiotically expensive setups...

Foundation Bass - Ampeg Classic Pre - Straight Ahead power amp - 440Live or Eden 112EX Cab..Radial DI if needed. At some point, a Mesa Pre will get introduced, but dang...
Click to expand...
Agreed. My two MB's were $550 and my cabs a pair for $350. And they sound awesome, I have a variety of possibilities with two bass cabs and two GK heads. And they were very affordable. But sheesh good luck with selling equipment right now.

Are we in a recession? I can't sell a thing on eBay and have always had the best luck. I have 100% positive feedback, longtime member, yada yada. I've heard it's a "buyer's market."
 
#6,074
:laugh: Great post!

The irony is not lost that regardless of what new and innovative technology comes along, in any aspect of music production, the sonic results are still compared (with very very few exceptions) to devices invented, manufactured, and used 50-70 yrs ago. This includes modeled reproductions.

- Ampeg SVT...1969
- Ampeg B15....1962?
- Fender blackface amps (pick just about any of em)...1964
- Neumann U47 mic ... 1949
- RCA 77DX Mic ... 1955
- Fender Precision Bass...1951
- Neve 8086 console... 1975

The list in endless...

Old stuff....like old guys...still rule the nest. Don't depend on operating systems, network connectivity, whatever...like stated above, if there's any doubt, ask your mom how well we work.
 
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#6,075
Big day today... 5 shows with 4 back to back. It's military day and we do a tribute show horseback. 12 horses, 9 carrying flags to music.

We are also doing shows with horses and stunt riders from the TV series "The Walking Dead" sure like working with the pros too.

I'll be a tired old guy tonight!

[update: all done, we survived with no issues but very tired... horses and riders]
 
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