mutes...

[nataku]

i recently discovered that putting tissue under the strings near the bridge gives off a nice, dampened effect that id like to use on some songs with my band. the problem is that it takes forever to get in and out, and if you do it wrong, you get little bits of tissue paper in the strings and the bridge.

is there a company who makes mutes, or is there another way to get this effect without using flats, palm muting, or having multiple basses with and without mutes?

 

[BudWirth]

I use a homemade mute made out of foam rubber covered with terry cloth (a wash rag ) that matches my bass fairly well. I imagine you could make a cover and stuff the tissues in it in place of the foam rubber. Its a cheap and easy to make mute.

 

[tplyons]

Sounds like you need a Bassmute from http://www.bassmute.com/

AFAIK, there are no more economical ways to do this so quickly and easily.

 

[nataku]

bud: i would do that, but it takes too long to do in between songs. and if you make it lower to slide it out easier, it wont mute as well, if at all.

tp: those look frickin sweet, thanks for the link. but cost way too much $ . im gonna be checkin ebay every day for one of those.

 

[fourstringdrums]

I use a piece of soft foam that I cut to the desired length. It wedges under the strings nicely and doesn't slide out. I have no idea where it came from, but you can probably buy the same stuff in a hardware store (for sealing windows and what not).

*edit* the stuff pictured is actually quite firm. I lost this piece but when I moved into my house I found some similar stuff that was alittle softer.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Tom Crofts]

A bit of sponge does the trick. Buy a sponge, cut it to size, stick it under the strings.

Sorted.

 

[BudWirth]

bud: i would do that, but it takes too long to do in between songs. and if you make it lower to slide it out easier, it wont mute as well, if at all.

It actually slides in and out fairly easy. I just turn the volume down when I put it in or out to avoid making any noise.

 

[bassist66]

in my classical guitar class 2 years ago we played a song that needed muting, so we stuck a folded up hankerchief under the strings near the bridge. Worked like a charm.

 

[Thor]

You can tie Carol Kaye's scarf to your strings at the
bridge ...