NordyMute questions

[pbass2]

Been using foam mutes since the 90's. I just use the grey foam that comes in things like Pelican cases and similar. The density is right for what I want to achieve. Sponge can work too if it's dense enough. I try to cut it as narrow(vertically) as possible and shove it as close to the saddles as I can to minimize intonation issues. I often play with a pick and thumb thump with my hand down by the bridge(even when using foam I still palm mute for varying degrees of decay) so the Nordy looks like it would get in the way of that bizness.

 

[pbass2]

As noted above, my take was that it kills the sustain too much.... I wanted a muffled sound like Laura Lee, not a dead/muted tone. Sent it back....
Her old bass had old foam in the ashtray..... but she still has sustain... not sure how to get there...

It's not difficult. Just start messing with whatever you find--foam, sponge, weather stripping, whatever. You'll land on something. I use different ones I've shaped out of random foam to different thicknesses for different degrees of muting.
You will likely find a perfectly rectangular piece will mute some strings too much and you will need to shave it down a bit so the pressure gets you even muting across all the strings.

 

[Bass Motifs]

Finding the right bit of foam....

 

[Father Gino]

I’m kinda glad I’m not the only one that doesn’t like them. I didn’t find a useful sound with it, whereas a sock or some foam sounds great and is almost infinitely variable

 

[Father Gino]

What kind of Hipshot bridge? I'd mostly be using one for standard P and J bridges, but might alternatively get one for a Mustang bass bridge (on a Squier Rascal) - but I'm not going to get own of both sizes.

It’s a top load/body thru, vary adjustable (string spacing too) hipshot that is stock on older D Lakin Korean basses.

 

[Michael Eisenman]

I used the neoprene from a mouse pad (about ¼” thick).

 

[Lacire]

I made a homemade approximation of a Nordy/Nino Mute, and it worked well. Much prefer it to the foam under strings approach. Foam under strings:
Pushes strings away from the fingerboard, negatively effecting the feel of the instrument, and results in more pressure between mute and strings as you go higher on the fingerboard. Subtle things, but to me the above-string mutes (Fender bridge covers) and the above/beside mute style (Nordy/Nino) is preferable.

Edit: homemade, think weather stripping stuck on a thin wood stick (popsicle, tongue depressor, etc!)

I just found out about the Nordymute after I did a search yesterday for bass mutes. Back in 2015 I made a mute to match my bass from a half inch wide popsicle stick and some close cell foam insulation I had left over from my trucks camper shell, I’d cut slots in the foam and it fits over the strings like the Nordy. It still works but it’s seen better days. The Nordy looks pretty nice and after seeing it I think now I’ll just try to make another out of a nicer piece of wood.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Made my own with microfiber sponge glued to a piece of wood. The microfiber is much more subtle than the hard plastic of a Nordy. Strings get better sustain without such a severe thuddy mute. Cost: about a buck or so.

 

[Lacire]

Made my own with microfiber sponge glued to a piece of wood. The microfiber is much more subtle than the hard plastic of a Nordy. Strings get better sustain without such a severe thuddy mute. Cost: about a buck or so.

Well you did a better job than I did with my first one. My popsicle stick still works but it needs to be retired. I started making another mute today out of an old dry piece of walnut and I also have some ebony piano keys I might try too.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

FWIW, I started a thread a while back exploring all kinds of materials for a mute. The one mentioned above was hands down the winner.

Thread 'Techniques for damping strings'

Sep 22, 2012

I'm looking for alternatives for damping my strings to reduce sustain. I'm in a jazz project where the object is to get a "upright-like" tone with a P/J electric bass played exclusively as a "P" with the "J" pup turned off. Not interested in palm muting; I want the damping effect to always be in place without having to manually do it each time. I'm particularly interested in your ideas that retain some of the fundamental harmonics without sounding like a dead thud with each pluck.

Here's what I've tried:

Foam mute. Stuck a piece of foam under the strings between the J pup and...

• N. Kentucky Bass
• Replies: 67
• Forum: Strings [BG]

• 

 

[Lacire]

FWIW, I started a thread a while back exploring all kinds of materials for a mute. The one mentioned above was hands down the winner.

Thread 'Techniques for damping strings'

Sep 22, 2012

I'm looking for alternatives for damping my strings to reduce sustain. I'm in a jazz project where the object is to get a "upright-like" tone with a P/J electric bass played exclusively as a "P" with the "J" pup turned off. Not interested in palm muting; I want the damping effect to always be in place without having to manually do it each time. I'm particularly interested in your ideas that retain some of the fundamental harmonics without sounding like a dead thud with each pluck.

Here's what I've tried:

Foam mute. Stuck a piece of foam under the strings between the J pup and...

• N. Kentucky Bass
• Replies: 67
• Forum: Strings [BG]

• 

Thank you I just read through your post with the microfiber sponge. When I saw that you used to be Ukiah Bass for some reason it rang a bell and I thought is that the guy that had a Rob Allen Solid 4? I went back through and found a video of you playing it. I still have my RA MB-2 I bought back in 2015, must have been about the same time you had your S4.

 

[Lacire]

I started on a new mute the other day, I ended up using a piece of Indian rosewood I’ve had for years and some 5/8” x 1/2” weatherstripping tape. I radius the top and scalped the ends of the mute, buffed out two coats of Tru-Oil and waxed it. Sounds just like the old ones I’ve made from popsicle sticks but this one’s a little nicer for me to look at.

 

[Lacire]

I have a few small pieces of wood sitting here so I thought I’d make another mute. This one is out of walnut and an old ivory piano key. The piano I found while out hunting, someone had dumped it off a dirt mountain backroad and it was trashed. When I looked inside it had a 1890’s handwritten label from the maker. I’ve made a few inlays from its ivory keys over the years so I thought I’d put it to good use on this mute.

 

[Selim]

…traditional foam under the strings.

Traditional for me would be over the strings as the foam on Fender basses was on the underside of the bridge cover. Foam under the strings cuts out too much of the frequencies that I want to keep.

I like the Nordy mute but only when it’s just barely engaged.

 

[Zbysek]

Is anybody using the new Hybrid Ninomute?

 

[ahbass2500]

Is anybody using the new Hybrid Ninomute?

Have not tried it, but from using the NordyMutes, I like that design better (assuming it works the way I expect it to). Less foam on the high side should help minimize choking out of high notes. I have found this can be a problem on the NordyMute and have to adjust how I have it installed to help manage the issue.

At this point I rarely use my NordyMutes. Bought a P bass and installed bridge cover foam.

 

[Zbysek]

Have not tried it, but from using the NordyMutes, I like that design better (assuming it works the way I expect it to). Less foam on the high side should help minimize choking out of high notes. I have found this can be a problem on the NordyMute and have to adjust how I have it installed to help manage the issue.

Yeah. I am using Ninomute on my EUB and choking out of high notes is something I am familiar with...

 

[sunbeast]

I really like the Nordymute design, but with some caveats- it really needs to be able to be positioned right up against the saddles, and that isn't really possible on some bridges without modifications (screws sticking out the front like old bent-plate bridges or a "frame" around the saddles can prevent this). Any further out and it mutes too strong and affects intonation more IME. I think it needs to be customized a bit to be ideal for an instrument- getting the correct string spacing is vital, and in practice you might want to slot out one or more strings a bit to balance out the response. The sponge used is very stiff, so when brand new it might take some fiddling to get there even on a bass where you can park it right against the saddles until it wears in. If you are even a little handy you can make your own using the same idea for next to nothing as others have shown- the Nordy is a "boutique" version.

I used my Nordys for a bit on and off and liked them once I dialed them in, but ultimately just worked out a fingerstyle technique that allows me to palm-mute instead which is far more versatile for me. I rarely play in a way that I want the same amount of muting across an entire song so any mechanical mute that isn't my hand is something of a compromise.

 

[Lacire]

I’m still using the ones I’ve made.

 

[Kijekuyo]

What I have used as homemade materials for Nordy/Nino-like mutes:

A piece of foam cut from pads used by gardeners to kneel on hard surfaces, available at hardware and gardening stores for about $10.

A piece cut from the sole of a beach thong sandal. I bought these sandals for $2. This had a bit more ruggedness.