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Problems with foam muting?

G

GradyBass

Oct 15, 2006
187
4
Paris, France
#1
Hey all,

I'm doing a new gig that requires a more thumpy, upright feel. Since I will NOT ship my DB over the north atlantic, I decided to put some foam underneath my strings of my Corvette 6. I just got some foam off the wall in the rehearsal space, so it's already kinda deteriorated. Are there any problems with foam bits getting into the pups or anything? Just wanna make sure I'm not shooting myself in the foot here (this is the first time I've done the foam mute thing). Any problems with leaving the foam in there for about a month?

Thanks, ya'll!
 
#3
Cool, that's what I thought. I've never heard of any problems in all my years playing, but never hurts to ask. I should find out if Tempurpedic is still doing the "call and get your free [hand-sized] sample of the Tempurpedic material." That might be good fun. And look significantly less ghetto.
 
#4
Been toying with this recently to get my '51 RI up to full retro spec. Eventually I want to experiment with some different types, especially foam rubber.

It's not urgent for me so I'm just scavenging. If I needed to dial it in for a tour real soon, I'd seek out a decent source (Hardware store? Upholstery shop?) and spend a few bucks if necessary.

I find it's easy to shape the stuff up with scissors. I cut it at an angle, try to get even pressure across all the strings. I usually take the foam out at the end of the gig, let it expand back to its normal self before the next one.

That's all I got. I'll be curious to hear from someone who's worked with it longer.
 
#5
If you use a polish, I'd try spritzing a piece of the foam with that and let it sit to make sure there's no reaction. The original Fender mute was a rubber foam, not the more poly based stuff you find mostly today.

That said, the foam that came with my X2 wireless had "felt" on one side. I cut a chunk of that and used it with the felt side down and it worked great and slid right in and out. (I don't use it live; I palm mute when I need that sound, but that's only part of our set.)

Who was it, Kaye maybe, on her website?, used a piece of velcro with the strings sandwiched in between. That sounds like it would work, but I haven't tried it.
 
#7
I cut a small piece off of a big car wash type sponge, and placed it right over the saddles of the bridge, just sticking over onto the strings. I have a bridge cover, so that does help. Stuffing the foam under the strings kills it too much for me. putting it on top, just on the saddles kills the harmonics and overtones and gives me a great "THUMP" but still gives me a little sustain and life in the string.
 
#8
I am using some kind of shipping foam material that is in thin sheets. I just go with Babbitt and leave it in there all the time.... The D and G strings are a little more choked than the A and E, but it sounds right to me. I palm mute quite a bit, leaving the foam in there, and i like that sound. My palm rests right across the foam, so it's comfy too.
 
#11
I'm fortunate enough to own a few basses and I put foam under the strings near the bridge on every one of them--and I leave it there for months. I've been doing this for years (lots of years--too many to count) and I've never had a problem with the foam shredding, crumbling or otherwise deteriorating.

I'm careful to choose foam types that don't shred or abrade easily--you can pretty much tell by looking at it and manipulating it--and have had some foam outlast sets of strings. (Mine eventually tears or compresses too much to be effective.) The thin sheet, open-celled shipping foam mentioned above (often used between garment layers) works very well and can be rolled to whatever compression level is needed to provide the degree of muting or deadening you want.

I've tried Carol Kaye's felt system--which obviously has worked beautifully for her for decades--but, to me, foam seems to be more widely "adjustable" and stays in place better.

Oh, and when I see someone else using foam (or felt) under their strings, it certainly doesn't look "ghetto" to me. It looks to like someone with experience, who cares about and knows how to control their sound. Relic'd instruments look ghetto to me, but that's another topic for another thread.
 
#15
I use foam that's usually used for soundproofing. The engineer at a studio I work at hooked me up with a bunch. I keep some in my gig bag...just in case. You never know when it may help in a given situation

I try to keep it clean by making sure that it's cut neatly. That means clean cuts made by a sharp utility knife. The thickness of the foam is probably the biggest variable in doing this kind of setup. And that's going to depend totally on how high your action is at the bridge.

The most deterioration you're likely to see from doing this is from the process of putting the foam under the strings and taking it out. Also, roundwounds will chew up the foam more than flats. If you want the REAL thump? Use the foam with a set of flats. And surprisingly, playing with a pick with help highlight the muting effect. It's odd but true.

Personally, I like doing this setup a lot. It's fun. But it means specifically setting up an instrument for this style. I find that I can get a very similar sound by doing some palm muting with my right hand, and I don't need to change the setup on the instrument.
 
#16
just think of what was available back then, and then work it from there. Musicians were not looking for "bridge mute foam" or anything like that.

If anything, the foam on the mutes I've owned/seen seem to be made of the exact same thing as the black stuff on the bottom of the pups (except it;s all hard and "melted")... and that stuff you can buy at home depot/lowe's : 3M weatherstrip.
 
#17
elgranluis said:
If anything, the foam on the mutes I've owned/seen seem to be made of the exact same thing as the black stuff on the bottom of the pups (except it;s all hard and "melted")... and that stuff you can buy at home depot/lowe's : 3M weatherstrip.
Click to expand...


Yep, you are exactly right - that's why I mentioned it earlier -I buy it at Autozone because they have multiple heights and widths available

Dark Horse said:
Spend $4 at the auto store and buy the foam used to seal car doors. Comes in various widths/heights and has a handy "sticky back" to keep it in place until you're ready to remove it.
Click to expand...

Its a similar material and it gives a tone that is comparable with the original foam - and is simple and cheap to use ! I find it to be WAY more consistent than a sponge or soundproofing foam.
 
#19
Jazz Ad said:
I prefer to use a cloth (any cotton rag can do) rather than foam. It's easier to adjust for the proper tone and doesn't shred into pieces.
Click to expand...

Ive used cloth in a pinch (like in a session a couple weeks ago), but the weatherstrip won't shred - and gives a true tone to the original. That's why I prefer it - but to each their own - more than one way to skin a cat. (there's gotta be some other old sayings that apply, right ? :))
 

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