Sponge at the bridge??

[Pirate Captain]

the cool bit about lee barker's sponges is that they are double-sided with different levels of mutey-ness.

They are the second best thing I've found to the original Fender mute. It required a bit of fiddling to get it right, and anything that's not "in the cover" has the possibility of getting jostled out (plus I like that the cover...well...covers it so you don't have to answer a zillion questions about it)

 

[MD]

Pieces of foam from electronic gear packing. Different sizes for more/less muting.

 

[Ric5]

watching a documentary on tv called in the shadows of Mowtown. Seeing a live performance with Bob Babbitt playing his P bass with a sponge under his strings at the bridge. Is that done on particular pieces that contain a lot of staccato fast playing? There's a video of "can't find my way back home" on YouTube where the bass player has the sponge under the strings again.. I see a lot of players now with a dampener of some sort that they're wrapping around the neck. Is this same thing.

It is for those who have not mastered palm muting yet ...

 

[Pirate Captain]

It is for those who have not mastered palm muting yet ...

sure...for guys like Tony Franklin

 

[Ric5]

My problem with foam mutes is they make notes go sharp

And you can't easily go from mute to not mute in a song

 

[Badwater]

How do fret wraps compare to using foam?

Fret wraps usually go between the nut and the area that's fretted. So you don't get a mute on the strings you fret. And they help cut sustain when doing super fast slapping and hammer on with open strings.

With the foam mutes, you get mute on all the strings all the time. Make sense?

 

[Pirate Captain]

My problem with foam mutes is they make notes go sharp

And you can't easily go from mute to not mute in a song

agreed...that's why I keep one set up just for Motown

 

[Chicory Blue]

I like to just stick a pair of cosmetic wedges between my strings. They're easy to adjust quickly to exactly the height (and by extension, dampening power) you need, and also pretty handy for applying and removing makeup.

--^@

 

[tbz]

It is for those who have not mastered palm muting yet ...

Per a number of sources (Carol Kaye, Jimmy M, my wrists) palm muting while picking causes a lot of unneeded stress on your wrists.

If you do it often and fast enough it'll cause injury. Injury which can be avoided by using a .02 cent piece of throwaway foam.

Hence the reason why folks use them.

 

[Ross W. Lovell]

What is the best sponge for metal?

No sponge, steel wool!

 

[line6man]

watching a documentary on tv called in the shadows of Mowtown. Seeing a live performance with Bob Babbitt playing his P bass with a sponge under his strings at the bridge. Is that done on particular pieces that contain a lot of staccato fast playing? There's a video of "can't find my way back home" on YouTube where the bass player has the sponge under the strings again.. I see a lot of players now with a dampener of some sort that they're wrapping around the neck. Is this same thing.

Foam mutes are usually used to get a kind of dull, thuddy tone. The things that people wrap around the neck serve an entirely different purpose. Those are for preventing sympathetic vibration when you do tapping techniques, and they have no effect on the tone of the instrument.

 

[ZenG]

All I use...works great. And my notes don't go sharp or flat when I use it.

 

[Brock adcock]

I use the foam you get in most Seymour Duncan and dimarzio pickup packages. Works great. I use elixir nano web rounds right now and put the foam under when I want a more direct thump. It's obvious that it deadens the note and cuts sustain but there is still sustain to be had there and it gives the string a more focused sound.

 

[BassLover668]

How do fret wraps compare to using foam?

Same than underwear compare to using socks. LOL
Fret wraps mute no played strings or when you play open strings.

 

[Chico Ruger]

Per a number of sources (Carol Kaye, Jimmy M, my wrists) palm muting while picking causes a lot of unneeded stress on your wrists.

If you do it often and fast enough it'll cause injury. Injury which can be avoided by using a .02 cent piece of throwaway foam.

Hence the reason why folks use them.

^^^This! I feel the stress even if I use my thumb rather than a pick. That's why I use the foam and my fingers. I do like the tone a little better when palm-muting, but it's not worth the stress on the wrist.

 

[Chico Ruger]

All I use...works great. And my notes don't go sharp or flat when I use it.

View attachment 1066824

It looks like the same stuff I use. I tried all sorts of material. The stuff I use can be easily found at a fabric store, like JoAnn Fabric. Look for the foam they sell for making seat cushions. The stuff is cheap.

 

[Ric5]

Per a number of sources (Carol Kaye, Jimmy M, my wrists) palm muting while picking causes a lot of unneeded stress on your wrists.

If you do it often and fast enough it'll cause injury. Injury which can be avoided by using a .02 cent piece of throwaway foam.

Hence the reason why folks use them.

I don't believe that ... I have been palm muting for more than 30 years and no problems

 

[BassLover668]

Best is palm mute, when you master the technic is better than foam.
Sir paul uses lot of palm mute drool

 

[tbz]

I don't believe that ... I have been palm muting for more than 30 years and no problems

Are you generally playing 16ths or faster at or above 150 bpm with a pick? Or doing multiple sessions a day?

Doesn't happen to everyone, since the amount you stress your wrist is basically wholly contingent on how hard and fast you play.

 

[Pirate Captain]

Sir paul uses lot of palm mute drool

"Sir" Paul isn't James Jamerson...or Bob Babbitt...or Carol Kaye