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The BassMute returns!

#141
Daveypoo said:
I'd be interested to see how much your mutes touch the strings in the first position;I spent a lot of time trying to dial in the "just-barely-touching-the-strings" setting.
Click to expand...

Likewise.

Also, I don't think any pictures of showing how much my mutes touch the strings would really be a benefit to you, as I feel its more of a personal preference, or how sloppy I play.

As well, I think it would also matter, how well I had cut the foam to fit the saddles:

- More foam uncut - the more flexible the mute would be sitting against the string.
- Shorter foam cut - the stiffer the mute would be sitting against the string.

Make sense? Hope that helps.
 
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#143
MRlowend said:
Likewise.

Also, I don't think any pictures of showing how much my mutes touch the strings would really be a benefit to you, as I feel its more of a personal preference, or how sloppy I play.

As well, I think it would also matter, how well I had cut the foam to fit the saddles:

- More foam uncut - the more flexible the mute would be sitting against the string.
- Shorter foam cut - the stiffer the mute would be sitting against the string.

Make sense? Hope that helps.
Click to expand...

That's what I found too. I do like the "barely there" where I wouldn't have thought that going in
 
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#144
Thought I'd follow up on this thread with an update. I've been gigging with the Bassmute for a few months, and I have to say that I love having it. I have been using D'Addario Steels and I'm loving how versatile my tone is. I can get really twangy/grindy with the tone wide open and the mutes off, but with them on and the tone rolled off it thumps up really quickly. There was a TBer who scoffed on some other thread way back when when I mentioned how I liked the idea of flipping the mutes on and off mid-song - he told me "You will literally never use the mute this way" and he couldn't be more wrong! A lot of the time I'll have it on when the tune starts, but if the band is really laying into something, I can flip it off for some additional hair. I also turn them on/off for a solo - adds a really nice alternate tone to give some personality when you're hanging out there.

It's a keeper - can't imagine this bass without them any more. Anyone else like it? Hate it? Don't use it? Questions?
 
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#145
I have several questions... I've wanted something like this for years, but I have a bunch of questions.
  • Does the tone sound like the traditional stuffing foam under the strings?
  • Can I get a bright attack but very little sustain? I like palm muting or left hand muting with the tone up all the way, can it do that sound?
  • Can it be securely attached without ANY damage or alteration to the instrument or my technique?
  • I was worried about your earlier comment that it gets out of adjustment from being in the gig bag. Is that still true?
  • How do I order, and is the company finally being responsive? I emailed them a long time ago and never got an answer.
 
#146
smeet said:
  • Does the tone sound like the traditional stuffing foam under the strings?
  • Can I get a bright attack but very little sustain? I like palm muting or left hand muting with the tone up all the way, can it do that sound?
  • Can it be securely attached without ANY damage or alteration to the instrument or my technique?
  • I was worried about your earlier comment that it gets out of adjustment from being in the gig bag. Is that still true?
  • How do I order, and is the company finally being responsive? I emailed them a long time ago and never got an answer.
Click to expand...

1) As far as I can tell, yes. It's still foam, and while it's not contacting the strings from underneath but rather the side, the foam still serves the same function. I'm not intimately familiar with the subtleties of different foam types, thicknesses, etc but to my ears it sounds the same.

2) I'll test this out at rehearsal tonight - as mentioned above I've been using steel strings with it, and the steels have a bright clank on the attack with my tone knob all the way up (without mutes). I have noticed that when I put the mutes on with the tone full up, it takes the edge off the tone as well as achieving the traditional muting effect. To be fair, I don't use a pick much and haven't dug in hard while using this setting, so I'll try that tonight. Can you achieve that with foam under the strings? Not something I go for typically but I'll give it a shot.

3) As far as I know there's been no damage to my finish, but I haven't taken it off. This hasn't really been a concern for me as I don't ever see myself removing it. I also replaced the tape that came with the unit, so I can't vouch for the tape I ended up using. I did a lot of research and didn't find a single story of someone having issues with their finish whilst removing one but that's a bridge you'll have to build/cross/burn on your own.

4) As far as it moving - I was dumb and didn't follow the explicit instructions to have it covered while in a gig bag, so that was my bad. I have since made a cover out of a piece of Tupperware container and that's worked just fine. I wrap the plastic with a little towel and have it covering the whole bridge & mute in the case. Since then (and replacing the original tape since it was no longer sticky after I had to reset the mute multiple times) I've had zero issues. Once you see the way it's constructed and how it would rub around on the inside of the gig bag, having it covered makes complete sense. It's a small extra step when unloading at a gig but no big deal.

5) When I ordered this, Ellio was being responsive. He was ill for a long time but as of March 2015 he was bringing them to trade shows and had some in stock. I'd reach out to him if you're interested and see if you get a response now.

Hope that helps!
 
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#147
Just got mine last week or so - it's really as advertised!

took a couple months of back and forth on the measurement particulars for my bass, plus some waiting, but all in all i'm happy with how the transaction went.

i haven't gigged with the bassmute yet, but spent a few hours playing with the spacing to get it where i think i'll like it. for now i decided to space the foams far away from the strings so that only the full setting engages them. i did that because otherwise the light setting wasn't enough and the full setting pushed the strings out of tune too much.

i will definitely like this better than actual pieces of foam that i was using, if nothing else for the ease of switching on/off wihtout fumbling around.

can't wait to see how this goes for real
 
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#149
fourstringdrums said:
I just placed my order, that is, I filled out the order form a few days ago and Ellio sent me an invoice today.

How long did it take you guys to get yours once you paid the invoice?
Click to expand...

He shipped it within a week of payment and I got it about a week or two after, don’t recall exactly the shipping time.

Update on using the thing on gigs - I totally love it, it does exactly what I was hoping it’d do.

Enjoy!!
 
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#152
My BassMute arrived!

I had to trim the foam quite a bit to get the base plate all the way up against my bridge without bumping into the saddles or intonation screws. I'd rather trim the foam than trim the screws. I could have kept the E & A a little longer, but I felt like it was just easier to trim them all to the same length. I used a razor blade and the D kind of tore at the top, so it doesn't look as clean as the others. Eh, oh well.

My initial impressions are that I love how I can get different levels of mute, in ways that I didn't consider using.

I do however have a problem with the mute pushing the strings sharp in positions 2 & 3. But considering that I had to retune when using foam under the strings, this doesn't bother me anyway. Also, I'm currently using TI's, which being extra flexible, I am not really surprised.

So so far, it's worth the money and the wait :)

20171230_134726.jpg
 
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#154
bluesfordan said:
I was not aware that there were different levels of mute so this was a very informative post. Muchas grassy ass. :D

What does it take to install the mute? How do you line it up?
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It comes with instructions, but basically you loosen the strings and put the mute up against the bridge and trim the foam if you have to so it doesn't hit the saddles or intonation screws. Then you tune up just the G, put the mute in position 1 (the first level of being "on") and adjust the positioning of the mute so the foam just barely touches the G. Mark the position with a piece of type, and then peel the backing off the bassmute tape and stick it to the bass, making sure it's straight with the bridge, as close to it as you can get like it was when you adjusted it, and in line with the piece of tape you put down. Then just press down until it sticks.

After that, each mute can be individually adjusted.
 
#155
Ok, I was unhappy with how short I trimmed the mutes the first time, so I took the whole thing apart and glued the new pads on. Much better. However they still push the bass out of tune on settings 2 & 3. No matter.

If I could do it again, I'd take the whole thing apart in order to trim the pads, that way you can lay each pad down flat while trimming. It's easy enough to dismantle and put back together.

20171230_172252.jpg
 
#157
fourstringdrums said:
Ok, I was unhappy with how short I trimmed the mutes the first time, so I took the whole thing apart and glued the new pads on. Much better. However they still push the bass out of tune on settings 2 & 3. No matter.

If I could do it again, I'd take the whole thing apart in order to trim the pads, that way you can lay each pad down flat while trimming. It's easy enough to dismantle and put back together.

View attachment 2859058
Click to expand...

Congrats!

I wound up calibrating the foams far enough away from the strings so that only the maximum lever position engages the strings. This way it deadens the strings exactly how I like it without pushing them unacceptably sharp. I lose the 2-position flexibility but turns out I didn’t need it.

With your foams cut so short how does the D and G sound?
 
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#158
Jmilitsc said:
Congrats!

I wound up calibrating the foams far enough away from the strings so that only the maximum lever position engages the strings. This way it deadens the strings exactly how I like it without pushing them unacceptably sharp. I lose the 2-position flexibility but turns out I didn’t need it.

With your foams cut so short how does the D and G sound?
Click to expand...

I like the 3 position versatility, so I'll just deal with it and retune. Like I said, currently I'm using TI's, so I'm sure the flexibility makes it worse.

How does the D&G sound now or do you mean when they were cut shorter? The strings sounded "sharper" and more choked in comparison when I had the pads trimmed too short. They sound better now. I emailed the maker to see if I can get some new pads should I need them in the future.
 

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