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Random foam objects and the quest for cheap mutes


dannybuoy
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I've tried a few things to create a foam mute for my P-Bass in the past, but have recently ordered a couple of odd looking objects from eBay as experiments!

Hair Bun Maker: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230729571087"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/230729571087[/url]

I just received this one today and it works a treat! The foam just fits under the bridge barely touching the strings, but since it has a metal strip running through it, it's easy to bend it into a slight arc to get just the right pressure under each string.



I also ordered one of these aquarium filters: [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170811180838"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/170811180838[/url]



Judging by eye, the 20mm pipe diameter looks roughly the same as the distance between the ribs of the sponge cylinder, which is roughly that of the string spacing at the bridge. I'll cut it into segments and see how I get on!

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I used a piece of foam pipe insulation on my Hofner BeatleBass and it worked a treat. It cost pennies, was easy to cut with a Stanley knife and sits nicely against the bridge. Get thee to B and Q!!

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I had a nightmare with double bass feedback on a function gig once. Grabbed the nearest thing to hand which was a pink linen napkin, and stuffed it between the strings.

It resolved the problem and I accidentally discovered a great new sound from my bass. Odd thing was that other napkins, dishcloths, towels etc never sounded as good.

That aquarium filter might turn out to be amazing! Good luck!

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  • 1 month later...

I went round to my mates house the other week. He is a guitarist but he has a decent P bass copy lying around and it gets some love from me when I go round. I play reggae, and I like the motown sound, and so I like the muted sound. The strings on my bass are about 7 years old and I love the tone I get from them.

Anyway, you can imagine how I felt when my mate turned to me and said "Hey, I've got a surprise for you, I changed the strings on the bass!". So I was presented with the P with brand spaking new, ultra twangy, light guage strings...BLAAAAHH!

My friend did make up for it by then making a mute out of a washing up foam sponge. This was one of those smaller ones that you get when you buy cheap packs of ten, and he ripped off the green tough layer and just cut the sponge in half. Fit absolutely perfectly and did a very good job sonically too!

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It's good enough for Alabama Shakes!



I have found that a very light piece of foam that does almost nothing down by the bridge sounds very good when moving it up towards the pickup. Still searching for the perfect mute that mutes evenly across the uneven string heights. Might have to get a Bassmute after all.

Edited by dannybuoy
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  • 3 weeks later...

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/160704-accessorise-your-eub-with-this-seasons-must-have-string-damper/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/160704-accessorise-your-eub-with-this-seasons-must-have-string-damper/page__fromsearch__1[/url]

:D

A

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