Off Topic: What is this thing...?

[GlassMoon26]

Scale The Summit recording "Carving Desert Canyons" Video by Scale The Summit - MySpace Video

At the 30 second mark, what is the thing the guitarist has on his JP7's neck, covering the lower frets? I've seen it before in a recording video, its a matter of great curiosity... :S

[bkrumme]

Probably just a polish cloth or something else wrapped around the neck. All it does is mute the strings so he can record clean passages without a bunch of extra string noise.

[Kaloyan]

+1
I guess it's the only 'invention' that mutes the strings

[Slingy]

It doesn't need to be so big, small hair scrunchie is fine. You need to be able to slide it back behind the nut easily.

[bkrumme]

For live performances, you definitely want to be able to slide it behind the nut, but in the studio I could see leaving it for that passage and then removing it completely.

I saw STS live with DT in August. They were pretty good, and he didn't use anything like that live.

[Adamr]

i use a hair scrunchie round the top of my necks. just above the nut then you can pull it down when u want to do a bit of legato , tapping, etc. just cleans it up nicely.

[agt]

i use a hair scrunchie round the top of my necks. just above the nut then you can pull it down when u want to do a bit of legato , tapping, etc. just cleans it up nicely.

I've seen this before too and wondered what it was. Thanks for clarifying.

[the24thfret]

here's another cheater's trick: if youre playing all fretted notes up high for a solo in the studio, capo a lower fret to lower the string height up high for speed and then combine with the scrunchie for muting. yay!

[That Guy]

I think Micheal Angelo Batio uses the same sort of thing to reduce feedback when he's playing with both his hands.

[marduke]

wow thanks id never heard of these guys before!! love it!!

[cm_17]

Cheating! lol

On the Systemic Chaos DVD you can see passages where John Petrucci has a shirt or something wrapped around the low frets, looks hilarious . Quite a common trick.

There is also the little bit more virtuoso version, like this:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ah-y6Xfk2Tg"]YouTube - Joe Satriani Lesson "The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing"[/ame].

[leftyguitarblue]

wow thanks id never heard of these guys before!! love it!!

They opened for Dream Theater on the North American tour. Very talented bunch of guys, and very nice.

[jbhafner]

That would be a polishing cloth wrapped around the neck with a monster cable velcro wrap to hold it in place. I guess since they were recording with an 8 string guitar that it was necessary. Studio time is expensive. 1 take is definitely doable that way.

[Adamr]

I think Micheal Angelo Batio uses the same sort of thing to reduce feedback when he's playing with both his hands.

i believe he has his own product out for string dampening. it sort of a clamp on thing a bit like a capo but just for dampening. but i cant see why unless u purely play guitar passages like he does you would want a permanently fixed version.