This string mute thingy

[oli@bass]

I just spent a relaxing hour noodling around on my NAMM StingRay to some tunes on the radio, and at some point the songs moved from modern hip hop / rock into more traditional reggae styles...

...so I thought "well, I've never seen a use for this, but let's try out this string mute thiny"... and I have to tell you...

THIS IS SO FREAKING COOL!!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Maybe it's the combination of a graphite neck with the string mutes that makes it special, but I guess the effect is similar on wooden necked 'Rays. It's so cool that now that I tried it, I consider to not put a bridge with string mutes on the Anniversary models a, dare I say, "relevant" oversight. So, then crossed my mind what maybe a silly idea at first look, but it would be great if Big Poppa could at least give it a serious thought:

How about -

1.) offering after market bridges (or just the bridge plates) including the mutes assembly kits, which can be mail ordered directly from EBMM CS? I would definitely shell out money to get them on some of my other 'Rays (somehow similar to putting a HipShot D-Tuner on all of my four string basses).

OR

2.) if the great minds at EBMM would find out great new "thingy" that is even easier and faster to use than the old string mutes with the thumbscrews. Something that can be clipped on, yet does not easily fall off or can scratch the bass finish.


Thoughts?

 

[bovinehost]

Oliver, if you check out the mutes setup on your bass, you'll notice that there are some sharp edges to deal with.

We talked about the mutes before and I think I remember BP saying that the sharp edges so near working fingers was just a big liability.

bassmonkeee can tell you about a mute system that he uses.

And, when all else fails, stick a piece of foam (or, in Tony Levin style, a diaper) under the strings near the bridge.

Jack

 

[LimDidit]

i may be dumb and not reading all the words correctly
but what does a "string mute" do?

 

[Caca de Kick]

LimDidit,

The string mutes would muffle and deaden the string when you turned the thumbscrews to engage the mutes, giving you the possibility of mimicking an upright bass.

I use them all the time at blues jams, and in the studio for certain sounds.

 

[Moondog]

Later versions, top loaded '90 & '92 & '94 Flea Bridge

 

[oli@bass]

OK, I searched and found this, this and that thread regarding string mutes.

You're right, Jack, about the legal issues which lead to the removal of the mutes. Can we kick the originator of this great acheivement a bit, just a little tiny bit?

And, it's obviously not easy to retrofit a bridge with mute assembly on a bass that sports the modern small bridge; you'd need to drill holes for the thumb screws into the body!


That leaves only option number 2.) open: Maybe the design team can come up with a cool-looking-great-sounding-clip-on mute assembly. Please?!

 

[bovinehost]

Bassmonkeee will be here sooner or later to tell you what he did.

 

[mynan]

That leaves only option number 2.) open: Maybe the design team can come up with a cool-looking-great-sounding-clip-on mute assembly. Please?!

Somehow I think that BP has the design team working on moving things forward in time, not backward.

 

[oli@bass]

Somehow I think that BP has the design team working on moving things forward in time, not backward.

Then even more so! Just check out how many current productions use synth sounds or samples to create basslines that have a muted, doghouse like sound? How a can a certain type of sound be "backwards"?!

 

[mynan]

Nevermind...I didn't realize that you had it all figured out.

 

[bassmonkeee]

Bassmonkeee will be here sooner or later to tell you what he did.

I use one of these on my black sapphire HHP Bongo 5, and I love it:

The BassMute - A smart muting device for Bass Players

When I eventually get a 6 string Bongo, I'll be putting one on that, too.

They aren't cheap, but they work exactly as they should. If you want a mute system that you can activate mid-song with the flick of a switch, this is it.

 

[LimDidit]

oo thats so cool i didnt know that thanks.. for the info

Can we kick the originator of this great acheivement a bit, just a little tiny bit?

dont kick the originator

Kick the people dumb enough to cut themselves on the bridge
and ruins it for the rest of us....

or the people dumb enough to get into an accident on their cell phone and
ruin it for the rest of us

or the people dumb enough to burn themselves with coffee and sue the store
and now everywhere you go there cautions
"hot liquid" or what not is posted everywhere
when i ALREADY KNOW its hot

....
sorry just venting..

 

[Moondog]

kick people who drive too slow in the fast lane too!

BTW, that is a very, very cool pickguard on that Bongo.

 

[tkarter]

There is another way to have a mute that won't hurt ya. That and I love looking at this SR5.

tk

 

[oli@bass]

The BassMute - A smart muting device for Bass Players

They aren't cheap, but they work exactly as they should. If you want a mute system that you can activate mid-song with the flick of a switch, this is it.

Wow! That's the sort of thing I had in mind!
Great info, thank you very much!
(now, did you ever try to peel it off again...? or does that ruin the finish... )

dont kick the originator

Kick the people dumb enough to cut themselves on the bridge
and ruins it for the rest of us....

That's what I meant! The originator of this ridiculous lawsuit!

kick people who drive too slow in the fast lane too!

I'm with you with this...

BTW, that is a very, very cool pickguard on that Bongo.

...and that!!! Would maybe look killer as well on black sparkle...

 

[bassmonkeee]

Wow! That's the sort of thing I had in mind!
Great info, thank you very much!
(now, did you ever try to peel it off again...? or does that ruin the finish... )

I had it on a couple of different basses when I first got it, and the adhesive wasn't a problem for any of them.

It's attached to the black Bongo with the screws, though. But, as long as you know which bass you're going to leave it on (I could decide between fretless and fretted), the adhesive will be fine for anyone who doesn't want to put screws in the bass.

When I get a six string, I'll just use the adhesive, I'm sure.




The problem with foam, Tom, is that you can't remove and replace it in the middle of a song. At my gigs, I often play solos. Sometimes, I want a different sound than I can get with the mute. So, I'll have the mute on for the entire song, and then flip the lever for the solo, and then put the mute back on after the solo is done. It might be a bit more clumsy trying to wedge that hunk of foam back in before the next verse.

 

[tkarter]

Explain this solo concept to me Dat foam is for the Motown sound.

tk

 

[Duarte]

I shove a sock under the strings of my fretless, sounds uber smooth!

 

[zenmba]

Hi, I'm guitarist, but was interested in your thread...

I use hair elastic bands on my guitar which works very well for muting. I got the idea after researching (expensive) after-market solutions and came across a picture of Victor Wooten using a (cheap) hair elastic band. --Does this mean I'm in a hair band?? -Billy

 

[bassmonkeee]

That's an entirely different kind of muting. That's so you can go wheedly-wheedly-wheedly on some strings while ignoring right hand technique, since the hair band will keep the open strings from ringing.

The muting we're talking about affects the strings being played, not the strings being ignored. The purpose of the BassMute is to remove some of the top end of the tone, and to shorten the decay of the notes.