practice mute and silent practice

[Eric Swanson]

When I was in school I used to have a small diameter (about 2" dia x 3/4" thick), very heavy steel disc with a slot machined into it. Sort of a small, circular "C" clamp, similar to some that machinists use for setup, but heavier and made just to be a bass mute.

One side of the slot was padded with cork, and there was a padded thumbscrew, tapped into the circular body, that tightened against the bridge. The whole thing was essentially a small, very heavy clamp that didn't vibrate.

Looked sort of like the old Pac Man character from the 80's. The bridge top went into the slot, you tightened the thumbscrew, presto, nearly silent bass. Black anodized, knurled thumbscrew...nicely made.

I gave it away in a fit of generosity and have never found another one. Oh well. If anyone sees one of these, buy it.

I can't even remember where I bought it. Now I use the "Ultra" practice mute, which is not so good, compared to my old mute; the "Ultra" vibrates loose, doesn't mute that well, but is, of course, better than nothing.

[Nick Skelton]

In my small appartment here(Jakarta) I set about getting a practise rig as last year my chops, as meagre as they were all but disappeared without a bass. Firstly I chose an appartment with the room to bee used on the corner of the building (no shared walls). Next went out and purchased a small piece of foam backed carpet as an offcut. Folded this in four. (four layers thick). Bass endpin sits on that. Brought an ultra mute back with me from US and a Coda Grunberger carbon fiber bow. Lastly set off to get a bass. I had already scoped out that the cost of a plywood bass here would be less than the airline shipping fee, and in the end dragged home a Chinese plywood bass for the princely sum of $400-00. Don't know the make but it was way better than the Cremona that stood next to it in the rack, and played quite well. Pretty much the same quality as the european Lisle bass I started off on. Serviceable tuners and a surprisingly good bag. It has no adjusters though. The shop (the only stockist of basses in town that anyone could direct me to) also sold sporting goods (good selection of golf clubs and treadmills), and high dollar Gibson guitars.
The end result has been that the sound in the room has been pretty good, with no complaints from the neighbours or the building magement. I don't fancy my chances with arco at fff, but for everything else it is serviceable.
I realise that the selection of an appartment is impractical for most, but I feel the folded up carpet, with both the damping and the mass, prevents transmission of some of the bass frequency energy through the floor.
The bass when fitted with a pick up would be great for the high volme blues gigs I used to do back in the USA.

[carlopetro]

Can any of you guys post some pics of these mutes?

[Nick Skelton]

I am having some camera issues right now but the mute came from Bob Gollihur and there is a picture on his accesory page.

[Bryan Leinwand]

Originally Posted by Eric Swanson

When I was in school I used to have a small diameter (about 2" dia x 3/4" thick), very heavy steel disc with a slot machined into it. Sort of a small, circular "C" clamp, similar to some that machinists use for setup, but heavier and made just to be a bass mute.

One side of the slot was padded with cork, and there was a padded thumbscrew, tapped into the circular body, that tightened against the bridge. The whole thing was essentially a small, very heavy clamp that didn't vibrate.

Looked sort of like the old Pac Man character from the 80's. The bridge top went into the slot, you tightened the thumbscrew, presto, nearly silent bass. Black anodized, knurled thumbscrew...nicely made.

I gave it away in a fit of generosity and have never found another one. Oh well. If anyone sees one of these, buy it.

I can't even remember where I bought it. Now I use the "Ultra" practice mute, which is not so good, compared to my old mute; the "Ultra" vibrates loose, doesn't mute that well, but is, of course, better than nothing.

I have that exact mute. I bought it from Fantoni in N.Y. in the late 70's.
I'll dig it out and post a picture when I get a chance.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bryan Leinwand

I have that exact mute. I bought it from Fantoni in N.Y. in the late 70's.
I'll dig it out and post a picture when I get a chance.

Fantoni was my Mentor. I think I have one of them too. It's circular, black coloured steel with a round headed screw with a white plastic tip that touches the bridge on one side and the steel of the open jaw on the other. Weighs close to a pound by feel as I've never really weighed it. Maybe I will.

That practice mute cuts at least half the volume off of the bass. One of my basses though was so powerful that from the basement where I practice (when I have a bass at home) woke up my wife two floors up in the bedroom on the other side of the house. Still, the other basses I have had home were on the dead-silent side with this mute on.

So did you go to Fantoni's at 130 w.42nd or his last address at 140 w. 42nd, the next building over where Biase is now?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Joshua phelps

That's insane, I'd like to try it. Hey ken on the subject of mutes I know they make ebony "performance mutes" & my question is when would you use this?

When would you see an Ebony mute? When it says con sordino (or something else depending on the language) and a guy pulls one out of his pocket to put it on because there is no place to put it like with the other rubber or Sihon type mutes that slide on the after lengths of the strings.

I have the brass/steel/clear tube Sihon mute from about 1966. It still works. I also have a rubber Tourte mute as well as a back up. One guy in an Orchestra I play in on occasion uses the ebony mute. He is the busiest guy in the section when mutes go on and off the bridge.

As far as the old steel mute we mentioned above, I got mine from Fantoni in the early 1970s. I would have to ask Biase who has the shop now since around '75 or so if he knows the availability of these.

Maybe I'll bring it in, weigh it and take some pictures as well to post.

[Thomas Erickson]

I'm interested in those mutes; I saw one that sounds similar years ago and have never seen them for sale, at least that I noticed anyway.

[Bryan Leinwand]

Biase is still around? so long ago I cant remember the adress.

You forgot the cork on the other side. great mute.
Btw, I used to live a block away from you. 7 east 14th street.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Bryan Leinwand

Biase is still around? so long ago I cant remember the address.

You forgot the cork on the other side. great mute.
Btw, I used to live a block away from you. 7 east 14th street.

Yes, Paul Biase is still around. We call each other on occasion when basses come up and we have questions for each other about them. The address is (message me if you need it) the same building he has always been in. He changed rooms in the building some 20ish years ago but he's still there.

On the Mute, yes, that thin cork padding on the lower mouth of the mute. I was just practising and went from no mute to my rubber Torte mute to the old Steel disc practice mute. The practice mute cut all the lows out of the bass whereas the Tourte just thinned it a bit using the Marconcini bass (aka Scallopini) that I am practising on in the evenings at home to break it back in. The restoration was completed a bit more than a year ago and it's hardly been played on since. With the Tourte mute on it, I think I hear the sound getting pushed back into the bass rather than projecting outwards. That's probably not what's happening but when I use a mute on a bass, it seems smoother and deeper or rather, less highs/treble. The Steel mute takes the bass frequencies away. Just the opposite.

[Eric Hochberg]

As I'm getting ready to move into a condo, this discussion is timely for me. Please let us know if you find an available similar mute to the steel one you use, Ken.

Also, if anyone has suggestions for other remedies to keep peace with neighbors, such as decoupling the endpin from the floor, etc. Wondering if a small platform raised with 4 small spikes might help (or will the same energy just go into the floor through the spikes)?

Thanks!

EDIT found some interesting ideas on decoupling here and here.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Eric Hochberg

As I'm getting ready to move into a condo, this discussion is timely for me. Please let us know if you find an available similar mute to the steel one you use, Ken.

Also, if anyone has suggestions for other remedies to keep peace with neighbors, such as decoupling the endpin from the floor, etc. Wondering if a small platform raised with 4 small spikes might help (or will the same energy just go into the floor through the spikes)?

Thanks!

EDIT found some interesting ideas on decoupling here and here.

The steel mute I have is basically a pretty looking C-clamp. Try a C-clamp on see what happens. The smaller/heavier the better.