JimHenry - Posted - 11/02/2011:  16:39:56

I've got three or four different mutes, including Mike's mute which works (almost too) well on my old Great Lakes open back with a Bart Veerman bridge - but not so well (faint buzzing) on my Ome with a Snuffy Smith bridge.  So I keep trying things, including towels in the pot which is ok, generally, but still fairly loud as I do it.

Last night I decided to try clothespins on the bridge of the Great Lakes. They muted it nicely, but made it too tinny.  Then just for kicks, I stuck a rolled-up towel in the pot in addition to the clothespins.  It was really nice!  Muted enough, but not too much, with a round mellow tone and pleasing sustain.

Try it out... if you don't like the effect on your banjo, you still might be able to use "Two Clothespins and a Towel"  as the title of your next song.  It's no worse than "Pigtown Fling". :-)

akpicker - Posted - 11/02/2011:  16:54:08

Two small pieces of felt on the jaws of the clothespins works well..........

JimHenry - Posted - 11/02/2011:  17:22:02

I'll search out some felt and try that... thanks.

kmwaters - Posted - 11/02/2011:  17:39:29

Nice idea.  I have Mike's mute and love it, but I can see where the clamps may not work on certain bridge shapes or configurations.

commodoremac - Posted - 11/02/2011:  18:41:29

Sometimes when I'm in the Scarlatti mood I'll attach an old nickel fiddle mute and make her sound like a harpsichord. But then munkle, who could play anything with a string would take a roadkill squirrel and, never mind. Good mutes make good neighbors.

HARDROCK KID - Posted - 11/02/2011:  20:55:15

quote:

---

Originally posted by JimHenry

I've got three or four different mutes, including Mike's mute which works (almost too) well on my old Great Lakes open back with a Bart Veerman bridge - but not so well (faint buzzing) on my Ome with a Snuffy Smith bridge.  So I keep trying things, including towels in the pot which is ok, generally, but still fairly loud as I do it.

Last night I decided to try clothespins on the bridge of the Great Lakes. They muted it nicely, but made it too tinny.  Then just for kicks, I stuck a rolled-up towel in the pot in addition to the clothespins.  It was really nice!  Muted enough, but not too much, with a round mellow tone and pleasing sustain.

Try it out... if you don't like the effect on your banjo, you still might be able to use "Two Clothespins and a Towel"  as the title of your next song.  It's no worse than "Pigtown Fling". :-)

---

Jim; Get a mute. Check your music store for an ULTRA rubber banjo mute. They are low cost, molded out of flexable rubber, slip over the bridge and they are easy to install or remove, and still allow the tone to come thru but deaden the noise. If you can't get an Ultra mute molded for a 5 string banjo, an Ultra fiddle mute will work by cutting a slot for the 5th string as the fiddle mute is made with only 4 slots.   "Hardrock"    

Drivel - Posted - 11/02/2011:  22:28:03

I got some reusable sticky puddy to use as a mute, you can play with tone by putting small pieces on different spots on the bridge, and head. I tried sticking a dime with it under each of the 2 outer legs of the bridge, and made my open-back sound just like a Banjola. I haven't tried this, but I think that a disk or resonator with acoustic foam covering put behind the head but not touching it would quiet it the most without changing the tone.

mike gregory - Posted - 11/03/2011:  08:09:19

PARTIAL QUOTE:

".......you still might be able to use "Two Clothespins and a Towel" as the title of your next song. It's no worse than "Pigtown Fling". :-)

UNquote

Here's a LYRIC  line I'm going to have to work on, but all y'all are invited to come up with your own lyrics:

========================

"She spelled it out so carefully,

Each consonant and vowel.

I wouldn't be wearing nothing but

Two clothespins and a towel"

========================

JimHenry - Posted - 11/03/2011:  08:33:39

Mike -

Thanks - that's a good start... or maybe it's the end?

-- jim

Helix - Posted - 11/03/2011:  09:59:51

And maybe you'll take one clothespin

Or maybe you'll take two

But if you do, I'll grab that towel

And run away from you.

Klondike Waldo - Posted - 11/03/2011:  11:39:12

quote:

---

Originally posted by Helix

And maybe you'll take one clothespin



Or maybe you'll take two



But if you do, I'll grab that towel



And run away from you.

---

Oh,man, Helix, that's cold. (especially this time of year)

randyz714 - Posted - 11/03/2011:  11:53:12

towels...clothespins...felts...geeze....why not just take off the strings? :-)

Carlos Benavides - Posted - 11/03/2011:  13:08:21

Jim,

If you like your Mike's Mute, and get a little buzzing, then that's easily cured with a little square of lightweight paper in between the brass plate and the offending string. I use it this way to dampen down my 5th string when muted, so the mute is more even across all strings.

JimHenry - Posted - 11/03/2011:  14:58:40

Carlos -

Thanks - I'll try that tonight.

-- jim

Grumpy1 - Posted - 11/03/2011:  21:49:42

quote:

---

Originally posted by mike gregory

PARTIAL QUOTE:

".......you still might be able to use "Two Clothespins and a Towel" as the title of your next song. It's no worse than "Pigtown Fling". :-)

UNquote

Here's a LYRIC  line I'm going to have to work on, but all y'all are invited to come up with your own lyrics:

========================

"She spelled it out so carefully,

Each consonant and vowel.

I wouldn't be wearing nothing but

Two clothespins and a towel"

========================

---

When I knocked upon her castle door

She looked at me, so thin

She said "I guess you'll have to do,

 let me help you with that pin !".

Stivini61 - Posted - 11/04/2011:  05:50:36

She wanted me to lover her

But I could not figure how

two clothespins flew across the room

and down came the towel

May the Lord have pity on mu soul. 

pick1936 - Posted - 11/04/2011:  10:23:49

I have  two  alegator   clips,  one one  each  side,  mutes it  about  half  way.

Nechville.  In Higginsville.

Lee  Kelso

JimHenry - Posted - 11/04/2011:  12:33:03

Stephen -

Your contribution generated a big involuntary grin.  Nice work.

And to the other "contributors" - thanks for your efforts in song-writing and your suggestions!

-- jim

mike gregory - Posted - 11/04/2011:  14:57:00

When Jim Henry was a little baby,

Sitting in a diaper so foul,

His momma cried "O LORD!"

And tossed it overboard,

Replaced with clothespins and a towel, Lord Lord,

Replaced with clothespins and a towel

When Jim Jim Henry picked his banjo,

Folks said it was way too loud.

So he whipped out those clothespins,

And that selfsame towel,

Saying "Momma sure would be right proud, Lord Lord!

Momma sure would be right proud!"

Edited by - mike gregory on 11/04/2011 14:57:31

JimHenry - Posted - 11/04/2011:  15:14:58

Mike -

"Oh, Lord" indeed!

-- jim