5 finger ninja - Posted - 02/18/2012:  09:52:10

just wanted to thank whoever it was in whatever thread i read it in about using wood clothes pins on the bridge for a cheap mute! now i can practice late at night without waking the whole neighborhood.  my RK-35 is nice and loud when i want it to be.

Jody Hughes - Posted - 02/18/2012:  10:00:39

Yes, I told my student about that a few weeks ago and the old stuff a towel in the resonator trick.
He was playing without his picks so he wouldn't upset his neighbors. Now he can get in his practicing using picks.

5 finger ninja - Posted - 02/18/2012:  10:04:49

towell in the resonator huh, hmmm :)

Jody Hughes - Posted - 02/18/2012:  10:32:43

Yeah stuff a towel in between the coordinator rod in the back of the banjo, you will SERIOUSLY dampen the sound of the instrument. In my opinion it will sound better than the clothespins clamped to the bridge :)

alfiedog - Posted - 02/18/2012:  10:56:23

Blu Tack Rolled into a Small Sausage Shape, and placed on the Strings at the Bridge makes a fantastic Mute, and its Cheap !

Bilbo1 - Posted - 02/18/2012:  11:22:29

I use a cylinder shaped foam bullet fron my son's nerf gun, it fits nicely under the strings at the bridge. A piece of sponge does a great job also.

Hankon5 - Posted - 02/18/2012:  11:35:24

quote:

---

Originally posted by Jody Hughes

Yes, I told my student about that a few weeks ago and the old stuff a towel in the resonator trick.

He was playing without his picks so he wouldn't upset his neighbors. Now he can get in his practicing using picks.

---

 Yah!  Tried that a few weeks ago and it really works.  Roll up the small towel, and I put in on top of the upper rod and a small portion left over that I weaved between the two rods..Really deadens the 'jo

pdquantum - Posted - 02/18/2012:  11:47:07

I agree with the original post on this. Wood clothes pins are quick and easy. Excellent for warming/tuning up before a jam. Pull them off and you're ready to play at full volume. I keep a pair in each banjo case, just in case.

5 finger ninja - Posted - 02/18/2012:  12:22:47

thanks for the ideas guys, I think the clothes pins are all i need and they come off as easy as they go on. During the day I want to play at full volume. Maybe ill look into modding my  resonator to quik detach via magnets (ive heard of this but never seen it) 

5 finger ninja - Posted - 02/18/2012:  12:26:06

i also want to note that i cut the ends off the pins so they aint in the way of my picking hand.

WildBillNECPS - Posted - 02/18/2012:  18:22:17

Hey Bilbo1 -

I do a similar thing I'd learned from James McKinney. Use one of those old fashioned pink hair curler sponges. They are just a tad wider than the bridge. I found a 10 pack at the dollar store. Works great!

pstroud1 - Posted - 02/19/2012:  09:04:59

I use an old dirty pair of winter socks. ;)
Clean ones make the tone kind stink, go figure. :)

Paul

CreekRunner - Posted - 02/19/2012:  10:10:21

Pics anyone?

5 finger ninja - Posted - 02/19/2012:  10:18:58

i reckon you could use about anything you want...

Matej - Posted - 02/19/2012:  15:02:12

By putting something soft between the strings and the head you surely mute the strings. But you don´t mute all the strings the same way. The thinner strings are muted more than the thick ones. If you practice that way, you´ll get poor results without the mute.

SReynolds - Posted - 02/20/2012:  03:23:16

I have to play the banjo on stage for the community play, while others are speaking.  I couldn't play soft enough to hear the speaking parts. I mulled it over that night and the next day I stuffed a hand towel between the mylar head and the rod.



That really took the bite out of the banjo. I didn't know it was an approved method. It was something I had done with out buying a commercial tool. I thought to myself, If I ever told anyone about this, they'd think I was whack.

Edited by - SReynolds on 02/20/2012 03:25:25

Jim Yates - Posted - 02/20/2012:  07:05:18

I posted the pics of electrical "alligator" clips in a previous thread on banjo mutes, but here they are again.

I used to use a couple of fridge magnets, one on each side of the head, not so handy if you don't have an open back.  The magnets in the picture are from an artificial insemination company.  I got them when we played for a bunch of cattle farmers at a plowing match.

Pete Seeger has said, about stuffing his banjo, "A towel is too big and a handkerchief is too small, but a cloth diaper is just right."

I use a pair of red socks with a hole in the toe. (I washed them first Paul) I imagine any colour would work.  The hole in the toe isn't necessary either, but I wear the ones with no hole.

Edited by - Jim Yates on 02/20/2012 07:10:46

Budget banjo mutes

SReynolds - Posted - 02/20/2012:  08:06:15

Oh, yeah! Aligator clips for electrical jumper wires. I'm going to try that out! Thanks

edhanzel - Posted - 02/20/2012:  17:01:00

I use a small pillow in the back of the banjo, but sometimes it still does not mute it enough.....going to try the nerf bullet too and see if that will help even more.

5 finger ninja - Posted - 02/20/2012:  18:31:46

well off to Radio Shack for some alligator clips :)

Roll Player - Posted - 02/20/2012:  22:44:56

The blue-tak poster-hanging putty works great also and can be used in a large variety of ways. It works on any bridge and you can use as much or as little as you want. A little just changes the tone and a lot can really mute the banjo. You could even use the stuff to keep one of those expensive mutes from rattling. I understand that artist's kneaded erasers work a lot like the putty too.

The picture shows "Handi-tak" that I got from Walmart for about a buck. This brand is yellow rather than blue. This kind of stuff is a staple in elementary schools for hanging stuff on walls and closet doors.

Cheap Muting