Dampening with a twist! Easily adjust your banjo’s volume and improve its tone with one compact and versatile device. Handcrafted in the USA
Posted By: The_Fox_Den (+2) | Rate Member
$37 USD
THE DAMPENER AT A GLANCE
The Dapper Dampener is a simple and effective way to adjust your banjo’s volume and easily improve its tone. While originally designed to replace the dampening cloth used by many players, it ended up being quite handy for a number of applications.
The Dampener works simply by restricting vibrations to various areas of the head, serving both as an effective under-bridge mute and a simple way to fine-tune your overall volume based on its proximity to the bridge. When placed further away towards the neck it serves as a great way to dampen overtones and clean up sustain—giving your instrument a more sweet, mellow, and balanced tone while still maintaining all of its original punch.
ORDERING
To order the correct size, please measure between your dowel stick or coordinator rod and the back of your head in two places: Once beneath your bridge, and once at the furthest point towards the neck.
Make sure your measurements are true as rulers and measuring tape often have a stop gap on their end. Or, you can use a quarter to find your size as outlined in the pictures above.
Small = 7/8” - 1 1/8”
Medium = 1” - 1 1/4”
Large = 1 1/8” - 1 3/8”
Backings come in standard varnished cork for $37, solid wood for dowel sticks at $42, or hand notched wood for coordinator rods at $52.
Solid wood backing will knock you down a size, as it’s exactly 1/8” thick.
Always shipped free if you order through the Hangout!
LEATHER OR BRASS
These come in both leather and brass caps. They function as you’d imagine:
The leather is better at dampening tone, mellowing brash instruments, and imbuing a nice rounded old timey plunk.
The brass maintains just a bit more clarity of sound, and is better at just controlling volume while preserving the purity of tone and brightness of sustain.
The differences are subtle but noticeable. On the bright side, the components are interchangeable, and caps can be exchanged for a nominal sum, or you can order both caps in your purchase for an extra $15
CUSTOM DESIGNS WELCOME
If you have any questions or would like to discuss custom designs (custom leather work, sizes, or wood varnishes, etc.) please don’t hesitate to reach out! I’m always looking for innovative ways to serve my customers and expand my line.
MORE ABOUT THE DAMPENER
Whether using the Dampener as a mute to practice late at night, or adjusting your volume to meld in perfectly with a jam or ensemble, or just finding that sweet spot to eliminate some of the brashness of many beginner or intermediate banjos, the Dapper Dampener will prove a handy and interesting tool for players of all stripes.
Other instruments which resonate using wooden soundboards have developed complex methods to compensate for the natural tone imbalances and temperaments across strings and registers: Guitars have refined their tones with intricate bracing patterns, such as the famous Martin X brace. Mandolins have followed suit. Violins have a sound post and a bass bar to balance their resonance—an important innovation for such an expressive and piercing instrument.
Banjos, however, have relied on other methods over the years to improve and balance their tone—rim thickness and construction, elaborate tone rings, head materials, bridges, strings, tailpieces, and most of all the alchemy of the perfect set-up.
The Dampener is a nifty addition to the arsenal of any player or set-up practitioner. While the concept is nothing new, no other product currently exists to serve this important function for banjo players.
Many banjo aficionados—especially those looking for the sound profile that we associate with the classic “plunky” old-time playing—will stuff a handy rag, handkerchief, sock, or sponge in their banjo to achieve the same result. The effect is desirable, but these ad hoc solutions come with some drawbacks. Besides being a bit of an eyesore, the range of effects is limited and often inconsistent. The Dapper Dampener provides tone mellowing and volume control in one compact, easy to use package. It can be applied and removed in seconds, but its stalwart build allows it to be used as a stable set up element as well, providing faithful and consistent years of service to your instrument of choice once the sweet spot is found.
When compared to other elements of set-up such as heads, bridges, strings, neck angle, tailpieces, etc—all of which can be lengthy commitments with uncertain results—the Dampener is quite unobtrusive, low-risk, and affordable.
Hopefully you will find it a handy companion for all your banjo adventures!
Location:
United States, Ashland , OR
Shipping:
Free
Payment Methods:
Cash (in person), Paypal
Payment Option Notes:
Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, etc.
Return Policy:
Returns accepted. Buyer must contact seller within 7 days to arrange return. Refund will be given as Money Back.
Buyer pays return shipping.
Additional return policy details: I offer a full 7-day warranty for the proper functioning of all components. After that period replacement components are available at a discount, and I will have mercy within reason.
Condition of Item(s):
New
Category:
Ad Status:
Active
Listing No:
88803
Page Views:
1273
This ad will automatically expire 3/4/2022 12:53:47 AM unless updated before that date. To keep the system current, ads expire if not updated for more than 60 days.
