After over two decades, and trying other mutes, and stuffing with towels or t-shirts… I finally ordered a Mikes Mute. I just got the notification that it’s out for delivery! Why is an old man so excited about something like this
. Am I going to be a happy camper? Why is the mail truck taking so long...
Good for you! I have tried a dozen + mutes over the years, and Mike's is by far my favorite.
I'm no expert, but I would offer a couple suggestions. To my ear, even after I take the mute off, the banjo's tone is a bit different. So although I use the mute almost daily, I take it off after each use to minimize this effect, and I only tighten it just enough to keep it from vibrating off.
Enjoy your Mike's mute--your housemates and neighbors will (even though they won't know it).
Funny you mention the effect on your hearing. Its exactly what I experience. It's not your banjo, it's your hearing. Everything sounds crisper after I've picked with mine with Mike's mute on, and take it off and everything just pops. It's like it preps my ears to here better if that makes any sense... Part of that may be the way that I slightly alter my hand position while using the mute due to height. Might be training my hand in some small way.
Dean T , you'll be a happy camper if all you want is very dramatic reduction in volume --- and if you don't mind the substantial changes in timbre and sustain. The strongest sound production shifts downward in frequency, and the sustain is much greater.
The alternative I've come to prefer is damping the strings on the playing side immediately adjacent to the bridge. I copied someone who used foam, but a more clever BHO member suggested a tightly rolled log of tissue or paper towel. The paper alternative is immediately available and allows easy adjustment.
That foam mute is pretty epic! Fultoncreek You mention it changes the sound and you take it off daily, is it messing up the strings or head or something?
No, it's not doing any damage at all. It simply sounds as if the banjo is still ever-so-slightly muted for a few minutes of playing even after I've removed the mute. I don't know what would happen if I'd put it on crazy tight and leave it on for a day or a week. But I would never do that; I suppose at most it would mess up the bridge a bit. But I've never wanted to find out, LOL.
Wish I could find mine
This is a very VERY good mute! I really like it. The drop in volume is perfect for my condo life, and the change in tone doesn’t penetrate the closed door of my practice room. My lovely wife is also impressed, as she couldn’t hear it at all from the lower floor, or her sewing room. Everybody is happy!
The tone and volume (or lack there of) is very impressive, but my favorite aspect is the full vibrations of the strings and head. It FEELS like a banjo feels, when playing all out… and not muffled or restricted like foam or towels. It works well on my old Goodtime, but even more impressive how well it works on my Sierra, with full blown tone ring. I couldn’t even think about playing the Sierra, with my lovely bride or neighbors home… now I can play it all I want. I’m a VERY happy camper! And it even comes with a nice bag, that will probably be used for picks…
quote:
Originally posted by FultoncreekGood for you! I have tried a dozen + mutes over the years, and Mike's is by far my favorite.
I'm no expert, but I would offer a couple suggestions. To my ear, even after I take the mute off, the banjo's tone is a bit different. So although I use the mute almost daily, I take it off after each use to minimize this effect, and I only tighten it just enough to keep it from vibrating off.
Enjoy your Mike's mute--your housemates and neighbors will (even though they won't know it).
I have a Mikes and glued a piece of rubber to the top piece and it eliminated the string buzz I was getting.
I highly recommend Mikes Banjo Mutes. I have one for flat topped bridges and one for radius bridges. There can be an occasional errant string buzz depending upon how deep the string grooves are cut into the bridge. As Tony mentioned above he glued rubber to the Mikes mute. I found that self adhesive Velcro also works. I used the coarse part of the Velcro on the brass bar that rests on top of the bridge, while the fuzzy part of the Velcro protects the bottom of the bridge that the mute touches.
