Are you Sympathetic to your Resonance ?

[Stone]

Howdy all say any of you guys use these string mute thingys ?
do they really improve tone and reduce unwanted string vibrations i do notice a few use them but most dont
I know @2112 uses them I've seen Guthrie Govan use them as well, Im curious

Thanks all

 

[2112]

You can get a similar effect with a scrunchie. I use it just to kill any possible dead string length noise.

 

[the-trooper]

Howdy all say any of you guys use these string mute thingys ?

On one guitar that needs it, an inconspicuous piece of black foam, not one of those thingys.

do they really improve tone

No.

reduce unwanted string vibrations

Yes, that guitar has audible ziiiing when palm muting.

@The Colonel not being able to quote first post was a mistake.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I think most people originally use them to drag them over the fretboard so you don't have to deal with open string ringing issues during two hand tapping escapades. Govan is doing it here and there, others more regularly (Matteo Mancuso for instance, has to do with him picking almost classical style), Michael Angelo Batio almost all the time.
But yes, as Leon said, they help muting unwanted behind the nut string ringing, too. Doesn't matter on all guitars, though. I need it on my Anderson but on no other.

 

[James Freeman]

They don't improve tone but for fast mutes with high gain, damping these resonances is essential.
I have experienced noise gates not closing fast enough because of these pre nut string resonances and/or floating bridge springs.

 

[Orvillain]

Yeah I will often use these to dampen resonance from palm mutes. A bit of foam under the strings can do it too.

 

[Stone]

Cool thanks all ill give it try its not expensive
as always you guys are great

 

[Stone]

Yeah I will often use these to dampen resonance from palm mutes. A bit of foam under the strings can do it too.

Hmm so it does the same thing?

 

[James Freeman]

Hmm so it does the same thing?

Yes.
I use a piece or top+bottom velcro to hold the strings.
Anything that will dampen the vibration between the winding peg and nut.

 

[laxu]

I use one on my 7-string Kiesel AM7. The reverse headstock makes the ringing behind the nut very noticeable, it's almost like having a reverb on the guitar but in a bad way. Just use a piece of velcro and some foam behind the nut and that solves the issue.

On any of my other guitars this is not a problem.

 

[EOengineer]

2 of my teles are SUPER lively and produce a very prominent ringing G harmonic on open ringing chords (basically any chord with an open G). Sometimes I think about muting that behavior out but I’ve come to appreciate it as part of how those guitars perform.

Maybe one day I will wrap the strings and see how I feel about it.

 

[Eagle]

They are useful for complex two handed tapping but nothing else really.

 

[Eagle]

They are useful for complex two handed tapping but nothing else really.

To add ;
You should be able to damp everything effectively as part of your playing process normally. The only thing that you can’t really do is complex two hands parts and damping. They don’t actually work anywhere near as well as your hands anyway.

 

[the-trooper]

You should be able to damp everything effectively as part of your playing process normally.

The topic at hand is when they are placed behind the nut, where they do serve a purpose, if the guitar calls for it. Not related to muting as part of playing process.

 

[Eagle]

The topic at hand is when they are placed behind the nut, where they do serve a purpose, if the guitar calls for it. Not related to muting as part of playing process.

They don’t do anything other then poorly damp a part of the string that isn’t an issue there anyway.

 

[the-trooper]

They don’t do anything other then poorly damp a part of the string that isn’t an issue there anyway.

Not sure if we're talking about the same thing, I find it hard to believe you never encountered a guitar which has strings ringing behind the nut.
Many guitars have this issue. Putting something there absolutely does a lot and mutes the string(s) that definitely are the issue. Especially noticeable when playing palm mutes at higher gain.
I have a guitar on which you can hear a ziiing leftover after palm mute. Not an issue at live playing but no place for it when recording. A simple piece of foam solves it.

 

[NKP]

Some guitars « need it », some others not. If you don’t hear any strange harmonics while muting and hitting strings etc that’s useless

 

[Eagle]

Not sure if we're talking about the same thing, I find it hard to believe you never encountered a guitar which has strings ringing behind the nut.
Many guitars have this issue. Putting something there absolutely does a lot and mutes the string(s) that definitely are the issue. Especially noticeable when playing palm mutes at higher gain.
I have a guitar on which you can hear a ziiing leftover after palm mute. Not an issue at live playing but no place for it when recording. A simple piece of foam solves it.

It never happens when I play but I have fitted a few.

 

[DrewJD82]

They don’t do anything other then poorly damp a part of the string that isn’t an issue there anyway.

For tight, chugging stuff, on a few of my guitars the strings resonate above the note/below the bridge, unless I gate the sh*t out of the tone (not a fan) you can hear the “enk” sound ringing out. A small strip of foam under the strings gets rid of it.

Don’t seem to have it happen with the Edwards or Orville, but my Ibanez SZ, JEM and Solar all experience it.

 

[the-trooper]

It never happens when I play but I have fitted a few.

Safe to presume your not chugging?