string dampener

[smopo24]

a while back in tape op i read an interview with carol kaye, member of phil spector's wrecking crew (the hired guns he brought to nearly every session). she said that her real secret to getting a better sound on the recordings she's participated in were these felt string dampeners. has anyone used them? up until this interview, i never even knew they existed. every session i had been on, no one used one (nor did any producer or engineer suggest one) does anyone know if they are effective, and to what degree?

[Nubus]

i made one after reading that and i agree it sounds neat. i duct taped a piece of studio foam to the body near the bridge.
it can be adjusted back towards the bridge for less damping or towards the pickups for more.
it is a bit like palm muting near the bridge, but you get the power to pick near the neck! thanks for reminding me, mine fell off when i put it in the case. i lost it and forgot about it!

[armrest]

My Stingray has them built-in. It's a nice sound, but too subtle for my taste. I still resort to dampening with the palm of my hand.

When I used to do a bunch of 4-track recording, I used to stick a sock under the strings at the bridge and run through a slap-back delay to give it artificial sustain. Sounds pretty cool.

[Professor Riffs]

The fuzzy hair ties that people use work well if you put them around the neck just before the nut, so it's over like the first half of the first fret. This will obviously kill open strings, but it works well.

[subsonic bob]

Ric 4001&4003's come with them and they do a passable job of mimicking an upright. I never use mine.

[dolivas]

the string dampeners you guys are mentioning are they anything like the string dampeners I use for my tennis racquets? meaning they go through the strings of the guitar or is it different are they put on the body of the gutiar? this is the first time i've heard of such things on bass guitars.

[Nubus]

they usually are affixed to the body of the bass and gently rest on the strings. this thread made me think tho you could probably have sonething wrapped around the four strings attached to the guitar and get a bit of the same effect

[dagosto]

I heard that some bassists have used a piece of styrofoam underneath the strings.