Foam

[JamesBass]

With the risk of seeming extremely naive and uninformed, but, what is the best foam to stuff next to your bridge? I've had a brief search and there's so many different types I'm all a bit overwhelmed!

[dannybuoy]

Chopped up and folded old style mouse mat, or a dishwasher sponge are popular options.

[Cat Burrito]

It depends on how much of an effect you want and what height your bridge is at. I've used the foam backs from kitchen scourers and my main bass has a tiny section of computer mouse mat which works perfectly. Just playing around with household stuff usually finds something.

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1401130768' post='2460433']
Chopped up and folded old style mouse mat, or a dishwasher sponge are popular options.
[/quote]

Ha! Beat me to it whilst I was typing. I got stuck trying to spell scourer!

[EssentialTension]

Sponge from under pickups, screwed up tissues, bit of old cotton cloth or velvet, mouse mat - try different things til you get the sound you want.

[JamesBass]

Will have a peruse around the house I think!

[EssentialTension]

A piece of felt is another good one.

[dave_bass5]

Im pretty sure there are already threads about this on here, but for what its worth (normally not a lot) i use a cut off form one of those brillo pads with the large foam body.
Its quite soft so doesn't seem to effect intonation at all, and does a good job of producing a nice thump (i play with a pick).

Only downside is its not quick to get it in and sometimes if a song is called out that needs it quite often illl not bother, or ill just keep it in for as long as i feel like it.

I am on the lookout for a more elegant solution myself, but not going to go as far as that overpriced Bass mute bridge..

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Great , I wanted to know the answer too :-) I've just bought some fret wraps which seem to have a similar effect depending how tight you tie them

[discreet]

[quote name='dannybuoy' timestamp='1401130768' post='2460433']
Chopped up and folded old style mouse mat, or a dishwasher sponge are popular options.
[/quote]

Or a real mouse - if it's not been dead for too long. Don't chop it up, though.
I suppose a live mouse would be more sustainable, but you may get a visit from the RSPCA.

[wateroftyne]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/232731-looking-for-an-old-school-string-mute-solution-patton-mute-pad/"]Here's what I use[/url].

It might seem a bit overkill, but a ) you can whip it in and out(!) in seconds between songs, and b ) it looks cool.

[Mr Fretbuzz]

Ooh they look good. I tried the sponge from a dish pad today cutting off the green stuff..it was ok for the E and A strings but needed cutting down on the others which were choked

[fun size nick]

Just be sure to use foam that is still soft when it's totally dry - I used a dishpad sponge that I [b]thought[/b] was dry (I rinsed it to get rid of any brand-new-sponge reside, wrung it out and left it out for a day), stuck it in my bass and played it, sounded fantastic. I put it in my gig bag, but then when I got to the studio the next day and tried to play with it, all I got was some seriously harsh buzzing! The bone-dry Beijing air had almost petrified the sponge and made it useless as a mute.