Muting a lap steel... with foam

[Joseph Lazo]

So, I put a strip of foam underneath the strings right in front of the bridge to dampen some of the "ring." It drastically cuts down the sustain and makes it easier to figure out scales and licks without all the "ring" and sustain. Anyone else ever try this? Not saying I'm going to leave the mute on, but it's interesting like this. Works well with delay and reverb, and also without any effects.

[Joe A. Roberts]

It is a great sound. The refreshed Fender pedal steels with the jaguar style pickups have built in toggleable mutes, like the Jaguar guitar.
There is a great soundclip of Basil Henriques playing a great solo using that Fender pedal steel mute floating around somewhere…

Some people take the Jaguar mute and install them installed backwards on bass guitar, in front of the bridge!
This might be doable some steels too, but would require a hole drilled into the body for the spring assembly.

[Joseph Lazo]

It is a great sound. The refreshed Fender pedal steels with the jaguar style pickups have built in toggleable mutes, like the Jaguar guitar.
There is a great soundclip of Basil Henriques playing a great solo using that Fender pedal steel mute floating around somewhere…

Some people take the Jaguar mute and install them installed backwards on bass guitar, in front of the bridge!
This might be doable some steels too, but would require a hole drilled into the body for the spring assembly.

That's pretty cool! I wouldn't have thought it's something anyone would put on a pedal steel, but...why not?

I first used foam as a mute years ago when I was trying to learn rasgueado technique for flamenco guitar. It muted my horrendous attempts and made it easier to focus on each finger striking the strings clearly and in perfect sequence.

[Joe A. Roberts]

Another interesting effect along these lines is the use of a wooden bar (some say drumstick, others say a comb) to simulate a banjo.

With some reverb it can sound like a piano too. Don Pawluk on steel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc-Ed-B ... YXdsYWs%3D

I once saw a killer non pedal clip, maybe Chris Scruggs playing like that, sounding like Jerry Lee Lewis! Can’t find that either

Anyway, along with the wood bar, this old post I saved from Bobby Burns has further great tips on emulating banjo on steel:

“An unusually large amount of snuff can often help. Also, jokes that make you seem a lot less intelligent than you really are. Kick off a song faster than anybody else in the band can play it, and play through everybody else's break. When they complain and fire you, tell everyone that they were just afraid that you were making them look incompetent. Bad haircut, overalls that don't fit, and I'm sure I could think of a few more ways if you really want a banjo player simulation.“

[Jack Hanson]

Another interesting effect along these lines is the use of a wooden bar (some say drumstick, others say a comb) to simulate a banjo.

I cut about three inches off the end of my wife's broomstick handle (she was pissed), painted it with Zip Strip to take off the paint, sanded it down to about 320, and voila! That was over forty years ago. I still have the bar, but the wife is long gone (good riddance)!

[Joseph Lazo]

Another interesting effect along these lines is the use of a wooden bar (some say drumstick, others say a comb) to simulate a banjo.

With some reverb it can sound like a piano too. Don Pawluk on steel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc-Ed-B ... YXdsYWs%3D

I once saw a killer non pedal clip, maybe Chris Scruggs playing like that, sounding like Jerry Lee Lewis! Can’t find that either

Anyway, along with the wood bar, this old post I saved from Bobby Burns has further great tips on emulating banjo on steel:

“An unusually large amount of snuff can often help. Also, jokes that make you seem a lot less intelligent than you really are. Kick off a song faster than anybody else in the band can play it, and play through everybody else's break. When they complain and fire you, tell everyone that they were just afraid that you were making them look incompetent. Bad haircut, overalls that don't fit, and I'm sure I could think of a few more ways if you really want a banjo player simulation.“

HAD to try that. I put a tongue drum stick under the strings and it makes a wonderfully weird banjo/sitar/oud kind of sound. The stick is just a smidge shy of making full contact with the underside of the strings, so it vibrates on the wood and makes a sitar-like sound--without the sustain. Now I have to find a popsicle stick and size it for this. I think a narrow piece of wood like that will work better and be easier to size by sanding down where needed.

[Joseph Lazo]

Another interesting effect along these lines is the use of a wooden bar (some say drumstick, others say a comb) to simulate a banjo.

I cut about three inches off the end of my wife's broomstick handle (she was pissed), painted it with Zip Strip to take off the paint, sanded it down to about 320, and voila! That was over forty years ago. I still have the bar, but the wife is long gone (good riddance)!

Wait, you used that like you would a steel bar? On top of the strings? We're talking about putting things under the strings, right against the front of the bridge. Sounds like you made a slide out of the broomstick cutting. Or did I misunderstand?

[Jack Hanson]

Sounds like you made a slide out of the broomstick cutting. Or did I misunderstand?

Nope, you got it right. That's exactly what I did. Makes sort of a banjo -- or a cross between a banjo and a Dobro -- effect.

[John Larson]

It is a great sound. The refreshed Fender pedal steels with the jaguar style pickups have built in toggleable mutes, like the Jaguar guitar.
There is a great soundclip of Basil Henriques playing a great solo using that Fender pedal steel mute floating around somewhere…

Some people take the Jaguar mute and install them installed backwards on bass guitar, in front of the bridge!
This might be doable some steels too, but would require a hole drilled into the body for the spring assembly.

For years I've wondered why Fender never utilized the Jaguar mute idea on basses since it seems bassists chasing the classic Jamerson / Kaye muted tones would have more use for it than us guitarists ever did.

[Cody Farwell]

For years I've wondered why Fender never utilized the Jaguar mute idea on basses since it seems bassists chasing the classic Jamerson / Kaye muted tones would have more use for it than us guitarists ever did.

Fender basses had a strip of foam attached to the bridge cover if I'm not mistaken. I think another one under the strings would be overkill. I also think there is a different sound & feel to muting from above the strings vs. below the strings, which is what most people do these days.

[John Larson]

Cody,

They did but everyone pretty much threw theirs away (or used it as an ashtray) hence their colloquial name. It was a different type of foam too and didn't seem to last the test of time as well. The pictures I've seen of old ones they seem to dry rot/disintegrate pretty heavily.

[Bill Groner]

Another interesting effect along these lines is the use of a wooden bar (some say drumstick, others say a comb) to simulate a banjo.

I cut about three inches off the end of my wife's broomstick handle (she was pissed), painted it with Zip Strip to take off the paint, sanded it down to about 320, and voila! That was over forty years ago. I still have the bar, but the wife is long gone (good riddance)!

Probably that 3" changed the center of gravity for flight. I'm sure it was tail heavy after the amputation.