Ninomute for double bass and electric upright

Check out the 30-second demo of this product in the "Videos" tab above!

Bring on the THUMP!

This really nicely made mute is a relatively new product, developed and hand-crafted by Nino Ocampo in the USA. Thanks to the creative spark of Nino, who is a bassist himself, we now have a wonderful mute that works on Electric Upright Basses and on regular acoustic uprights as well.

Designed for double bass and other stringed instruments, the NinoMute alters the instruments’ note envelope, smoothing out articulation and working to tame abrasive, dynamically inconsistent notes. The resulting tone is thumpier, darker, and more direct; highly effective in ensembles that call for a mellower sound. With a bow, the NinoMute’s focus provides emphasis on fundamental technique and can act as a kind of training aid, helping students develop their fingering while controlling sympathetic resonance and the grating scratch of rudimentary arco technique. The NinoMute expands significantly the timbre and dynamics of the acoustic bass, adding a professional range of colors to the instrument’s sonic palette.

It has little slits in the dense foam to straddle each string, usually placed right next to the bridge, and is therefore easy to put on and off. The soft materials and easy flexibility mean that there's no chance of damage to the strings or instrument.

On a regular, 3/4 size double bass, it provides a nice dampering effect on the decay and sustain, and brings up the "thump" level quite noticeably. It's definitely more aggressive than a typical wire mute, Tourte mute, or ebony bridge mute. But it doesn't totally "deaden" the bass either, like a full-on practice mute would. I can imagine that folks playing Latin music styles like Salsa or Merengue, who might use a Baby Bass to get "that percussive, thumpy sound," should find the Ninomute very effective. It also really dials in a great sound when used in conjunction with a magnetic pickup like the Krivo - so if you're in a high-volume (feedback-prone) situation, a Krivo and this mute might be the ticket to better, feedback-free sound. 

The mute really shines on an electric upright, too. Put this thing on an NS Design bass, and suddenly it's a whole new ball game. Even with the OEM "Contemporary" strings (which are purposely not designed to provide an "authentic" upright tone) -- with a Ninomute installed, the bass tone gets a LOT closer to what a player seeking a more portable alternative to their full-sized upright is going for. It is a perfect fit for all of the NS Design full-size electric uprights in the WAV, NXT, & CR model ranges. Four and Five-String models are available.

TIP: It's also "adjustable" - when I use one on my personal NXTa Traditional EUB, I don't push it all the way on - I put it about "halfway" into the string slots, which doesn't mute as completely. For me, this achieves a nice balance between the thump with shortened decay without totally muting the sustain. Experiment! There are no rules.

Check out the short video, in the VIDEOS tab, to see what I'm talking about. This clip is using the stock strings on a brand new NS WAV4 bass, which also has limited EQ. It's like a magic spell - stick it on the bass and suddenly it's a lot more "authentic" sounding.

The XT "Extra Thump" model has a thicker foam contact point, and therefore a much stronger muting action. I don't recommend the XT model for electric uprights, as I find that it mutes too much. However, for a more extreme mute effect on an upright bass, you might prefer the XT model.

Available in 4 and 5-string versions, standard and "x-tra thump."

Four colors are available for the regular size mute: Natural, Black, Whiskey and Cognac. Note that color depictions on the website are approximate, and the mutes are made with naturally dyed leather, which means that minor color variations from mute to mute (and from photos on the website) are normal and expected.

WILL IT FIT YOUR BASS? Measure the STRING WIDTHS: The mutes have a little bit of flexibility with how wide your string spacing is, as the contact material is a dense closed cell foam that is "squishy" enough to accommodate a little variance. Here are the approximate string widths of each of the mute models; if your instrument is within about 1/16th of an inch (or about 2-3 mm), it should work for you (measure center of string to center of adjacent string, directly above/at the bridge).

• 4 String standard/XT model: 15/16" - 23.8mm
• 5 String standard/XT model: 7/8" - 22.2mm
• 4 String OmniBass model: 7/8" - 22.2mm
• 5 String OmniBass model: 5/8" - 15.9mm

New Model for the OmniBass

The OmniMutes are a limited production item that Gollihur Music specially commissioned from Nino Ocampo, and you can have one in any color you want, as long as it's black. They are available in either 4 or 5 string models. There is no "XT" model OmniMute.

The standard sized Ninomutes don't fit the NS Design OmniBass; the string spacing is not compatible and it cannot be mounted without damage. I worked out the finer points with Nino on a few phone calls and emails, and I'm delighted to tell you that we now have a version specially made for the smaller OmniBass instrument (No, it does NOT fit the Ibanez short-scale electric upright - the string spacing on those basses is ridiculously wide.) It's sized specifically for the NS Design OmniBass instrument, and provides the same type of muting for the OmniBass as the larger model does for the full-sized EUB. Since it's a more specialized product, you can have it in any color you want - as long as it's black. And it's only available in the "standard" design (the X-tra Thump model would mute it to an dull thud).

But we've got 'em (because we helped develop them.)

IMPORTANT NOTE: Neither NinoMute model (Full Size nor OmniMute) will fit the Ibanez UB804 electric upright bass. Despite its short (34") scale, it has a very wide string spacing at the bridge (30mm - which is over an inch). We're not sure why they spec'd the instrument to have such a wide string spacing - that's wider than a typical 3/4 size upright (with a 41.5" scale!) so it's a pretty weird choice. But since the NinoMutes are designed to fit the more common string spacing (closer to around 7/8"), they don't fit the wider string width on the Ibanez.