Ultra Rubber Practice Mute for Upright Bass

The Ultra Practice Mute is molded from sound-deadening rubber, and for practice muting (to limit the projection of the bass for consideration of your household members and neighbors) is superior to metal mutes. Proudly made in the USA.

This, similar to an ebony performance mute, fixes onto the end of the bridge to reduce its volume. By adding mass to the bridge, it muffles the vibration of the bridge, which in turn reduces the vibration transmitted to the bass body. The end result is that it reduces the volume and intensity of the instrument considerably - which your housemates/roommates will be very happy to hear! (And your downstairs neighbors will appreciate it if you also put a firm pillow under your endpin - that'll help reduce the transmission of sound to/through the floor.)

Generally speaking, rubber practice mutes like this one are not used in performance, but rather can be most useful for reducing the volume of the instrument when practicing, by dampening bridge vibrations as mentioned above. Performance mutes are generally made of wood, wire, or other materials, and their intent is to alter the timbre more than the volume, so to speak, by "softening" the intensity of the sound. You'll usually see them called for in sheet music by the instruction "Con Sordino." We have those as well - see related products!

This mute is the original "ULTRA USA" model, and a representative mute pulled from stock weighed 192g (6.8.oz) on my scale. It's flexible, so no modifications are needed to the mute or your instrument.