A mute that just "works"?

[Yamahaaltoplayer]

I never payed attention to mutes so I know nothing about them. I need a mute or something that will quieten me down a little but will not change anything else like resistance or intonation, etc. My parents usually watch TV when I practise downstairs so... yeah... Not too expensive but I just need one that "works".

[mmichel]

The best and simplest solution to this IMHO is to play into a closet filled with baffling (i.e., clothing). Since most of the sound on saxes comes out through the tone holes, there is no real sax mute. There are those e-sax mute things, but they are expensive, unwieldy, and probably do affect resistance.

[conn1933]

If I had a closet I could fit myself into, I would've gone that way, because it really works. A clarinetist friend has a walk-in closet, and he practices in there, and you can hardly hear anything. Clothing really does absorb a whole lot of sound, especially all the thick winter ones. Heck, I play in there when I visit.

Some of us here use the Japanese made E-sax mute and its Chinese copy, the VAS-2 Sax Partner. A search on "E-sax" will bring up the info you need. These mutes work on the "closet with baffling (i.e. clothing)" principle, but on a smaller scale, using sound-absorbent felt as baffling and an ABS plastic shell as the closet.

These mutes quite well, and I actually do not find any resistance in playing, but this probably depends a lot on the type of horn you have and how the tone-holes are placed.

My vintage 1933 Conn transitional alto is a poor fit because of the microtuner, the underslung octave mechanism (interferes with the neck brace), and the different bell-key placements, especially the low C# one that comes across the bend in the bell. For some weird reason, if I use the right-bell key-shield brace, my low notes become really hard to play, even though the brace is only touching the shield! I can get my tranny to fit, but have to do a lot of fiddling to get everything just right.

Since these mutes were designed around modern horns, they fit well and all keys are accessible via the arm-holes once you've adapted the size of the holes. I can now play at any time of the day and not have anybody complain. If you're in Europe, check out www.dampi.it or woodbrass.com (free shipping) for prices.

The clincher for me was that the mute allows me to play wherever and whenever I want, even in bed (yes, I've done this, but only when my wife is not there with me ;))!

[patchmo]

...the mute allows me to play wherever and whenever I want, even in bed!:shock:
(Okay, I won't go there.)
I see in the wwbw's latest magazine that they have an electronic sax mute set-up, but I'm not sure how it works compared to the @-sax mute I have or the donut-shape mute.

[Jazz Is All]

As they said, the cheapest and easiest "muting" technique IMO is to play in a clothes closet, or if you can't walk into it, open the door and play standing or sitting in front of it with the bell almost touching the clothes. I do this and it cuts the volume down a lot. It also helps if you can close all the doors and windows to isolate that space. The other important factor is your setup. If you play with a large chambered dark mpc and a darker sounding reed you are going to already be playing at a lower volume than with a metal paint peeler and a fibracell. An old vintage pickle-barrel piece makes a great "mute". If I ever worry about the neighbors getting bugged, I can always switch to a Conn Eagle I never play otherwise, because it's so dead and stuffy even I can't hear much of anything ;).

[Yamahaaltoplayer]

I guess a Rico Royal Graftonite C5 is the exact opposite?;)

Oh well, I'm going to let my parents suffer. Now that I can get altissimo G#...:roll:

[Enviroguy]

Just sticking a cloth in the bell works fairly well. Roll it very tight and keep it near the end of the bell as much as possible away from the bell keys. The closers to the bell keys it is, the more it will affect your low C, B and Bb.

But here's how to make a great saxophone mute. Take a piece of half inch PVC pipe or a 12 gauge shotgun casing and cut off an 1.5 inch section (2 inch for tenor or bari, 1 inch for sop). Now get either some felt cloth or preferrably some automotive carpet from autozone (auto carpet last longer). Cut it into strips the same width as your pipe. Now tape one end of the a strip to the pipe and then roll the strips around the pipe until you create a disc wide enought to plug the end of the bell. If needed, you can tape the strips end to end to join them as one continuous strip. Also you can add Elmer's school glue as you roll the strips to make the disc more solid. This disc mute works pretty well at muting the high subtones and seems to help make a quieter, less harsh quality sound. ;)

[Jazz Is All]

I guess a Rico Royal Graftonite C5 is the exact opposite?;)

Oh well, I'm going to let my parents suffer. Now that I can get altissimo G#...:roll:

Well, as long as it's your parents and not the neighbors, why worry unless they've threatened to kick you out. ;):TGNCHK: I haven't played the Rico C5 but I do have a Graftonite A3 for my tenor and it is fairly mellow. At $15 it wouldn't break you (or them if you live on an allowance) to try the large chambered one if they still complain. Congrats on the high G#. You aren't using that as a way to extort money and other goodies out of your folks, are you? i.e., "Hey dad, ya got another 50 for me? No? I guess I'll have to play altissimo arpeggios all night long then!":twisted: