A Sleeker Alternative to Foam for Archtop Sympathetic Vibrations

[omphalopsychos]

I wanted to share something I came across that might be useful for those dealing with sympathetic vibrations on archtop guitars. If you play an archtop, you might have noticed that the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece can sometimes resonate unintentionally, creating unwanted noise. The traditional fix has been to stuff foam under those strings, but that's not always the most attractive solution.


There's now a guitar string dampener available that addresses this issue in a more aesthetically pleasing way. It's designed as a string muter for flat tops, but I saw someone post that it can also be applied on archtops to remove behind the bridge vibrations without compromising the guitar's appearance. The dampener blends seamlessly with the instrument and provides a cleaner look overall compared to foam.


I haven't tried it myself yet, but it looks like an interesting option. Here’s the link to the product on Amazon: [Guitar String Dampener on Amazon](Amazon.com).

[oldane]

I have sandwiched the strings between a strip of female and male black velcro. Cheap and effective. Doesn't look offensive.

[WilliamScott]

This seems like the mute on the Fender Jaguar I had in high school. It will dampen everything when probably it is open-string ringing that you want to get rid of. The Van Eps damper or an elastic scrunchie behind the first fret will do that trick.

By the way, we just got back from Newfoundland where the serve cod tongues (they are actually cheeks, I think) with pork scrunchions that the locals call scrunchies.

[garybaldy]

Not sleek but works.

[starjasmine]

What are those? O-rings? Clever. I wove a strip of felt between the strings back there.

[garybaldy]

What are those? O-rings? Clever. I wove a strip of felt between the strings back there.

Similar to these electrical grommets. Wasn't my idea.
ps the small piece of tape covers a string repair which broke when I was putting it on - a new Martin Monel!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electrical-...0087133&sr=8-8

[RJVB]

Similar to these electrical grommets. Wasn't my idea.
ps the small piece of tape covers a string repair which broke when I was putting it on - a new Martin Monel!

Looks pretty cool IMHO! (OG fans could do a version of their favourite circus logo )

FWIW, that E1 string is just a regular steel treble, nothing specifically "Martin Monel" to it!

[RJVB]

Not really for my archtop, but would putting a piece of foam under the strings and against the north/far side of the nut diminish sympathetic vibrations on that end?

[sgosnell]

Anything you put between the nut and the capstan will help deaden sympathetic vibrations from there. I've used a number of things on multiple guitars over the years, and they all work at least to some degree. Velcro works fairly well and is easy to install/uninstall. Hard foam under the strings works, and if it's about the same color as the headstock veneer it's unobtrusive.

[RJVB]

I should try to make a decently cut sliver of EVA foam then. Since I don't cut my strings I get the occasional buzz from that plus the tuners on 1 guitar also have a habit of buzzing (no idea what; pinching one of the bass-side tuner keys will solve the issue but nothing is ostensibly loose). Both are probably audible to me only but I'm the kind of sensitive nature who can't stand that.

[sgosnell]

Foam under the strings behind the nut probably won't do much to damp buzzes from excess string ends, they will vibrate against the headstock, which will no only cause buzzing but also scratch the headstock. I've never understood the reluctance to cut off excess string ends, but there is much in this world that I don't understand.

[RJVB]

Dampening vibrations in the far string segments should already help.

I like to be able to put strings back on if for some reason I took them off, and (mostly with classical strings) to be able to back them up so beginning fret wear get to a point where I have to replace the entire string. Idem when they snap at the tie block (the usual place if they snap).

[omphalopsychos]

It will dampen everything when probably it is open-string ringing that you want to get rid of.

I wanted to clear up any confusion from my previous post. The product photo shows the damper positioned in front of the bridge, which would mute everything you play.


Actually, my suggestion is to place the damper behind the bridge. This isn’t to mute open strings, but to control and dampen the sympathetic vibrations that occur behind the bridge, which is a common issue with some archtop guitars.


Putting the damper behind the bridge helps keep the tone clean and focused by eliminating these unwanted vibrations.


Hope this makes things clearer!

Regarding vibrations behind the nut: a damper placed there would address sympathetic vibrations between the tuner and the nut, but not the vibrations of untrimmed strings. Keeping your strings trimmed is similar to good personal hygiene; it keeps your instrument looking neat and professional.

[garybaldy]

Looks pretty cool IMHO! (OG fans could do a version of their favourite circus logo )

FWIW, that E1 string is just a regular steel treble, nothing specifically "Martin Monel" to it!

But it sounds so much better than other E strings.

[marcwhy]

Gruv Gear has a variety of string dampers ..

[jazzshrink]

And in case you're not looking for "sleeker", there's this:

[Woody Sound]

By the way, we just got back from Newfoundland where the serve cod tongues (they are actually cheeks, I think) with pork scrunchions that the locals call scrunchies.

Fish cheeks are known to be the sweetest part of the fish flesh. I had some from some large walleye once. Delicious.

[Woody Sound]

guitar string mute dampener - Google Search

[JazzerEU]

My teacher at university taught me to rest my palm on the lower strings, notably the low E and A when I wasn’t playing them to prevent them from ringing out feeding back. If a fretted note is feeding back this strategy won’t help. Next course of action to try to put your amp to your left so your body acts a buffer between the guitar body and amp. Next course of action is to lower the bass knob. I prefer a tight sound with no boomy bass, so I usually kept the bass at 0 during my gigging days and an EQ pedal to cut out more bass if the room was bass heavy.

[RJVB]

But it sounds so much better than other E strings.

Try that again muting all the wound strings (or by installing one of those miracle E strings in place of an equally fresh one you think sounds so much worse...

Keeping your strings trimmed is similar to good personal hygiene; it keeps your instrument looking neat and professional.

Yeah, that's really the most crucial thing in both domains ...

[garybaldy]

Try that again muting all the wound strings (or by installing one of those miracle E strings in place of an equally fresh one you think sounds so much worse...

Sorry, but I'm not sure if your comment is tongue in cheek. Mine certainly was!

[RJVB]

Sorry, but I'm not sure if your comment is tongue in cheek. Mine certainly was!

Oops, sorry, should have added that in the 1st edition already... (IOW, I wasn't sure either...)

[Spook410]

omphalopsychos..
There's now a guitar string dampener available that addresses this issue in a more aesthetically pleasing way.
---------------------------

Ordered one. Looks perfect for behind the bridge vibration. Thanks for the heads up.