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Anyone else catch the recent tv show 'Les Paul At The Iridum' ? Our PBS station showed it last week and his rhythm player - also playing a Les Paul -hope I'm corrrect Lou Pallo -had a small dampener above the nut, which covered, I think, four strings. It looked like a two-piece bracket or clip that just attached to the strings with two hex screws - -and didn't need holes drilled etc.
It looked nice, and unobtrusive. I have heard of Scotch tape in the first fret, hair rubber bands, and those clip-on plastic ones, but this sure looked nicer, and didn't block playing in the first fret.
Any help appreciated.
Thanks.
Dennis
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02-25-2012 12:11 PM
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Did the guitar have a bigsby? If so, there is a system for Bigsby equipped guitars, that has a hex screw part like you describe. Its supposed to prevent major tuning problems on heavy dive-bombs. It locks the strings in place.
If it didnt have a bigsby - I have no idea.
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I looked for a string damper after watching a Herb Ellis video where he has something like this. Still haven't put it on any guitar but will probably put it on my Artist Award at next string change as it's the one I use most in non-open string positions.
Brad
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..No, it didn't....It looked like it could have been made from Floyd Rose Trem pieces....it had two pieces of flat black steel, - holes each end....one above the four strings, and one below, held together w/ hex/Allen screws...about an inch+ long by1/4+ wide....
....Thanks....
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Herb Ellis used one for years . Keeps the open strings quiet . Don't know where to get one . I read Herb had somebody make it for him.
Last edited by bigdaddyguitar; 02-25-2012 at 09:40 PM.
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I remember the Herb Ellis /Jim Hall ones - -they'd screw or clip onto the truss rod nut, and dampen all the strings at the first fret....they were adjustable to either dampen all the strings or to lift off....
.....this one was a lot less noticeable, and didn't take away the first fret.......
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Herb Ellis used a Van Eps String Damper invented by George Van Eps. They've been out of production for years.
Here's a Google search link with info on the original and some modern variants.
van eps string damper - Yahoo! Search Results
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..Sorry - -and that Van Eps link was interesting. ( And yes, my face is red . ) Thanks Dennis
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Damper, dampener. ToMAYto, ToMAHto. No big deal. Hope the info helped.
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Last van eps dampener I saw on ebay went for near 200$
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Wow , lot of money .
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If you don't use open strings and don't need to remove the dampener very fast, a very cheap and almost invisible way of doing the same as the Van Eps Dampener is to cut a narrow piece of black male and female velcro in the width of the fretbord and then sandwich the strings near the nut between the two layers of velcro. If you want to be able to tune with open strings, make the layer under the strings very narrow, so the strings will still sound some when the top layer is temporarily removed.
BTW, the same way, velcro can be sused to dampen the length of string between the bridge and the tailpiece and between the nut and the tuning posts if the sympathetic ringing gets on your nerves.
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That's a really good tip that won't cost a fortune to try.
A buddy of mine has used sandwiched Scotch packing tape in the first fret for years.
The placement above the nut, rather than in or on fret one, is important to me for several reasons, mostly that it's less conspicuous.
As far as placement above the nut, or between the bridge and tailpiece, does either postion perform better ?
Thanks !!
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It depends on, where the sympathetic ringing is coming from. If it's between the nut and the fretted note, it will have to be somewhere along that length of string (most convenient close to the nut in the first fret) or it won't work. The same principle applies to dampening in the other two positions which will only work on those length of strings.
Originally Posted by Dennis D
I suggest you try dampening all three positions at once and then remove dampening from one postion at a time to see when the unwanted ringing reoccurs. You can do it with anything before you cut the velcro - a hankerchief, kitchen tissue, whatever.
BTW, metal tailpieces also often emit sympathetic ringing sounds which may be harder to dampen without wrapping the whole tailpiece.
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..Wow - -now I know what it's correctly called, and at least one way to stop it.
I always thought feedback was exclusive to hollow-or semi-hollow body guitars, which are all I'v ever owned......
...Thanks....
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Hmm. I don't think we are talking about the same her. Sympathetic vibrations and feedback when playing amplified are basically two different things. But the former may contribute to feedback (though I'm not too sure of that, but others may chime in). I only dampen strings on my acoustic guitars, have never felt a need to do it on those with magnetic PUs. Originally Posted by Dennis D
Last edited by oldane; 02-27-2012 at 09:08 AM.
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This issue started for me with a Les Paul I bought, after years of only playing and owning amplified archtops....ES-175's and L-4's.....the archtops notoriously feed back at volume, but I didn't think a solid body did...
....For years I knew archtop guys had gone the string damper route, and also had stuffed their guitars with foam rubber, plugged f holes, etc etc...
......again I just wasn't expecting any feedback issues with a solid body.....
..but this is interesting to learn, thanks !....
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This subject of string dampers comes up every so often. As was mentioned, the dampers used by Ellis, Pass and those of that era were Van Eps string dampers. They are incredibly hard to find now and, if you do locate one for sale, it's going to cost you.
Some years ago an improvement on the Van Eps design was custom made by a gentleman in Minnesota. I purchased one (about $125 back them) and have had it on the 175 that I always gig with. Damping those sympathetic open strings really makes a difference ....... Big time.
In retrospect I wish I had bought several of those dampers. But the gentleman suffered a stroke and they are not being made any more.
Currently, there's the Jennifer Batton model of string damper thats available. However, when I look at the pictures of them they appear to me to be big and clunky. The again, I'm spoiled with the streamlined metal one I use.
Finally, I am kind of surprised that a manufacturer hasn't marketed a repro of either the Van Eps or the model I have. Goodness, there's every other conceivable guitar-related oddity marketed to players now.
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I bought some Velcro and will post results...I hope to try locating one above the nut, in the first fret, and between the bridge and tailpiece, to see exactly which placement works best.......
I also sent e/m's to some other East Coast dealers and maybe one will find a Les Paul tech who's done something similar...
Thanks again for the help.
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>Anyone else catch the recent tv show 'Les Paul At The Iridum' ?
No I dint catch the TV show but I did catch Les Paul at the Iridium --- in person ;-)
Les was terribly upset that I wore a Fender shirt. So for the pic I buttoned up my blouse
Geez I was a lot younger then
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My buddy Jaco Schwartz is training his pet finch to damp the strings for him.
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Hm. Interesting idea. But won't there be some cleaning to do when that finch has been sitting there for a while dampening strings. Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
My buddy Jaco Schwartz is training his pet finch to damp the strings for him.
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I use hair band if I need string damper. Just slide it over the guitar neck but it doesn't work very well with very heavy strings. I use 0,11 -0,52 roundwound and TI 0,12 flats and it works.
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Could be upstaged if not controlled... Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
My buddy Jaco Schwartz is training his pet finch to damp the strings for him.
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Now how good can a thread get ?
That is a cool photo, and cool flock of birds !
And, here's another bit of LP news. He was born and raised about ten minutes from where I live. He is buried there too, (Waukesha Wisc. ) in the family plot. They had a memorial service and funeral procession, and I was hoping they'd shut down the freeway that day, but they didn't !!
And recently, in conjuction with the City Mayor, Gibson has donated two huge Les Pauls for permanent placement in an area dedicated exclusively to his memory.
RIP Les !
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