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It seems rather quiet here this weekend.
My idea is a request for any plans or DIY designs for a tuba silence/practice mute.
I'm thinking in terms of PVC or ABS pipe, foam, cork - you name it.

Problems with just jamming up a normal tuba mute tend to alter the pitch.

Do you seal the perimeter inside the bell?
Do you drill breather holes? where? how many?
How deep should it fit in the bell and how far should it extend outward?

Has anyone made a successful one, that keeps the pitch & deadens about 90% of the sound?

Speculation is good, but I'm hoping someone has actually tackled this project.

The black covered 'wedge' that came with my Wessex Berg F to protect the bell is too big for the Berg to use as a practice mute, but on my old 186, it works like a dream as a practice mute--fits in the bell/gig bag for use in gigs, and weighs next to nothing.
Jonathan should sell these as practice mutes...they work!!
Mark

bisontuba wrote:The black covered 'wedge' that came with my Wessex Berg F to protect the bell is too big for the Berg to use as a practice mute, but on my old 186, it works like a dream as a practice mute--fits in the bell/gig bag for use in gigs, and weighs next to nothing.
Jonathan should sell these as practice mutes...they work!!
Mark

+1
I've got one for my Luzern and one for my Berg. They're great

toakstertuba wrote:

bisontuba wrote:The black covered 'wedge' that came with my Wessex Berg F to protect the bell is too big for the Berg to use as a practice mute, but on my old 186, it works like a dream as a practice mute--fits in the bell/gig bag for use in gigs, and weighs next to nothing.
Jonathan should sell these as practice mutes...they work!!
Mark

+1
I've got one for my Luzern and one for my Berg. They're great

Could you describe one of these? Or perhaps a photo?

Thanks in advance. Paul

home made silencer 4 muting tuba objectors

plus u help save earth by recycling

b green or b mean

boobentuben wrote:

home made silencer 4 muting tuba objectors

plus u help save earth by recycling

b green or b mean

Love the humor.
Part of my question was simply to get a little more activity here on TN on what seemed like a boring weekend.
Plus, I need something to make now that I have the garage organized. Well, it's not that organized, but now, at least, I can find the duct tape.

I'll let Jonathan or Andy of Wessex describe their product....

Hey, thanks Mark. I like it. Looks like your cats do too.

This could be easily made from some foam, layered up and cut with a bread knife.
So I'm assuming it just sits in the bell - or is there some snug compression to hold it in there?
I'm also wondering how dense the foam is and if the cone is hollow underneathe the cloth.

I'd like to make one for the BAT for when I get to orchestra rehearsal and would rather not devastate my colleagues and befoul the decorum on stage. Fitting into the bell, and extreme light weight are key factors.

This is way cool. Thanks again.

Paul

PaulMaybery wrote:Hey, thanks Mark. I like it. Looks like your cats do too.

This could be easily made from some foam, layered up and cut with a bread knife.
So I'm assuming it just sits in the bell - or is there some snug compression to hold it in there?
I'm also wondering how dense the foam is and if the cone is hollow underneathe the cloth.

I'd like to make one for the BAT for when I get to orchestra rehearsal and would rather not devastate my colleagues and befoul the decorum on stage. Fitting into the bell, and extreme light weight are key factors.

This is way cool. Thanks again.

Paul

Paul-
Just sits in the bell. Weight of a feather. All material covered with black cloth....and it works. I will leave the specifics to Wessex...
Mark

These are what we call 'bell plugs' to protect the bell of the tuba in shipping. All Wessex are shipped out fitted with such from bass trombone size to the largest tuba bell. They are polystyrene foam covered with soft felt shaped to the inside profile of the bell they are protecting.

I first heard of their second use as mute from Mark. Sounds like a good idea!

Mute??

My neighbors are lucky if I decide to play indoors!!

I wonder if you couldn't use something like Great Stuff. Put something like a kitchen garbage bag liner in the bell and spray one or two cans in. It would expand and make a form fit mute. Certainly would be light weight and cheap.

Curmudgeon wrote:Be sure to use the "minimally expanding" version of that stuff or you might get an unhappy surprise.

My experience with this stuff is not at all satisfying. I finished a room in my basement forgetting to insulate between the wall and the furnace. When the furnace came on it was so loud you couldn't hear the TV. Since I could not get to the wall space with regular insualtion bats I tried Great Stuff. It was such a great idea that I had to replace the entire sheet rock wall and repaint the room. It does expand no matter what you put in its way. The problem is that it dries on the outside and then expands in the middle where the air has not penetrated yet. I suspect it would even stretch thin brass a bit, maybe a lot. It would go out as much as up. It broke a 2X4 in my wall. Not in my horn, thank you!