Heavy Cello Practice Mute - Metal
Maximum muting and clearest tone. Ideal for practicing in apartments or late at night (especially for difficult passages!) Best quality chrome-plated machine brass.
What Should I Look For in a Mute?
All string players should have at least one mute, and there are three important factors to consider. First and foremost, ease of use. How quickly can the mute be put in place or removed? How important is this to you? Orchestral players sometimes only have one measure to install or remove a mute. Secondly, sound quality. The goal of the mute is to lower the volume only, not dampen the good quality of your instrument. Regarding overall sound quality, the degree to which a mute "rattles" when not in use but still on the strings between the bridge and tailpiece is important as well. Third is aesthetics. Truth be told, many players consider the importance of overall look and feel, trying a variety of mutes to find out what works and looks best on their instrument. Fortunately, mutes are not too expensive, so this is a relatively low cost endeavor.
Ratings & Reviews
poor design
If you have an expensive instrument, I do not recommend this. I’ve played since I was 5 and have a nice instrument to match my skill level. I had previously used this mute on a cheaper instrument. Because it is very top heavy, it fell off and bounced off the tailpiece. However, I used it yesterday out of necessity on my current cello and it gouged a chunk out of my bridge, and, when it inevitably fell, left a good sized dent near the bottom of the instrument. You have to constantly adjust it so that it won’t fall, and you can get a rubber practice mute for the same price. The only reason I didn’t give it a 1-star review is because it’s effective, if nerve-wracking.
Best practice mute but needs modification
This is a great practice mute if, using a chisel or some kind of wedge and hammer, you separate the legs a little to make it fit securely on your bridge. You want it secure since it's heavy and could damage your cello if it falls off. It won't leave black marks on your bridge, like the rubber practice mute will after awhile, and it's more effective.
DO NO BUY THIS!!!
The mute DOES NOT FIT THE BRIDGE! and my cello has a very thin bridge it's not even a thick bridge like other cellos have. The mute looks great is metal and very heavy i thought would work great but it didn't!! the moment i try to fit it on the bridge it barely enter the first inch or so, i don't think this mute would even fit a smaller cello's bridge because the openings of the mute (where the bridge goes in) is ridiculously narrow! so now i have to return it!
Good Mute Use with caution
This is a good mute and will dampen the sound a lot better than other practice mutes. I used this mute in a studio apartment with extremely thin walls and never got noise complaints. If you need to be really soft this is the mute for you. On the contrary, this mute should be used with caution. You can't play as expressively or you will risk the mute falling off; mine fell right off the bridge and slightly scratched my instrument. Nothing that couldn't be fixed thank goodness. Evaluate for yourself. Personally I'd stick with the rubber practice mutes for this reason.
requires a thin bridge
This is in response to the reviewer below. Most bridges are simply too thick for it. This mute is special: it's different from other mutes. The mute isn't supposed to fit the way other's do: you have to push down pretty hard for it to stay. Having said that, it works on my bridge. If it does work, this mute can be INCREDIBLE. It makes a really awesomely small sound...great for some pieces out there that require a totally muted sound.