Heavy rubber mute, Ultra brand. Muting level suitable for most needs e.g in own home. Made in USA.
2 sizes available.
Grade 8+
Does exactly what it's designed for
Pros: This mute does exactly what it's designed for, it really mutes the sound. On my violin, it still allows a warm sound on the lower register (albeit much quieter) while the top register is reduced to a very tinny sound which is exactly what is to be expected. It's not too clunky like other practice mutes that I have seen and it's made of rubber so it won't damage your bridge like the metal mutes. This is my first practice mute so I don't really have much to compare it to however it does exactly what I needed.
Cons: After use, my violin took a little playing to get back to its normal sound. It's not a con but if this happens to you too, don't worry, you haven't destroyed the sound of your instrument. Play it for a few minutes and it will be back to normal. For this reason, however, I would not use this mute before walking out on stage, or if I did, I would definitely make sure that I had played it for a few minutes without the mute on.
Other: Very pleased.
Beginner
Keen Amateur
Great mute for keeping housemates happy!
Pros: Lovely muted sound, almost prefer playing with it on! Damps the sound sufficiently for me to practise in the next room and not disturb housemates.
Cons: Occasionally get some odd sound effects on the lower strings, particularly when playing double stops, but as I use this for left hand practise rather than sound production this really doesn't matter. Also I'd recommend taking it off the violin when you're not playing it as it could potentially weigh down the bridge (I've been careful with mine and it's been fine, but just be aware that it's not good to store the violin with the mute on!)
Grade 8+
Beginner
Beginner
Great for flat-style living!
Pros: I live in a flat where the walls are fairly thin (I can hear my flatmate playing keyboard with headphones on sort of thin). My flatmate that I share a wall with didn't know I had a violin for a few weeks until I told him, so I'd say thanks to the mute it's quite the success!
Cons: You can't always see where your bow is on the strings because of how high up the mute can be sometimes, but for the mute to work it has to be of that thickness.
Other: Great service through the string zone!
Keen Amateur
Keen Amateur
Beginner
Grade 8+
Inexpensive & does the job! But check the strings.
Pros: It was not expensive, easy to use and it quietened the violin sufficiently to survive practising in a hotel room!
Cons: When we removed the mute after several hours of practising, we noticed that one of the strings was beginning to unravel close to where the edge of the mute had been - it could have been coincidence, but equally, using the mute might have damaged the string.