Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Does any manufacturer make a type of foam or rubber mute mecahnism that would work with my 4005?

Try slipping a piece of foam between the treble pickup and the bridge. That would be a quick, easy, reversible mod.

John-
I nearly always (lightly) palm mute my 4005. Gives like a natural "compression" and the Macca sound I like. Oh, I always use a pick, so if you don't, this is moot!

I'm about half and half Jerry, I want the mute for when i'm using my fingers.

I could be mistaken but I believe that I read or heard somewhere that the 4005's were fitted with a foam mute glued to the bottom of the bridge cover ala the Fender Precision foam mute....if you don't have the cover your out of luck but if you do have it you could simply glue or tape some thick foam to the bridge cover.

My '79 4005 did have a foam mute under the bridge cover. It was of the same type of foam used in the '70s for the adjustable mutes on the 4001 style bridge. It had an adhesive backing and was easily removable from the 4005 bridge cover.

Not being at all firm, being located directly over the saddles, and not being adjustable, meant that the mute was barely effective. I removed the foam and put it to better use on my '87 4001V63 (which came with the wider, firmer foam piece). For muting the occasional note, I just used an extra finger on my left hand.

There are some self-adhesive foam strips (probably available in office supply stores) that can be used in 3-ring binders. The strips are about 11.5" long, 0.5" wide, and 1/8" thick. They can easily be cut to size and stacked for the desired effect. If you find no other solution, perhaps you might want to try these.

I've seen Ted's method used and it sounds great and is easily adjusted to give you just the right amount of mute.