This is the prettiest mute I have seen, with rosewood veneer along the length, ivory, celluloid, and veneer laminations for a handle, and a solid leather muting wedge. It looks to be made by an experienced craftsman for personal use. The voicing tool on the right has a similar laminated ivory-and-wood handle.
Ivory laminate handmade upright piano string mute, and voicing tool.
A side view, showing laminations and solid leather wedge.
Old leather and wood split mutes. The slot off center on the lower mute is not a mistake. This was done to take up varying spaces between strings.
Wooden stick mute, possibly unused, and “Made in Germany,” with an uneven split. Note the transverse grooves: either for a better gluing surface, or more likely, for use without the buckskin. Although the mute looks new in this photo, it probably predates the East/West division of Germany.
From “Practical Manual for the Piano and Harmonium Tuner,” published by Pinet, 1913, by Nugues, Pouget, and Martin.
I made these mutes from Macassar ebony and deerskin, inspired by the excerpt above. I used ones like these daily.
Double cane mute, and wood and shoe leather grand mute. British.
Tuning mute for upright pianos (make it yourself) from “Piano Construction Tuning and Repair,” by Paul N. Hasluck, published 1908.
Myriad upright piano string mutes of various woods, shapes and sizes.
An assortment of old mutes, a few with finish, but most without a finish. They are made of maple, beech, ebony or mahogany. Many shapes are represented from very narrow to the wide spoon shape in the foreground, which I’ve only found useful for muting at the end of sections between the plate strut and the string.
Close-up of solid leather wedge on fifth mute from the top.
Wire mutes. The old ones often had threading on the tips to insure a secure attachment inside the rubber wedge, a small detail which is missing in later wire mutes.
Early wire string mute. From Kunst des Klavierstimmens, p. 68, by Giorgio Armellino, publ.1881.
Old natural-rubber mutes.
Erlandsen’s wooden stick mute, as sold in the 1905 Schley Catalogue. Also marked for H.S.& Co.
J.H. Papps, Pianomaker of Southsea, Patent “Tuning Dampers.”
Papps’ Upright Piano Treble Mute, “redwood,” from Tuners’ Supply 1953 Catalogue.
Papps’ tuning wedge, “the fastest muting wedge in the world,” according to Fletcher and Newman Ltd. John Henry Papps (of Papps and Son, piano makers , Portsmouth, UK) patented this tweezer-type mute in 1886. It is used for uprights to stop any two strings of a trichord from sounding, utilizing outward pressure from the spring action. This tool does make quick work of muting strings while tuning. The old Papps’ mutes were made from very light colored hardwood, until switching to nylon in the 1960s. Thanks to Bill Kibby for this information.
Papps’ mute as advertised by J.H. Papps, of Southsea, and George Buck at 242 Tottenham Court Road, in “The Musical Times,” vol 29. p. 262; 1 May,1888.
Papps’ Patent Tuning Damper was originally conceived for the purpose of surmounting the difficult task of tuning Victorian upright pianos with the overdamper action, predominant in Britain at the time. The thin tweezers were useful, then and now, for muting off the undesired strings, all the while contending with the considerable obstructions of the overdamper action. Papps’ treble mutes, indispensable for ‘bird cage’ actions, would also prove useful for modern upright underdamper actions. This is why the Papps’ Patent Tuning Damper is still mass produced in the U.K. as well as China.
Dale Forty & Co. overdamper type upright. As you can see, the action covers almost all the string area, limiting access for servicing. Dale Forty was established 1872 in Gloucestershire, England. Photo by Matthew J. Richards.
G.F. Baker’s simplified version of the Papps’ Tuning Damper with wooden hinge and deerskin ‘spring,’ stamped in ink with “Provisional Patent.” Surprisingly, it works.
Tuning wedges, cane, lead, rubber, Papps’, and Baker type.