Cheapest, quickest, most ingenious plunger mute

Until I got to the end of the story, I thought you were head to the restroom to get a "real" plunger out of the cleaning closet.

Jim

 

Gentlemen, Please tell me the difference between a "real plunger" that I can by at the hardware store for less than six bucks or the other kind that cost twice or three times that amount. The one I bought for less than six bucks came or a stick too.

 

The difference is about twelve bucks.

 

At least one from the hardware store would be new and clean ....

Some of the "commercial" plungers are sized a bit different and may have a ring or bigger knob to hold on to. Is that worth $12? I got a pretty blue one at Ace Hardware for $3. Does the trick just fine.

Jim

 

I bought mine at the Commissary on Fort Meade for about $1.50. I threw the stick away.

The difference? Personally, I think that the real plungers sound better than the actual plunger mutes. One other thing that I have noticed is that with real plunges, if you cut a hole out in the middle where the stick goes, it sounds MUCH better than if you leave it intact. Some of the actual plunger mutes have a ring right there to hold on to so you wouldn't want to go chopping a hole in one of those.

Save your money. Go to the hardware store and get a real plunger. (small size) The ONLY time I ever used anything else was when I was an Army Bandsman and one was issued to me.

 

One night I didn't have my plunger handy so I grabbed a glass off a nearby table. It worked great and caused quite a stir among the guys in the band.

 

in my school, our pluger has "aquaforce" on it,

 

I have four plungers that I carry with me (excessive, but they do all sound different). Two are the H&B plunger mutes (one rubber, one solid) and two are true sink plungers, without the stick.

I prefer the larger of the two real sink plungers and the rubber H&B, but all four produce a decent plunger effect.

One of the youth bands I work with was doing a piece that required the whole trumpet section to use a plunger mute - I went into the local hardward store, found ones the were suitable and purchased 15 of them! The guy in the shop couldn't believe it when I told him they were for musicians!!
He joked that he should charge me more, but I was having none of that!

I have also used a large wine glass (I was doing an impromptu small jazz gig (something I NEVER do) and my mute bag was still on the tour bus) and loved the sound. There is nothing quite like it, but I'm not sure I can justify always carrying a wine glass with me.

 

Not quite a plunger mute, but I created a homemade bucket mute by taking an old butterbowl out of the cabinet, that happened to fit perfectly on my bell -- just clipped right on, and cut a hole in the middle of it. I experimented with putting cloths and things inside the "bucket." Had a pretty neat affect.