The Gibson bass guitar string mute was developed in 1960, by Gibson engineer Larry Allers, who had played a large part in the design of the Gibson EB2 to begin with. The patent was filed in April 1960, and granted in January 1962, no. 3,015,247. In the meantime it had been announced for sale in mid 1960 (see the Gibson Gazette July/August 1960) at a price of $12.50. It was offered (but only if ordered) for the EB-0 and EB-2 basses immediately, but was not fitted as standard until the launch of the EB3 in 1961. It was finally fitted to the EB0 and EB2 as standard from June 1965, remaining on these models until 1971.
The mute itself was mounted underneath the bridge, and screwed to the guitar body. It's operation was fairly simple, by pulling back the lever behind the bridge, a block of felt is pushed up against the strings. By pushing the lever forward again, the felt block drops away from the strings. See images of the mute, both unmounted and in situ here.
Gibson EB bass mute for sale
Vintage Early 1960's Gibson EB-0 / EB-2 Bass Bridge Mute
Brooklyn, New York, 112**, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
$175
Very Good Condition Sold by a mom & pop music store in Brooklyn NY
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