Is a Volume Control Device the Most Effective Solution to the Problem of a Noisy Acoustic Guitar?

Question

I am in an Entrepreneurship class at the University of Calgary, and as a project, we are to come up with an idea to solve a problem.

The problem I came up with relates to acoustic guitarists trying to practice for long hours, but they do not want to disturb others around them (e.g., family members, roommates, etc.). My solution to this problem is a device that clips onto the guitar with a piece of fine cloth to overlap the strings, which would turn down the volume/bass of the acoustic guitar.

After doing some research, I saw that there is a product out there for this, which is called the Music Bar (see here:

). While this product is essentially what my idea was, my product would have the additional feature of volume control (i.e., you can adjust the pressure of the music bar with a knob, allowing you to turn the volume of the acoustic guitar up or down).

Do you guys think this would be a valuable product for an acoustic guitarist?

Are there any other problems/frustrations you think guitarists face?

Thank you so much for your time, feedback, and kindness. Kelsey Nealon

Answer 1

It might be worth looking at the various adjustable foam mutes that were installed on bass guitars in the '50s and '50s. For example Rickenbacker basses came with a foam pad within a dedicated channel in the bridge. This pad was adjustable with two thumbwheels, which raised or lowered the pad by various degrees. However bassists wouldn't use this mute as a volume control as much as trying to get a different timbre from the instrument. Anything that dampens the strings will change the attack, sustain and decay of the notes themselves. You also run the risk of altering the intonation of the instrument by effectively shortening the scale length of the strings.

Off the top of my head, I'm wondering if you could devise a device that sits in the sound-hole of an acoustic guitar instead?