Many B&D banjos came with a knee mute that could be used to somewhat mute the volume of the banjo. The mute was engaged by pushing a lever which raised a piece of wood to touch the head. The wood had three small pieces of cork attached to it and this reduced the volume of music coming from the instrument. Because of the position of the instrument while being played, the lever was often pushed by the player's leg, thus the name knee mute. This photo shows what the internal parts of the mute looked like when the lever was not engaged. The Bacon Banjo Company was in Groton, Connecticut and was owned and operated by Fred Bacon and David L. Day. The company was started by Fred Bacon in 1906 in Forest Dale, Vermont and later moved to Groton, Connecticut. David L. Day joined the company in 1922. The company was destroyed by a hurricane in 1938 and the business was later sold to Gretsch.