This work generalises the possibilities to change the effective material or structural properties for low frequency (LF) wave propagation, by using high-frequency (HF) external excitation combined with strong non-linear and non-local material behaviour. The effects are demonstrated on 1D chain-like systems with embedded non-linear parts, where the masses interact with a limited set of neighbour masses. The presented analytical and numerical results show that the effective properties for LF wave propagation can be altered by establishing HF standing waves in the non-linear regions of the chain. The changes affect the effective stiffness and damping of the system.