Comments on: BARITONE GUITAR: What It Is & Why You Need One

By: Jon

Jon — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 18:03:04 +0000

So I hear all of this but I still cant square it with the fact that in the 70’s Tony Iommi detuned a standard 6 string electric down to C#, AND put in lighter gauge strings to accommodate , and still managed to have a great sound. I know he had to fiddle with tuning but I am not hearing buzzing or wobbling. It might have enhanced his vibrato in fact.
I’m looking in to buying a Baritone but still not convinced its really necessary…thoughts?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Sun, 11 Feb 2018 12:00:24 +0000

I recently bought a baritone that I have tuned to “a” as the thickest string because I love the deeper sound. I have transposed and found the natural chords but do not know how to get the 7ths and flats. Can anyone guide me to a chord chart.

By: Doug

Doug — Wed, 16 Aug 2017 16:48:50 +0000

Beautiful sounding guitars.

By: The Lovewaffe

The Lovewaffe — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 23:23:45 +0000

I know that this is an old page, but see a bunch of questions about thicker strings on a normal scale that I may be able to help someone with in the future.

I have a 25″ scale Ibanez guitar that I put the heaviest strings I could find on (I think .62-.13s) to get a deeper sound. I can get down to drop-C tuning (CGCFAD) before the strings stop sounding like a guitar and start sounding like mud. With the extra scale length you can extend that quite a bit farther down.

Yes, you will need a set up. The difference in string tension and thickness means that your neck may need a truss adjustment and your intonation will need to be fine tuned. In my case, I also needed to slightly file the nut for the lowest two strings to fit. Your mileage may vary.

By: MCbaritone

MCbaritone — Mon, 27 Jun 2016 05:19:19 +0000

Great article! I would also offer the Reverend HC Baritone (http://www.baritoneguitar.org/… for your list, a great instrument at $999. We have a review over at http://www.baritoneguitar.org/. We also have several other acoustic and electric baritone reviews.

By: Antonio Gutierrez

Antonio Gutierrez — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 16:30:31 +0000

I recently get to know about the existence of the baritone guitar, and I’m planning to get one in the next couple of months, but I think the Fender Bass VI and Danelectro should be considered baritone guitars, since real basses are tuned symmetrically, for example 5 string bases are tuned B E A D G and 6 strings regular bases are tuned B E A D G C, a baritone guitar is tuned as a standard guitar, with a first and second string asymmetric with the rest, which are the tuning expected for the Bass Vi and Danelectro, even if a page that explain what they are says they are “Bass Vi type instruments”, besides, I doubting about getting a dark enough tone for bass lines with such a short scale length, but never tried it, can’t say for sure.

In other topic, I’m thinking on getting Fender Bass VI but instead of having the strings it comes with (.024 to .084) which should be tuned one octave lower than a standard guitar, I would change the gauge to .014 to .068, that setting would have the advantage of the 30″ scale or the tone but it can be tuned in standard B, my guess is it would sound nice.

By: Mike Robinson

Mike Robinson — Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:44:59 +0000

Colin has been using an Eastwood MAP guitar for many years. He suggested creating a Baritone version of it. So we did.

By: Lamerex

Lamerex — Sun, 12 Oct 2014 21:02:18 +0000

RE: “..Colin Newman of Wire (who came up with the idea) uses the Airline MAP Baritone”.

Uh, came up with WHAT idea, exactly? There was no reference about a concept or technique, prior to this comment. Just a list of people who play Baritones. Believe a sentence was left-out of the piece.
Mind filling us in on Colin’s ‘discovery’?

By: Chantal

Chantal — Wed, 10 Sep 2014 08:29:27 +0000

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By: Cigaro

Cigaro — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 04:50:48 +0000

I’ve been using a baritone for almost a decade. What won me over was playing It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll wiht it. The sound is something akin to cannon balls dropping out of a Harley’s tailpipe. We strongly recommend baritones.

By: 064 Freeman

064 Freeman — Fri, 07 Mar 2014 20:08:21 +0000

As I wrote on my website:
“Fender created a six-string bass in the 1960s called the Bass VI, which is often considered a type of baritone guitar. (Here’s a good article on the Bass VI at http://www.vintageguitar.com) It is tuned an octave below a standard guitar, so it is similar to a four-string bass, except it has two additional strings at the high end (B and E). The scale length is typically 30 inches, and the neck width is narrow compared to most basses. I have a Schecter version of the Bass VI, the Hellcat VI, and I find it very cool and useful, but in my opinion, Bass VI style instruments should be considered a type of bass guitar, not a baritone guitar. The design attempt was to make a bass that felt familiar to players of standard guitars. (Reportedly John Lennon and George Harrison used a Bass VI to play bass with the Beatles when McCartney played piano.) My understanding of the intent of the baritone is to create an instrument for the pitch range in between the standard guitar and bass.

Even the staff at Fender seem to be confused about the difference between Bass VI-style instruments and baritones. Their Jaguar baritone is described as being a Bass VI type instrument but it is tuned to B and has a 27″ inch scale which makes it a baritone, not a Bass VI type instrument. In fact, Fender has a Bass XI reissue instrument available that has a 30.3″ scale.”
http://www.thebaritoneguitar.com/

Thanks to this article and some other research, I determined that the Danelectros from the 1950s were Bass VI type instruments, not baritones.

By: ShiceSquad

ShiceSquad — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 19:33:41 +0000

The real question is, “Why would anyone think about *not* needing a SideJack?”
The Sidejack baritone is not a novelty item – it will revolutionize your songwriting style.
The brilliant, crisp and clear tone it produces is suitable for a wide range of music – and not just pleasant stuff. We use it for punk and Sonic-Youth-type stuff and it is perfect straight out of the box – far better than the Fender Tele baritone and Hagstrom Viking, both of which feature disappointingly muddy-sounding humbuckers in the bridge position.
And no, ShiceSquad does not work for Eastwood. But the Eastwood Sidejack does work for ShiceSquad!

By: John C Karaffa

John C Karaffa — Wed, 05 Feb 2014 01:33:43 +0000

I built myself a Baritone V with Trem. What can’t I do with it. It’s one instrument that I can get to sound like a funk bass to a screaming lead machine. Baritone is the new Black. Get one, get low and get boogyin’.

By: Ben Nokleby

Ben Nokleby — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 23:44:53 +0000

I want a stormbird like that. I play everything in D anyway. Maybe that’s why it’s called stoner rock? Newer stuff like The atomic bitchwax,fu manchu,nebula, or even old motley crue. It’s got alot of GRRRRR in the sound that I can’t duplicate quite right with any amp or effects. I don’t think those guy’s use one but it just brings more to the party!

By: james

james — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 21:18:11 +0000

I thot Glenn Cambell used a “Bass-6” for Wichita and Galveston…is a “Bass-6” the same as a baritone? Also, do you make the baritone in “lefty”, Poncho?

By: Mike Robinson

Mike Robinson — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:59:47 +0000

You will find that the string tension is far too low and the strings become “flappy” and buzz all the way up. That its why thelonge rscale is critical.

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 04 Feb 2014 14:26:30 +0000

Ok, so using the same gauge and detuning is silly. But what about using heavier strings on a 25 ½” scale guitar and detuning? Are there practical (you’re seriously damaging the neck) issues, or would i just not be as cool?
Either answer is fine. I want an excuse to expand my collection anyhow. I still have room in my guitar closet for one more!

By: Jacob

Jacob — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:55:08 +0000

Would it be smart to get a baritone for the use of d standard tuning

By: Dave Hogan

Dave Hogan — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 19:44:43 +0000

I bought a baritone about ten years ago and it has turned up on many of my studio recordings. Sometimes I’ll use it for a counter-melody line, sometimes I’ll use it for a lead break. And people notice. They’re like “what is that?” when it comes along in the song. I’m trying to find a way to work it in to the live set. And I’m saving up for a Sidejack just cause they look so cool. DH