Baritone Guitars

[janmaat]

Has anyone ever used one? How are they tuned? Like a 5er but an octave higher? Did you find a way to use them in a musical setting? How do they compare to Irish bouzouki?

Not so sure if this is the right forum though apologies

(there's no baritonechat.co.uk afaik)

[Jacqueslemac]

I think they're tuned the same as a guitar (E A D G B E) but an octave lower. From what I understand they tend to be used for rhythm guitar duties but to give a heavier sound.

I've always quite fancied one, but have never held one or even seen one in the wood.

[RhysP]

Baritone guitars are tuned the same as a normal guitar but usually either a perfect fourth or perfect fifth lower.

[Wil]

I had a go on a Baritone Danelectro when my band were recording recently, the studio owner had it kicking about. It was lovely actually, ideal for sparse picking, but sounded a little muddy for chordal stuff. We ended up using it for some ambient swells on a recording (with an ebow and a memory man) - it sounded great.

[janmaat]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1325781244' post='1487601']
Baritone guitars are tuned the same as a normal guitar but usually either a perfect fourth or perfect fifth lower.
[/quote]

So that'll be BEADFB am I right? - Suppose, you could do as you please, but somehow a low B like a 7-string guitar? That should fit quite nicely with a 5string bass?

[BigRedX]

Gus makes two different versions of the Baritone guitar.

The [url=http://www.gusguitars.com/product.php?model_id=4]G1 Baritone[/url] is based on the G1 Guitar but with a 28½" scale length and tuned B-B.

The [url=http://www.gusguitars.com/product.php?model_id=10]G3 Baritone[/url] has the same body shape as the G3 bass with a 30" scale length and is tuned A-A.

[dannybuoy]

There's a bit of discussion about them on [url="http://www.shortscale.org/"]http://www.shortscale.org[/url]. You can get varying scale lengths and tunings, from E-E (same lowest E as a 4 string bass) up to B-B (low B being an octave higher than a 5'er).

[leftybassman392]

Didn't Duane Eddy use a baritone guitar?

Technically, you would think of it more as a guitar variant than a bass variant. All the chord shapes and scale patterns would be the same, for example.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='janmaat' timestamp='1325788397' post='1487799']
So that'll be BEADFB am I right? - Suppose, you could do as you please, but somehow a low B like a 7-string guitar? That should fit quite nicely with a 5string bass?
[/quote]
B-E-A-D-F#-B

[EssentialTension]

Baritone guitars were often used in country music to play so-called tic-tac bass - doubling the upright bass or bass guitar line an octave or maybe a fifth above with muting.

[Alex Spencer]

I've just been looking at video of the Fender Bass VI, which turned out to be a stupid idea as now I really want one. Dammit.

[Paul S]

Also popular with the 60s instrumental groups like the Shadows etc, so my BIL tells me.

Shameless plug for his Gretsch baritone/regular 6er double neck for sale here. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/150586-gretsch-g5566-jettm-double-neck-price-drop-18th-feb-l375/page__p__1564557__hl__gretsch__fromsearch__1#entry1564557"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/150586-gretsch-g5566-jettm-double-neck-price-drop-18th-feb-l375/page__p__1564557__hl__gretsch__fromsearch__1#entry1564557[/url]

[mike257]

All over the latest Foo Fighters album too, Pat Smear used one for the majority of his parts - using it live too,really thickens the sound out, guess it helps keep the three guitars out of each others way too.

[henry norton]

[quote name='leftybassman392' timestamp='1325802726' post='1488166']
Didn't Duane Eddy use a baritone guitar?

Technically, you would think of it more as a guitar variant than a bass variant. All the chord shapes and scale patterns would be the same, for example.
[/quote]
Yes he did, well a six string bass (E to E) and Glen Campbell used one for the solo on Wichita Lineman too.

Edited March 12, 2012 by henry norton