The Burpster Posted January 1, 2009 Share Posted January 1, 2009 "oh my god, I cant believe it, I've never been this far away from bass" I've just bought a 28" scale baritone guitar (Yes - OK - its a PRS..... ) and I wondered if any of you guys have one, what tunings and strings are you prefering and I presume you use them for blues or HM? Opinions and tips please.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Yeah, i used to have an ESP Viper Baritone. They're great for down tuning. I got mine down to low A and it sound like something from hell. Mine had EMG Zakk Wylde pickups in them and they are monstrous. Make sure you use thick gauge strings for an even bigger tone. Most of the time I used to tune down a whole step to D. That is every string tuned down a tone. I did the same for C and A as well and just used conventional fretting. There's also many other ways to tune down: Dropped B: B-F♯-B-E-G♯-C♯ Dropped C: C-G-C-F-A-D Dropped A: A-D-G-C-E-A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted January 2, 2009 Author Share Posted January 2, 2009 Did you try flats? I have 'that' sound on my basses now with flatwounds and wondered if I could get g'tar faximilie of it with flatwounds and down tuned to A Something like these bad boys..... [url="http://www.daddario.com/DADProdDetail.aspx?CodaID=557&ID=1&Class=AADA"]http://www.daddario.com/DADProdDetail.aspx...&Class=AADA[/url] Waddya reckon.... worth a try? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 [quote name='The Burpster' post='368443' date='Jan 2 2009, 01:34 PM']Did you try flats? I have 'that' sound on my basses now with flatwounds and wondered if I could get g'tar faximilie of it with flatwounds and down tuned to A Something like these bad boys..... [url="http://www.daddario.com/DADProdDetail.aspx?CodaID=557&ID=1&Class=AADA"]http://www.daddario.com/DADProdDetail.aspx...&Class=AADA[/url] Waddya reckon.... worth a try?[/quote] My son has those heavy flatwound D'Addario Chromes guitar strings in his Epiphone Casino but in standard tuning, not tuned down . He uses it in his school jazz band. They do have a great sound but you couldn't bend them to save your life. (He's got a Gibson with 9-42 Bright Wires on for bending.) The Chromes are heavy enough to cope with a lower tuning but I don't know whether they'd be long enough for a 28" scale baritone guitar though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 I'd go for specialist baritone strings - the heavier gauge the better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Does the PRS intonate properly at low E? The OLP Bari needed the bridge to be moved back a bit. Pain in the wotsit that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 2, 2009 Share Posted January 2, 2009 Was it cheaper than this one? [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-VI-SIX-STRING-BASS-GUITAR-1968_W0QQitemZ260296219188QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV?hash=item260296219188&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FENDER-VI-SIX-STRING...A1%7C240%3A1318[/url] I'm sure the Andy Silvester link is worth a few bob (he's one of my all-time fave bassists) but I think this is still a tad over-priced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted January 3, 2009 Author Share Posted January 3, 2009 not tried the low E tuning yet... might just stick with low A (as we play a lot in A...!) Yes the PRS was about 1/10 the cost of the Fender..... ! I have always liked the Fender VI but thought it a bit too much for a toy like mine.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franzbassist Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='The Burpster' post='367572' date='Jan 1 2009, 10:29 AM']"I've never been this far away from bass"[/quote] Hi Bob Me too. I bought myself a tenor acoustic guitar from Fylde just before Christmas, and I can't believe what a blast it is playing something totally new. Four strings, tuned GDAE low to high, and just a joy to play. It also opens me up to other similar instruments such as mandolin and bouzouki should I wish to go all folky!!! How's the PRS btw? I was promised pics you know... Cheers Gareth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 i've got a vi...but it didn't cost £5k...but then it wasn't made in 1968. i've always contended it's a bass rather than a baritone - but i use it for noise/post-rock things, although never live sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 [quote name='fretmeister' post='368574' date='Jan 2 2009, 04:16 PM']Does the PRS intonate properly at low E?[/quote] I've stuck with it at A, and to be honest thats the limit of this scale length. The Low A string saddle has less than 1mm movement left and I have had to trim the screw back, so low A is as far as its going. Got to add that in low A the big fat string is a bit quieter than the other 5 at the mo so a little more work is needed but I'm getting there..... Using D'addario X157 13-68 baritone strings. [quote name='walbassist' post='376529' date='Jan 10 2009, 11:49 PM']How's the PRS btw? I was promised pics you know...[/quote] G, good on yer mate! What I'm enjoying most is that however tricky some bass parts are, they seem much easier to get your headaround when you've playing on this tiddly iddly fretboard with strings waay too close together for 1/2 and hour.. ! I will do some EB IV pics (mybad) and at the same time do some pics of the Fender for ebay. [quote name='ahpook' post='376534' date='Jan 10 2009, 11:59 PM']i've got a vi...but it didn't cost £5k...but then it wasn't made in 1968. i've always contended it's a bass rather than a baritone - but i use it for noise/post-rock things, although never live sadly.[/quote] I always liked the idea of the VI but then whenever you look for one, they make PRS basses seem common... where are they all? It would be nice if this PRS baritone was slightly longer scale length but then it was designed for me, it was designed for a 'HM guitarist' so I should be gratfeul eh? Gotta say that the QC and build quality of this Korean PRS is notably better than a US Fender would be anyway.... Sad but true. All in all its kinda odd playing basslines on essentially a guitar, and they jangle (combination of short scale, roundwounds and two way too powerful humbuckers!) but its cool flitting from a bassline into a strummed chord and back again..... Now I just need to find out WTF to do with it...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 (edited) I'm getting more interested in the whole Baritone thing, but the tunings and playing have me really confused. You've already listed several different tunings (above) and a review of Baritone guitars I found on the Net suggested two more (30" scale = A-D-G-B-E-A / 28" scale = B-E-A-D-F#-B ), so for any given Baritone that's five or six things to try out. Are you supposed to play chords like a guitar? If so, doesn't that mean learning new chord shapes (or at least locations)? Or is it more of a dirty Delta blues thang, with little riffs and runs being terminated by a 2/3-string chord? Or can you get seriously radical, tune it to an open chord and then play bottleneck bass? These are intended to be serious questions - trying all this out means investing a fair bit of dosh! Edited January 11, 2009 by Happy Jack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 [quote name='The Burpster' post='376588' date='Jan 11 2009, 07:39 AM']Now I just need to find out WTF to do with it...... [/quote] that's kindof the fun of it to me...bass chords, upper register 'guitar-like' parts, drones...it pushed you in a different direction have fun...that's the most important thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Burpster Posted January 11, 2009 Author Share Posted January 11, 2009 [quote name='Happy Jack' post='376651' date='Jan 11 2009, 10:58 AM']I'm getting more interested in the whole Baritone thing, but the tunings and playing have me really confused. You've already listed several different tunings (above) and a review of Baritone guitars I found on the Net suggested two more (30" scale = A-D-G-B-E-A / 28" scale = B-E-A-D-F#-B ), so for any given Baritone that's five or six things to try out. Are you supposed to play chords like a guitar? If so, doesn't that mean learning new chord shapes (or at least locations)? Or is it more of a dirty Delta blues thang, with little riffs and runs being terminated by a 2/3-string chord? Or can you get seriously radical, tune it to an open chord and then play bottleneck bass? These are intended to be serious questions - trying all this out means investing a fair bit of dosh![/quote] HJ, Great point about dirty delta blues.... Thats exactly what I have in mind... chucking out backing tracks for my guitarist.... I found this really useful.... [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baritone_guitar"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baritone_guitar[/url] But that is nowhere near exhaustive.... Mike Mushok plays in a real odd tuning Ab-Db-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb at times which I thought was way 'out there' but apparently it was a popular kinda thing with Black Sabbath and sinmilar bands of that ilk..... It is opening up a whole new universe to me and yes I am trying to find ot about chord shapes etc, and my g'ist is researching it for me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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