I've been saving up for a new bass and, by happy coincidence, the day after I sold my old amp someone puts up a decent Bass VI knockoff I've been aware of and half-considering-maybe-I-don't-know. Do baritones make for a good bass replacement when played through a bass amp? I mean if I stick to the bottom 4 strings, would it be "bass"y enough to not stand out as having something missing on stage?

Also, I had another general question I can't get a solid answer on: What kind of amp should I use? Everybody says playing a bass through a guitar amp can damage it and is generally not good, but most people say they play baritones though a guitar amp. The low E is tuned the same, so what's the deal with that?

I'm currently playing bass in my friend's alt/punk/whatever/"normal" rock band so I need to fill the bass position, but I'll be recording all my surfy stuff at home where I can have more fun with it. Would this work for me or should I just wait until I can afford a decent Jazz Bass?

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Based on what I've seen, heard live, and experienced for myself, they're used for different things. The baritones are usually used w/a pick and are more precussive. In a country band setting, I would use it to do tic tac runs. Back in the 50s/60s they were used to augment the standup bass in recordings and live performances. Another example, Mike Henderson uses one in his blues/country recordings and gets a lot of great slide tone out it. But, as a bass substitute, I don't think there's enough "thump" and it would sound kind of thin in a band setting if the baritone were being used in the bass role.

BTW - That lack of thump from the relatively thinner strings (when compared to a bass) is probably why it's not as much of an issue to play a baritone through a regular guitar amp. You're not killing the speakers with the low end frequency that a bass would produce. That being said, I have friends that use BF Bassmans or Showmans w/2x12 or 1x15 cabs as their club amps, so who knows

I wouldn't discourage you getting a baritone (in fact I'm building a Tele version for myself right now, and I've owned several Jerry Jones versions which sounded great). However, if you're going to be playing the bass role and you're limited on cash so that it's one or the other, I'd wait and get the bass first and get the baritone later.

I've got a Fender Jaguar Baritone, actually closer to a Bass VI, tuned E-e. I filled in on bass for a couple gigs for The Beloved Invaders several years ago, and used it because I don't have a bass. I played it thru my Showmen with D-130F's in it. I thought it did pretty well. Not as boomy, as PhatTele says. For more trad sounds surf, I think it sounds great - It's super fun to play too.

It's the one on the far left.

image

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Last edited: Mar 31, 2010 18:58:11

Back in the 60's, our Bass player got a Bass VI (he also had a Jazz and a Precision) and hated it. I wish I'd bought it from him-it's the only instrument or amp that he's ever sold-he still has all his other stuff!
I agree with Jeff-you COULD use and E-E tuned Baritone as a bass in a pinch, but you would probably find it limited in the range of sounds you could produce.
It is kind of fun to play bass on a baritone with a vibrato and hit it every once in a while.

Hiromi uses a Baritone Jag to play the bass parts in The Space Agency.

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Phattele mention using a Dano Baritone for "tic-tack" bass lines. This was a very common studio practice in the late 50's/early 60's that helped bring life and definition to upright bass lines. It can be heard on lots of Duane Eddy tracks and also several Nashville hits from that era.

If it is tuned E-e, then it is a Bass. A baritone guitar is tuned from a fifth to a third lower than a Guitar, a bit off the full octave of the bass.

The Speakers/Cab is going to have a lot more to do with how your bass sounds than the amp does. We have great success running a Showman head through an Ampeg cab, for example. We've used a Bassman in the past but it wasn't quite powerful enough for the low frequencies to cut through the rest of the band.

I would tend to agree straight down the line with Jeff. I use a Squire Bass VI for about a half dozen tunes in my band, SandBlast. It works pretty cool for some songs but a four banger does the trick for others. If you are using it as a mid bass or novelty, you can get away with a guitar amp if you roll off the lows. If you want it too provide something approximating real low end, you will need a real bass enclosure for any serious volume. Here's a link to a song -Old School Stripper - from our album. It's kind of a cheesy mash of surf and 60's Go Go Jazz. It features a Bass VI tuned like a regular bass playing both bass bits and guitar bits. Should you like the tune or not, it gives a pretty fair representation of what these kinds of instruments can do and not do. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlrdCFAUJZ4
Hope this helps. MJ (Ummm PS, the video may contain some adultish bits as the song title might suggest and it also contains bits that are in poor taste and may offend some. Usually we don't get this 8th grade risque. Enjoy)

mj
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Last edited: Dec 22, 2016 23:51:52