Yep! They're great. I have a 27" metal type that I converted to more country style with P90s and I'm in the process of building a second one out of a Strat, using a Warmoth conversion neck.

Last edited: May 25, 2020 19:52:26

I’ve borrowed them here and there. Wish I had one for the low single line melodies. Are there other areas where they shine?

Squid From Madrid - New Single on Bandcamp
MB Website

revmike wrote:

I have a Danelectro Hodad Baritone that I absolutely adore. The power of those low notes is addictive. Working on an all baritone album right now. Stay tuned.

Rev
I'll be first in line to buy it!

Last edited: May 26, 2020 11:45:04

Oh yes, love baritones!

I have a classic vibe Telecaster with a Warmoth Baritone neck on it.

Beach Bomb - Black Surf from the cold waters of Norway!
https://beachbombband.bandcamp.com

That is such a cool looking (and sounding) guitar. Lipstick pickups are hard to beat.

Rev

Reverb17 wrote:

I built this one myself back in the late 90's. 30" scale, A tuning.
I've used it on all 3 of our releases.

Canadian Surf

http://www.urbansurfkings.com/

cosmonaut wrote:

i bought a bass vi and attempted to Baritone-ize it. new nut, smaller strings, a-a or b-b with capo. it never played or sounded right.

bought a fender subsonic neck, didn't notice the ABYSMAL nut slot before removing the bad slotted nut. too late to return this neck, so i'll have to make due.

at any rate, installed some tuners and hacked up a nut, slapped the neck in my strat and am absolutely in love. i will be building a baritone guitar using this neck now. the clarity and attack i wanted is in the strat; not the bass vi. bass vi is now back to being a bass vi and sounds great.

now to find a nice hard tail body to use...

I would think a Jazzmaster body would work well with that neck to make a baritone. I've also got plans to put together a baritone - I've got a tele body but need to acquire a conversion neck for it some day.

Forgive a goofy question, but what does a baritone guitar (tuned to A or B, which seems to be common...maybe even C?) provide that a Bass VI doesn't? I'm musically aware enough (theory, notes, keys, etc.) that I can do the on-the-fly thing if I had to (the band is playing in so-and-so key, and I'd need to kinda mentally transpose to play along with them in a A or B-tuned baritone). But I don't wanna!

The idea of a Bass VI, simply an octave below a guitar I'm already familiar with and know my way around without having to think "okay, the song is in E but I need to be playing in so-and-so positioning", has always appealed to me more. It gets the lower notes (A or B) a baritone does, but then some more (a low E). Plus, for any recording or home-based stuff, I've basically got a bass at my disposal should I want to use it as one. A double-duty type of thing.

There's zero baiting or snark in any of this. I'm genuinely asking because I've always wondered why both exist, and why a baritone would be preferred over a 6-string bass. I wouldn't want the mental strain of the transposing needed with a baritone when I could just keep it all familiar and friendly via a Bass VI.

So, with all that in mind...does the baritone offer a tonal/register benefit that isn't quite present on a Bass VI? Does it growl/twang and get That Sound™ in a way a Bass VI simply can't/doesn't? I've got hands-on 6-string bass experience (in the form of a cool old Jerry Jones longhorn), but other than some music store noodling, not much baritone (the one I was on was tuned B-to-b). I could just imagine myself totally blanking on a live gig and not knowing quite where to go should I lose focus.

And, these days, about all I do is lose focus...

Last edited: Sep 19, 2020 20:00:43

Makes sense, thanks! You'd be the one to answer! I've seen your clips (Tarantinos, WrayCyclers) on YouTube for years...great stuff!

I think I must have some mental block about the key of B...haha.

So, yeah...I, too, would probably opt for the A tuning should I ever go down that road. But just the whole thing throws me. The fact that I even have to stop and give it thought worries me.

There's a trio with several videos on YouTube call The Tritons, out of Baltimore. I don't think they play anymore (nothing new posted in ages), but the guitarist plays a Jaguar baritone and it's tuned A-to-a. It sounds great, just him, a bass and drummer.

Covering The Chantays' "Retaliation"...I LOVE how that low twang drones against the melody; great version!

Last edited: Sep 19, 2020 21:07:01

pscates wrote:

Forgive a goofy question, but what does a baritone guitar (tuned to A or B, which seems to be common...maybe even C?) provide that a Bass VI doesn't? I'm musically aware enough (theory, notes, keys, etc.) that I can do the on-the-fly thing if I had to (the band is playing in so-and-so key, and I'd need to kinda mentally transpose to play along with them in a A or B-tuned baritone). But I don't wanna!

The idea of a Bass VI, simply an octave below a guitar I'm already familiar with and know my way around without having to think "okay, the song is in E but I need to be playing in so-and-so positioning", has always appealed to me more. It gets the lower notes (A or B) a baritone does, but then some more (a low E). Plus, for any recording or home-based stuff, I've basically got a bass at my disposal should I want to use it as one. A double-duty type of thing.

There's zero baiting or snark in any of this. I'm genuinely asking because I've always wondered why both exist, and why a baritone would be preferred over a 6-string bass. I wouldn't want the mental strain of the transposing needed with a baritone when I could just keep it all familiar and friendly via a Bass VI.

So, with all that in mind...does the baritone offer a tonal/register benefit that isn't quite present on a Bass VI? Does it growl/twang and get That Sound™ in a way a Bass VI simply can't/doesn't? I've got hands-on 6-string bass experience (in the form of a cool old Jerry Jones longhorn), but other than some music store noodling, not much baritone (the one I was on was tuned B-to-b). I could just imagine myself totally blanking on a live gig and not knowing quite where to go should I lose focus.

And, these days, about all I do is lose focus...

When I wanted a baritone, I decided to go with a Bass VI. I couldn’t really see any downside, although I will concede that chords are restricted to triads on the upper strings.

The VI is an oddity. I have long contended that it can be used as a bass, and I have played mine as a bass, with no complaints from the rest of the band, or from the audience. But it is also quite happy in the role of a baritone. The range of sounds available is impressive and it definitely can fill that role.

I had thought of a B-B baritone, but that only adds an additional fourth on the bottom, and that didn’t seem enough.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

I converted my bass VI to A-a tuning. just needed a new nut for smaller strings. The 30" scale didn't quite give me what I wanted in the response and pick attack, surprisingly. It felt too close to being a bass. I write a lot in A, so that seemed like a good choice. I never got the drippy attack through my reverb tank on the bass strings tuned A-a.

With the short scale 27" baritone length, the strat is surfy as ever. The pick attack and reverb drip when palm muting is still there.

Yes I could capo the bass VI and play in B, but it never felt as good as the strat does, and certainly didn't have the unamplified attack.

I blasted through The Victor and The Wedge last night on the baritone and it was glorious. Dick Dale sounds good tuned down to B