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Baritone guitars
#1 · February 20, 2008, 10:27 pm
Posted by: srolfe <srolfe@...>
That's one of the beauties of a baritone. You can tune it to the same intervals as a normal guitar and use all your familiar fingerings (mine are tuned B-to-B), but somehow, the lower voicing makes them sound new and exotic.
They're great for stimulating new songwriting ideas, for accompanying baritone voices, and for tickling the fancy of people like me, who can't make up their mind between playing bass and playing guitar.
Other advantages include the big, thick tone you get when you capo them up into the normal range (capo'd at the fifth fret, my baritones sound in E just like a regular guitar, but have thicker strings, a shorter scale and lower string tension), and the associated ease of fingering.
I've only found two downsides so far:
- You have to adjust your amplifier preferences a little
- You have to be careful about voicings when
playing in a band situation.
playing in a band situation.
The rich, deep tones of the baritone sound great as a solo instrument, or for contrast in a duet, but they can clutter up the midbass if you're playing in a larger ensemble with a keyboard player.
STEVE ROLFE wrote:
> Not from me.
>
> ...Also, I've gone more than a little gaga over baritone guitars lately.
> These days, when I feel the need for a Strat, I tend to reach for my
> Limba-bodied Warmoth , which features a wenge/ebony baritone neck> and Kinman p/u's.
How are the baritones tuned? I wouldn't want to learn where all the
notes are all over again. That's why I don't mess with non-standard
tunings, either.