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Baritone guitar suggestions

Ripper75

Ripper75

Aug 8, 2005
489
78
The Sticks, Vermont
#1
I've been thinking about getting a baritone guitar because I struggle playing the 60s Harmony Bobkat guitar I have now, in general guitars just feel too small for me being a bassist for 25+ years. I played a Danelectro baritone at the local guitar shop that was pretty cool. I tend to like older guitars(1960-2000) but seems like baritones are a fairly newer thing..? just not seeing many old baritones plus my budget is around $800 at most, preferably less. I'm also not a huge fan of buying things made in China if possible. Any suggestions on a good baritone guitar thats not too expensive..? I might just go for the Danelectro, those seem fairly inexpensive but prolly made in China so I'm on the fence about it. thanks
 
#4
Baritone electric guitars have actually been around since around the late 50s. The Danelectro (Hodad) actually nails that tic-tac sound that you'll hear on ballads from Patsy Cline and others. I had one for a few years and liked it when I needed it. Its problem was its cheapness; there was either no truss rod, or the truss rod couldn't be adjusted, not sure which... so the neck started bowing and there was no way to fix it.

Other than the Dano, there aren't many "affordable" choices. You'll find what's available on eBay.

I've also had a couple of acoustic baris: An Alvarez Yairi and a Taylor. The Yairi was better. I've found only two uses for those: First, to play songs with the right chord shapes in lower keys, like a capo in reverse, and second, to add a different color to recordings.
 
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#7
AGCurry said:
That isn't a baritone guitar. It's a 6-string bass guitar. A baritone will have a scale length around 27-28 inches.
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If the above distinction is important to you (to me it kind of is, but the main difference is lowE vs. A/B/C tunings commanding different approaches, rather than scale per se - JMO), the below statement
AGCurry said:
Baritone electric guitars have actually been around since around the late 50s.
Click to expand...
is incorrect: between 1956 (when the Danelectro UB-2 was introduced) and 1980 (when Joe Veillette introduced what he claims was the first dedicated baritone, according to this article) only vintage-style 6-string basses were around, and everything from Patsy Cline stuff to "Wichita Lineman" to Morricone was recorded with 30"-scale Danelectros, Fenders VIs and the like, either as-is or (as the '70s progressed) re-up-tuned A-to-a or B-to-b.

________

@Ripper75: not expensive, not China-made and preferably vintage is a tall order. If you bump into the right deal, vintage Silvertone or Teisco is your best bet. As per the above discussion, pre-1980 means ~30" scale (as is still the case for some modern instruments, not only those that come tuned to low E from the factory but also some that are dubbed baritones and tuned to B).
 
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#8
vid1900 said:
Fender made a Squier Baritone in the last few years
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Fender also produced an MIM Blacktop Baritone Telecaster a few years ago. I was extremely tempted to get one before they were discontinued, but ultimately, I just couldn't rationalize it for the stuff that I play. However, I still see pre-owned Blacktop Baritones pop up from time to time on Reverb and GC's used instrument portal.

 
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#9
If you are handy with projects, you could find a Squire Bass IV body on ebay (have seen several come up recently) and get a new neck with scale of your preference. I made this with a loaded Squire body from ebay and a USA Custom neck... vintage look...

D5820067-AB65-4255-A915-E182AB097616.jpeg
 
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#12
Ripper75 said:
I've been thinking about getting a baritone guitar because I struggle playing the 60s Harmony Bobkat guitar I have now, in general guitars just feel too small for me being a bassist for 25+ years. I played a Danelectro baritone at the local guitar shop that was pretty cool. I tend to like older guitars(1960-2000) but seems like baritones are a fairly newer thing..? just not seeing many old baritones plus my budget is around $800 at most, preferably less. I'm also not a huge fan of buying things made in China if possible. Any suggestions on a good baritone guitar thats not too expensive..? I might just go for the Danelectro, those seem fairly inexpensive but prolly made in China so I'm on the fence about it. thanks
Click to expand...

I bought a Dano off a friend over 10 years ago. Used it on a recording and for some songs we played in a band. Practising some solos on it now for some of my country originals I'll be recording at some point this year.

Chances are that you're not going to singlehandedly cripple the Chinese economy not buying one. Besides, your hard drive and keyboard were probably also made in China.
 
#13
I have played an Ernie Ball Silhouette Bass, which is sort of their version of Fender's Bass VI. I think there is an OLP version, too, which might be ok with a pickup change. :)
 
#14
Eastwood Baritone.jpg I have this one - an Eastwood Sidejack Baritone. I'm sure there are "better" ones, but this one plays and feels fine, and stays in tune. Sounds good, too - I use the 13-72 EB Slinky baritone strings on it. Currently, a right handed DLX model (with a tremelo) will set you back $600 (case is extra). And, by the way - new Danelectros are made in Korea, now. And have been for a while...:cool:
 
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#16
Fred Capo said:
If you are handy with projects, you could find a Squire Bass IV body on ebay (have seen several come up recently) and get a new neck with scale of your preference. I made this with a loaded Squire body from ebay and a USA Custom neck... vintage look...

View attachment 3770810
Click to expand...
As @Fred Capo suggested, a conversion neck is also a viable option. You can swap one into a guitar body you already have, or one you can get for the occasion:

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Best place to get a baritone conversion neck...
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https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1604529
https://www.google.com/search?&q=baritone+conversion+neck
 
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#17
bRo ThIs Is TaLkBaSs NoT tAlKbArItOnE lolol

I kid, I'm just here to see the cool things that people post, I'm not to familiar with baritones and their relative application compared to bass
 
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#20
Wacky suggestion:
- find a used Ibanez Mikro GSRM25BK, the cheaper the better;
- buy it;
- drill the headstock for an extra tuner;
- replace the bridge with a hardtail guitar bridge, aligned so that the treble string is close to the treble side of the fretboard edge (unless you are a thumb-wrapper, having the lowest string gradually farther from its edge the higher up the neck you go shouldn't be a problem);
- prost.

(Not sure of their country of origin though: from what I've gathered, some are made in China, others from Indonesia. Folks over at the Mikro Club should know. This TBer is selling one of his, by the way.)
 
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