Tell me about Fender baritones

rodvonbon · Post by **rodvonbon** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:51 am

I've been itching to get something new and have never owned a baritone. From what I gather there a couple different ones. The Bass VI is more than I want to shell out cash for, but there are a couple newer Jap made guitars floating around FeeBay.
The HH Special has a 27" neck and the Jaguar has what, a 29"?
The only youtube demo I've found for the HH has a dude ripping some metal on it and the Jaguar vids are a cross between bass and guitar.
What I'm really interested in is playing it like a bass, so does the 2 inches make that big of a difference in how the guitar can be played? Or is the string guage more important?
Obviously the HH comes with humbuckers and the Jag has singles and this will affect the way the guitar sounds, but does that make a huge difference given the string guage?

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 3:52 pm

the string gauge is a factor indeed,
but also that extra bit of length ensures more string tension so the strings are just flapping around like drunk idiots againts a maple tree.
i was going to get(and paid for) a jaguar baritone(single coild, hard tailed, etc etc)
about 3 years ago, but i got scammed out of about 500 bucks so... go figure.
i have also seen(pretty rare)
a jaguar "bottom master" with i think is a full 28 scale, two singles, the controls are a bit weird, and it has a built in fuzz or boost or something, i know they are japanese and i have seen them here and there, usually for around 500 bucks or so.

finboy · Post by **finboy** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:11 pm

i really want an HH model, maybe once i finish my current stack of projects.

ebay has them once in a while but nothing under $600 for the last couple of weeks

rodvonbon · Post by **rodvonbon** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:30 pm

Yeah, theres an HH on ebay I'm looking at.
Most of what I've read about them boasts a lot of non standard tunings. Can the 27" HH be tuned E-E?
I'm not looking to play a bunch of down tuned rawk-metalz.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:34 pm

honestly i think that you would need to use straight up bass sized strings.
like a 110 low e or something.
cuz i seem to remember putting a 9o on the thundercats and thinking that it could be heavier, it played nicely, but it felt small and weak.
aen ended up putting a 100 on it and it helped out LOADS!

robroe · Post by **robroe** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:09 pm

do what i did.

buy a pack of these, and put the 4 middle strings on one of your mustang basses. it rules

the strings are so small that you can tune it all the way up to F# or G without any problems.

so my mustang bass has 35,45,55 and 75's on it right now

rodvonbon · Post by **rodvonbon** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:36 pm

Hmmmm, thats interesting Rob. Right now I have 3 Mustang basses, maybe I can do a 6 string conversion to one of them?

astro · Post by **astro** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:45 pm

rodvonbon wrote:Hmmmm, thats interesting Rob. Right now I have 3 Mustang basses, maybe I can do a 6 string conversion to one of them?

That would absolutely rule... a Mustang Bass VI!

r40f · Post by **r40f** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 5:52 pm

rodvonbon wrote:Most of what I've read about them boasts a lot of non standard tunings. Can the 27" HH be tuned E-E?
I'm not looking to play a bunch of down tuned rawk-metalz.

what. don't you have a normal guitar?

personally i wasn't that impressed by the hh special... it kind of felt like playing an ipod. i'd probably go for a single coil baritone

finboy · Post by **finboy** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:31 pm

r40f wrote:
rodvonbon wrote:Most of what I've read about them boasts a lot of non standard tunings. Can the 27" HH be tuned E-E?
I'm not looking to play a bunch of down tuned rawk-metalz.
what. don't you have a normal guitar?

personally i wasn't that impressed by the hh special... it kind of felt like playing an ipod. i'd probably go for a single coil baritone

i think he means one octave below standard, like a bass VI

ultratwin · Post by **ultratwin** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:32 pm

If you suddenly get an urge to blow a serious wad, I'd suggest searching for a Fender Bajo Sexto. There's an NOS one near where I'm at for about $1600.

arcadedave · Post by **arcadedave** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 6:59 pm

Aen made a handy guide on how to emulate baritonez on a regular guitar. Ill have a looksee.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:54 pm

Dano baritones are 30" scale (same as a VI) so you can throw a set off Bass VI strings on there no worries (I've done it on mine before) and tune it E-E, or just use normal bari strings and tune B-B. I really, really recommend a Dano - they're lovely.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:26 pm

r40f, you gotta realize, rod has the most extensive shortscale collection on here, sub and roach may have more guitars but i think only about a 1/3 of them are shortscales.
this is what i can remember.
2 vintage blue compstangs
2 vintage orange compstangs
1 blue compstang re-issue
1 orange compstang re-issue
swinger copy.
a bronco.
i think two musicmasters
oh! and the infamous ak-47 mustang
and i know i am forgetting a couple.

r40f · Post by **r40f** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:26 am

given the wording of the post, surely you can forgive my mistake. also what can i say i have no idea what guitars you guys own.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:47 am

benecol wrote:Dano baritones are 30" scale (same as a VI) so you can throw a set off Bass VI strings on there no worries (I've done it on mine before) and tune it E-E, or just use normal bari strings and tune B-B. I really, really recommend a Dano - they're lovely.

I had one of those Danos. Tuned to Bass VI. I liked the feel and everything, but IMO it was neck heavy due to the LP shape and extra long neck, and the masonite body + light bass strings gave it terrible sustain (I usually love the dano sound, and for guitars I don't care about it as much, but for bass it just didn't dew the trick. I may have prefered it as a baritone but never got around to changing the strings before I sold it.

rodvonbon · Post by **rodvonbon** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:20 am

Thanks guys.

Ultra - I've never come accross that Baja before, looks interesting, about twice the price range I'm looking to spend.
Arcade - The longest scale guitar I own is 24". I can't imagine Aen's conversion would fly on a shortscale and the strings wouldn't make it through a Mustang tail piece.
benecol - I looked up the Dano 27.75" and they go for about 400 bucks, not bad. How do you play yours? Ya know what style/string guage etc...
Robert - Thanks for looking out for me. What problems would you see converting a Mustang Bass? Maybe I could do some kind of hybred with a Mustang bass body and Warmoth 30" baritone neck, rout it for Mustang bridge and modify a Mustang vibrato.
r40f - The wording of my first post clearly states I plan on using it like a bass......your new, so I will forgive you :]
Nick - Which model did you have?

THIS is what I'm currently considering. New they are $750 and maybe it will go for a bit less in the auction. I could always pull the buckers out and put singles in it.
I think I might be rushing things just because I'm jonesing for something new and different.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 1:49 am

Not mine but that was what I had, color and all.

william · Post by **william** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 2:03 am

i have been thinking about getting a squier tele custom II (the one with p90s) and putting a warmoth tele baritone conversion neck on it. those hot assed soapbars would probably sound awesome, judging by aen's downtuned tcII action

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benecol · Post by **benecol** » Sun Dec 21, 2008 3:18 pm

rodvonbon wrote: benecol - I looked up the Dano 27.75" and they go for about 400 bucks, not bad. How do you play yours? Ya know what style/string guage etc...

It's a 30" scale my old love, same as a Bass VI. I've had two, a Longhorn and now a more recent '63 Dano - I set the Longhorn up like a VI for a while, but ended up preferring straight B-B bari tuning (I've not got a bass amp, so maybe wasn't feeling the full rumble of a VI). I play a lot of spaghetti western type twanginess, and Tortoise style bassy riffs on mine. Also, perhaps bizarrely, it sounds lovely for fingerstyle stuff. Buying a baritone gave my guitar playing such a boost - I'm quite tall, so a bari feels like it fits me pretty well.

Nick wrote:I had one of those Danos. Tuned to Bass VI. I liked the feel and everything, but IMO it was neck heavy due to the LP shape and extra long neck, and the masonite body + light bass strings gave it terrible sustain (I usually love the dano sound, and for guitars I don't care about it as much, but for bass it just didn't dew the trick. I may have prefered it as a baritone but never got around to changing the strings before I sold it.

My Longhorn balanced just fine (the strings ran almost the whole length of the guitar, mind). The '63 is a smidge neck heavy, but nothing a suede strap hasn't fixed. Where my Dano experience differs from yours in a big way though is the sustain - both my baris ring out for days - the long strings just keep throbbing away. Weird.

Rod - that Jag looks nice, but for a few $ less, you'd have a longer scale length and the joy of lipsticks.