I've been building guitars for the last couple months...haven't put together a baritone yet, but i did look at it as a possible project. I think you can get a decent neck for under $200 and slap it on just about any body...you should be able to get something at a pawn shop for $50, that'll have the jack/neckplate/strap-buttons/bridge (maybe) and a body to house everything. Then you just need a decent pickup (one, placed correctly, is probably all you need,) and some tuners that'll accept the big strings (older slot-style kluson, moreso than the newer hole-style). Should be a $300 deal...which may or may not beat a cheap dano or OLP bari... and may or may not sound better, depending on if you're any good at assembling these things.

chris

burun wrote:Actually, I don't know why I need an actual baritone.

I just thought having a bari length neck would make it easier for me to get the low low.

Just up the gauge.
Think of it like a short scale bass or guitar.
A standard bass is 34". If you use a short scale (30") just go up a gauge to get a similar feel.
Same with guitar - if you favor Mustangs or Musicmasters, and play 10's on a standard guitar, a set of 11's will give you almost the same feel. Using 10's on the shorter guitar may cause you to overbend a little.

And that's just it - a shorter scale means you're more likely to fret less precisely. Pull a note down a quarter of an inch on three different scale length guitars and you'll notice that the shorter the scale, the more the pitch will increase for the same bend.

That's why Mustangs sound "indie" and like Pavement. It's also why short scale basses don't always record well (you can hear notes go a little sharp if you play hard). Part of the "precision" in P-Bass is tied in with this concept.

The way you solve this problem is to make the strings harder to accidentally bend sharp as you play. The added bonus is that thicker strings sound heavier. I play a Mustang bass live, and up up-gauged by two. People say that Mustang basses are weak and thin sounding, but when they hear mine set up, they don't say that anymore.

With this in mind, if you are making a guitar "Baritone-ish," just make sure the strings aren't floppy by picking the right gauges. Play a real baritone, determine if you like the feel, go up a gauge, and string your standard guitar with your crazy custom set.

And considering the fact that you are doing this at all, what's wrong with a "happy accident anyway?"
Start with a $50 guitar if you want, and take it from there.

And yes, please use a Hello Kitty or Batz Maru Fender for all of your final experimental rigs.

-A

I vote for Pekkle.

alex maiolo wrote:And that's just it - a shorter scale means you're more likely to fret less precisely.

You are assuming I fret accurately in the first place!

I saw a Squier Jagstang that also looks good, but (as with the HK's) I need to go actually hold one in my hands first before I commit - if I can't play this beast comfortably, I will never play it.

Oh, and fuck Fender for not making all of their Squier line in lefty.

burun wrote: am slowly moving from my "tuning is a crutch" style of textural playing to a "gee, these chords smell terrific" style of playing.

Ha! That's beautiful. Nicely put.

Ok, as you were.

Take a standard length guitar and place a stop bridge at the length you like. That'll give you all the scale you want, but your wiring will need to be reworked if you want a bridge pu, etc... Also, those SX Jazzum copies (SX SJM) are probably good for your project - cheap too - the trem would probably have to be blocked. If you just want to get a jm you could probably find a nice japanese `88 or `89 for 7-8 hundie.

You have an egc already. It's lonely. It needs a metal buddy. I hear Bad C rave about his Bari...

[edit] I forget that you might have an issue with comfort - those SX bodies are rather uncomfortable for me, and I'm 6 foot with a 9 inch palm-stretch... Doesn't play well sitting either.

I'll go back to suggesting a stop bridge moved back to scale - but that presents a problem with the fretboard...

...which reminds me. Does Glenn ever divulge secret glenntech?

I've just bought this beastie with the intention of adding 2 more strings:



updates coming soon!

benjaminbunny wrote:I've just bought this beastie with the intention of adding 2 more strings:

updates coming soon!

what the hell is that? i like it.

i have a question for bass vi users. is the body size the same as a jaguar or larger?
i was considering (in the future) to ask a luthier to build a 6string bass a la bass vi for me, and i wanted to know some details. i know that it uses jaguar pickups. so it's basically a guitar with a 30 inch scale neck?

My Jag VI definitely feels that way, but I come from the bass side, so anything guitarish seems small to me. The neck on mine feels very similar to a long strat neck.

burun wrote:

alex maiolo wrote:And that's just it - a shorter scale means you're more likely to fret less precisely.

You are assuming I fret accurately in the first place!

I saw a Squier Jagstang that also looks good, but (as with the HK's) I need to go actually hold one in my hands first before I commit - if I can't play this beast comfortably, I will never play it.

Oh, and fuck Fender for not making all of their Squier line in lefty.

I've got one of those and it has the narrowest neck I've ever played. Its comfortable to play, but I bet those thick strings would be weird to play on there.