Do you enjoy playing your favorite guitar but wish you could get more of the low-end frequencies you love so much? If so, then you need to get your hands on a baritone guitar.
The baritone is a fascinating and versatile instrument that’s captivated guitarists across a wide range of genres. Its unique tone, extended scale length, and deep voice make it a valuable addition to the guitar arsenal of any guitarist, both live and especially in the studio.
So let’s take a closer look at this halfway house between the guitar and the bass and find out all there is to know about the baritone guitar…
History and Origins
Even though its use has only really gained popularity in the last few decades, the baritone’s roots go all the way back to the 1950s. Danelectro was one of the pioneering brands and introduced one of the first mass-produced baritone guitars in 1956. It was called the Danelectro UB-2 and was offered in three finishes - gleaming black lacquer, bronze lacquer, and grained ivory leatherette.
1956 Danelectro UB-2
The UB-2 quickly gained popularity with session musicians because of its usefulness in the studio and also with rockabilly players who loved its deep, twangy sound.
The concept of a baritone guitar evolved from the demand by players for a lower-pitched instrument that could bridge the gap between a standard guitar and a bass guitar. This allowed them to explore new sonic territories without getting in the way of the frequencies occupied by the bass guitar.
Construction and Design
The feature that distinguishes a baritone guitar from a regular guitar or a bass is its scale length, which typically ranges from 27 to 30 inches. The longer neck enables lower tunings without compromising the tension of the strings, allowing it to maintain note clarity and resonance at lower pitches.
Apart from the extended scale length, there isn’t anything else that sets a baritone apart. As with a regular guitar they are available in solid-body, semi-hollow, and hollow-body configurations. They can be manufactured from a range of materials, and, as with a regular guitar, can feature various pickup configurations, even though humbuckers tend to be the most desired pickup for baritones these days due to their higher output and ability to handle the lower frequencies.
Therefore, in terms of design, features, and controls, they are virtually identical to a standard guitar. However, apart from the extended scale length, there is one thing that really does differentiate them…
Tuning and Strings
Baritone guitars are almost always tuned lower than standard guitars, popular tunings include:
- B-E-A-D-F#-B (a perfect 5th below standard tuning)
- A-D-G-C-E-A (a perfect 4th below standard tuning)
- C-G-D-A-E-G (an open tuning that is often used for experimental music)
To handle the stresses of the lower tuning you’ll need some heavier gauge strings, with most baritones being stringed in the range of .013 to .068, depending on individual preference and the scale length.
Squier Paranormal Baritone Cabronita Telecaster
Baritone Guitar Playing Techniques
Since a baritone is basically just a regular guitar with thicker strings that offer lower frequencies, they are played in exactly the same way. Therefore, whatever technique you play on a standard guitar - chords, fingerpicking, slides, solos, etc. - you would play in exactly the same way on a baritone.
However, they do excel at some things:
- Low Chord Voicings - the extended range allows you to play deep, rich chords and inversions not possible on standard guitars.
- Doubling a Standard Guitar - they are often used to add weight to a regular guitar part by doubling it. This is usually mixed at a lower volume than the original guitar making the combined sound much bigger.
- Soundscapes - they are often used with reverb, delay, and other effects to create deep, rich cinematic soundscapes.
What Kind of Music Can Be Played with a Baritone Guitar?
The simple answer is that if you can play it on a standard guitar, you can play it on a baritone. Therefore, you can use one to play just about anything.
However, they do excel at some genres, especially where a heavier, more aggressive riff-based sound is needed such as in Rock, Metal, Alternative Rock, and some Indie. However, they are also widely used in Jazz, Surf Music, Experimental and Ambient Music, as well as in Film and Television Scores.
Notable Baritone Guitarists
Some guitarists, for example, Stephen Carpenter from the Deftones, are often seen using Baritone guitars, while others, e.g., David Gilmour will only use them for specific songs. Either way, it’s the magic that the instrument adds to the music that makes it so wonderful. So, let’s take a look at some famous baritone guitarists and the songs they used baritones on…
Duane Eddy
The first ever baritone guitar, the Danelectro UB-2 was used by Duane Eddy on numerous recordings, including ‘Kommotion’, ‘Bonnie Came Back’, ‘My Blue Heaven’, ‘Because They're Young’, ‘The Son of Rebel Rouser’, and ‘Deep in the Heart of Texas’.
Glen Campbell
Next, we have what has to be one of the most recognized uses of a baritone guitar, ‘Wichita Lineman’ by Glen Campbell.
Although he is best known as the man who sang Rhinestone Cowboy, Glen Campbell was a top-level session guitarist who played on records by just about everyone at the time. This included the Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Ricky Nelson, Nat King Cole, the Monkees, Bing Crosby, The Everly Brothers, and Elvis Presley.
The baritone creates a distinct twang in Glen Campbell's rendition of ‘Wichita Lineman’. He also used one on ‘Galveston’.
Eddie Van Halen
EVH used a baritone guitar on several songs on the 1991 Van Halen album ‘For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge’ including ‘Runaround’ and ‘Spanked’. His axe was a custom-made double-necked Ernie Ball EVH Music Man with a baritone neck on top and a regular neck underneath.
He played the main riffs on the baritone neck, before switching to the standard neck for the solos, as can be seen in the video below:
Angelo Badalamenti
A name that most of you will not recognize, and that’s because he’s a composer, not a guitarist. But even if you don’t know his name, you will know his iconic and haunting ‘Theme from Twin Peaks’. And to create that sound he used a baritone, because a standard guitar wasn’t low enough, and a bass was too low, making the baritone the perfect instrument for the track.
David Gilmour
I am only aware of one track that Gilmour used a baritone guitar on, but without it, the song just wouldn’t be the same. Fender Custom Shop created a custom baritone guitar for the guitarist with a 27-inch scale in 2010. He used it in the studio on the track ‘It's What We Do’ from Pink Floyd's album, The Endless River.
James Hetfield
Metallica guitarist, James Hetfield, used his signature ESP baritone guitar, named The Grynch, on the song ‘Invisible Kid’ from the 2003 album St. Anger.
Stephen Carpenter
The Deftones have become a worldwide force to be reckoned with on the alternative metal scene due to their crushing waves of guitar. And a major part of the sound is baritone!
Carpenter uses his signature ESP B-8 8-string Baritone extensively in the studio and live. The 27-inch baritone is crafted from alder and features EMG 808 pickups to deliver the ultimate in heavy palm-muted riffs.
And more…
Brian "Head" Welch used Ibanez baritones on his solo record Save Me From Myself. Fear Factory’s Dino Cazares used seven-string and eight-string Ibanez baritones on the album Genexus. John Petrucci used Music Man baritone guitars on several Dream Theater songs.
Baritone guitars have also been used by artists as varied as The Beach Boys, Machine Head, Dave Mathews, Devin Townsend, Buckethead, Cannibal Corpse, Staind, Coheed & Cambria, Chevelle, and many, many more.
Choosing a Baritone Guitar
Thinking of getting yourself a baritone guitar? Excellent, but what do you need to consider to ensure you select the perfect model for your needs.
Scale Length
The neck is obviously going to be longer, but how much longer? The longer the scale length the lower you’ll be able to successfully take the tuning, but longer necks make the guitar harder to play because of the increased distance between the frets.
What Do You Want to Play on It?
This is the second most important consideration and will probably be influenced by the baritone players you admire. If you’re a huge Deftones fan, you’ll want a solid body with more than six strings and humbuckers on it. However, if you want a more experimental, soundscape-creating instrument, you might prefer a semi-hollow baritone guitar with single coil pickups to let the tone cut through your tracks.
Wrapping it Up
That’s it for my look at all there is to know about baritone guitars. They are a unique and powerful instrument that effortlessly adds depth and versatility to any band or song, both live and especially when recording.
Whether you're a rock guitarist seeking the very heaviest of riffs or a jazz player looking for the ultimate in rich chord voicings, you just can’t beat a baritone guitar to open up a fantastic new world of creative possibilities.
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