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Fenderish Baritone Build - Suggestions

TimmyM
August 16th, 2012, 05:16 PM
Hey everyone, I have got an old solid wood Teisco guitar body with a monkey grip, I believe it was the Model TG-64 and looks like this http://http://www.vintagecustomguitars.com/upfile/2012/05/21/img_13376612514433.jpg. I have had the thing forever and never really knew what to do with it...then it came to me, I'll make a new baritone neck for it and we'll have some deep down fun.

So this is what I am thinking about doing and I'm looking for suggestions. I want it to be pretty Fenderish, along the lines of the Jazzmaster, Jaguar, Marauder type instruments.

I will make a new 27" scale maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard.
Fill the void in the body from the original tremolo and relocate a new vintage style tremolo.
I want lots of odd electronic wiring going on so this is really where I want some input...I'm thinking...

Tele bridge pickup mounted to the pickguard, and for the neck pickup, maybe Jazzmaster, maybe P-90, Maybe New York Mini...something different.
each pickup will have its own on-off switch, mounted in a chrome-plated plate and attached at the top of the pickguard. Another chrome-plated plate to the upper top with a Gretsch type tone switch for the rear Tele pickup with three preset tone varations. Another large chrome-plated plate on the lower bout that will house the volume control for the Tele pickup, a control for the front volume, a control for the front tone and the input jack. On the lower front I was thinking of having another round chrome-plated plate that would house a master volume control.

Cosmetically, Re-Ranch Sonic Blue body. W/B/W pickguard material. Chrome-plated plates. Black pickups. White tone and volume knobs except black master volume knob. Vintage GFS vibrato. Tune-o-matic style bridge. Maple neck with rosewood fingerboard and GFS vintage style tuners.

Sound cool? what kind of front pickup would make the Baritone sound best?

Walter Broes
August 16th, 2012, 05:28 PM
Well, I have a suggestion - if you want to tune lower than B on your lowest string, go longer than 27" scale. Otherwise you'll have to use REALLY heavy strings, or live with sloppy spaghetti strings that buzz when you dig in. And my experience with low tuned guitars is the longer the scale, the better they sound in every available register.

Also, if you're looking for big Baritone twang, use bright, low output pickups.

TimmyM
August 16th, 2012, 06:27 PM
Thanks Walter...since I haven't started the neck yet other than purchasing the wood maybe I'll go 28". I was doing some reading on a Baritone web-site and noticed that there was really no ideal scale length for Bari's so I started to look at Fender's and Dano's to see waht they did and kind of came up with a variable plan what I would like to try...many times I draw guitars to scale and see what I like long before I ever attempt to take them to the work bench...this is what I have written down for build ideas in concept, even if I never do get around to actually building them.
22" to 23-1/2" = Tenor Guitar of Extremely Short Scale Guitar
23" to 24-1/2" = Short Scale Guitar or 6 String Tenor
24" to 25-1/2" = Standard Guitar
25" to 26-1/2" = Drop D Guitar
26" to 27-1/2" = C Melody Guitar
27" to 28-1/2" = B Baritone Guitar
28" to 29-1/2" = A Baritone Guitar
29" to 30-1/2" = E Octave Guitar (thinner strings than a standard 6 string bass,
ala Fender Bass VI)
30" to 31-1/2" = E Octave 6 String Bass (ala Danelectro)

There are several different string gauges available for Baritone guitars...quite confusing!