Baritone Tele advice

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soul-o

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I have to learn the new Justin Bieber single for an upcoming gig and, interestingly enough, the entire thing is built around a baritone guitar riff. It’s practically the only instrument on the song besides drums and vocals.

This is just a request for one gig and I’m not really in the market for a baritone guitar right now. Besides scale length, is there any reason I couldn’t just put some appropriate gauge strings on a spare Tele? What do you guys reckon?

Here’s the song if you’re curious:
 

dsutton24

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You'd have to open up nut slots, add relief, and fiddle with intonation. I think it'd end up being a floppy mess.

Would an octave pedal do what you need?
 

thos_beans

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The above is probably correct re: nut filing, setup being a bit more involved than you described. But I’ll add that mk.gee produced on that track, and it is likely his signature baritone-tuned short scale(!) jaguar you’re hearing. So it’s very doable to set up a spare tele, if you’ve got one, for downtuning.

Plenty of metal and hardcore acts, for example, play down tuned, or 7-8 strings, with standard scale lengths. You won’t get the increased string tension a proper baritone affords, but you probably don’t need it to achieve the tones on this record.

I say go for it and have fun with it!
 

soul-o

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The above is probably correct re: nut filing, setup being a bit more involved than you described. But I’ll add that mk.gee produced on that track, and it is likely his signature baritone-tuned short scale(!) jaguar you’re hearing. So it’s very doable to set up a spare tele, if you’ve got one, for downtuning.

Plenty of metal and hardcore acts, for example, play down tuned, or 7-8 strings, with standard scale lengths. You won’t get the increased string tension a proper baritone affords, but you probably don’t need it to achieve the tones on this record.

I say go for it and have fun with it!
I need to know more about this mk.gee. Maybe I should be checking out what he actually used on that. Thanks.
 

Linus Pickle

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The cheapest solution is what you're describing, but going back and forth from baritone setup to standard won't be a simple matter.

A more expensive but also more flexible option would be getting a baritone conversion neck from Warmoth or someplace like that. You'll also have tighter feeling strings with the longer scale length.

Alternatively, if you're only using it for this one occasion, you could get a used bari guitar from reverb, then sell it again after you're done. It's also possible that someone in your area has one that they'd be willing to rent out. Can't hurt to put some feelers out.
 

soul-o

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There does seem to be a plethora of inexpensive baritones on Facebook marketplace place near me.
 

frisco slim

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There's a simple solution with a standard guitar that doesn't increase string tension. You probably would have to recut the nut slots and adjust the intonation.

Take a set of your regular strings. Toss out the high E 1st string. Move each of the other strings one notch towards the treble side. So first string is now a B string, second string a G string, etc. You need to get a single fatter string for the 6th string position, something like an .056. Tune to B E A D F# B.

With the exception of the new 6th string, every string on there is tuned to the same, or very nearly the same, pitch as it usually is on a standard guitar. they're just in a different position. Shouldn't feel floppy, shouldn't require any truss rod adjustment.

The compromise here compared to a true long-scale baritone guitar is that 6th string. It's really too short to be tuned to such a low pitch, so its tone will suffer somewhat. But for the OP's purposes, it should be adequate.
 
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AAT65

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There's a simple solution with a standard guitar that doesn't increase string tension. You probably would have to recut the nut slots and adjust the intonation.

Take a set of your regular strings. Toss out the high E 1st string. Move each of the other strings one notch towards the treble side. So first string is now a B string, second string a G string, etc. You need to get a single fatter string for the 6th string position, something like an .056. Tune to B E A D F# B.

With the exception of the new 6th string, every string on there is tuned to the same, or very nearly the same, pitch as it usually is on a standard guitar. they're just in a different position. Shouldn't feel floppy, shouldn't require any truss rod adjustment.

The compromise here compared to a true long-scale baritone guitar is that 6th string. It's really too short to be tuned to such a low pitch, so its tone will suffer somewhat. But for the OP's purposes, it should be adequate.
I think that’s a good shout and a 25.5”-scale B won’t sound great but won’t be terrible. I’ve got an acoustic with the bottom string tuned to C using 0.059”: it’s a bit boomy but it does intonate OK.

However you could make it an excuse to buy a Squier Bass VI…
 

Boreas

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I have done just that on one of my teles - it works like a charm! I bought light baritone strings (13-62), set up the guitar (didn't touch with the nut), and it is great. I tuned down to C. Using PV64 pickups. I liked it so much, I never changed it back.
 
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MGW-AB

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Personally, I would advise against the pitch shifter idea. I have always found those devices to be less than stellar when playing with a relatively clean tone. If a song has plenty of overdrive or distortion it can hide (somewhat) the shortcomings of a pitch shifter but clean is another matter. I also advise against tuning down. That's a long way to go and it would be a mess to play and wouldn't sound very good; certainly not as good as a real baritone. If you can't justify buying a baritone guitar maybe consider not playing that song, particularly since it won't be a regular part of your repertoire.

Just one man's opinion.
 

Vibroluxer

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The T-Rex Quint will get you there. It has volume controls for octave down, octave up, and a 5th up. All you need to do is turn down the octave up and 5th up and you have your baritone. It tracks perfectly.

$140 new on Reverb, $120 used. Much less than a guitar.

The baritone starts at 0:35.


 

RU Experienced

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I've used a Digitech Drop pedal. Not as good as using a baritone, but not too bad either particularly for single note passages. Go all the way down an octave and every step in between, plus you can play an octave and the dry original signal together which has an interesting vibe ( like a 12 string in reverse). While they're not inexpensive, it potentially is useful for other than just "baritone" stuff. I've used it a lot since our band plays quite a few songs tuned down half step.

 
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