I've been playing baritone as my primary guitar for a couple of years now. They're like their own instrument. Normal scale guitars feel a little like toys now.
It is baffling to hear that you used to play Periphery, but I love that so much that it's part of your journey. The band I'm in plays exclusively 7's, but I bought a Sire because of you and that's my favorite thing now.
I think of it like a classical string ensemble. mandolin, 12 string, acoustic, Strat, shredder, baritone, P bass, upright bass. Then there's the guitar synth. If it's got strings, I want one. There's one major drawback, though. The best piano teacher I ever knew, who was the Dean of Music at a prestigious faculty, told me. "If I find out you're playing an organ or synth, you're getting dropped. These require different techniques that will interfere with and limit your abilities." She meant business but was a total sweetheart. Rose Goldblatt RIP.
I have one of these Squiers too and I love the unique sonic range they occupy. Like you, I don't think of it as a drop-tuned guitar but rather as a distinct instrument. Mine got a nice workout today as "The Last Of Us" fever had me revisiting Gustavo Santaolalla's score for Part II. Lots of great moments there. It's fun as hell to chug on these but those big, Spaghetti Western-esque clean sounds are where baritones truly shine for me.
I use it to reset my my ear and creativity. Familiar phrases and chord shapes are transformed when you play them on a Bari. I also love that thick yet chimey sound in the upper register- the harmonics are wonderful. Oddly, I bought a used sunburst copy of your Paranormal Cabro Baritone recently, and just traded it in for a black one. So far, I've had a high end Warmoth bari Strat, an amazing Karol baritone acoustic, and yet this is the one that has moved me the most. 27", P90's and the simplicity of a Tele is the big win for me.
Thanks for this video. In May 2023 went with a Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster FSR Custom baritone 27" scale which of course came tuned in the standard baritone tuning of BEADF#B tuning and Squire puts on .014-.068 gauge round wound strings....but since I have changed to flat wounds (which I prefer and have on all my electrics as they're more comfortable and there's no squeak moving along the fretboard) and gauges .015-.060. I have also discovered some very cool alternate tunings for baritone guitar such as : AEADF#B. or AEADEA (DADGAD equivalent) or GDADEA. or GDGCEA or ADGCEA.
My favorite song creating instrument is my baritone guitar. In Junior High and High School I played the euphonium/baritone and it's the reason my creative juices like to play in that range of frequencies.
I have one of these Squiers, easily the best entry to baritone. Super familiar, super comfortable scale (unlike say a Danelectro or Gretsch), sounds great. I used a string tension guide to "match" my preferred gauge in E to baritone in B, including an unwound 3rd. Took the whole guitar from feeling kind of rigid and thus leaned me towards heavy riffs & open chords; and made it feel more fluid as such I can play sort of anything now. Cowboy chords to riff rock to chugs to blues to diade & triad melodies, ambience, solos all the crap I can do, I can do on a baritone.
@@J.D.... I went with 12-58 to "match" my 9.5-48 gauges relative tension. Used the stringjoy tension calculator & went full nerd to figure out the perfect gauges per string.
I’ll always have a 7. Now that I mainly play a mexi strat it’s hard to go back and forth with the radius being so different. But with the 7 I can play full acoustic type chords and regular leads and grab the lower octaves on heavy choruses and play huge power chords. It’s worth it.
Super cool and different sounding intro. You should definitely do more baritone videos. Perhaps a comparison of the Squier baritone to the Gretsch g5260?
Baritones are great, and although there aren't many out there they tend to be a whole lot cheaper than standard guitars. I have a Chapman ML1 Baritone that I really enjoy. Neck through, two pickups.
You've often said you're not a metal guy, but maybe that's the reason your heavier compositions are so good 🤘 Edit: oh, and an idea: in your last video you said strats sound thin on the upper frets/strings: maybe put a Les Paul-imitating EQ at the front of the chain?
I like the sound of a Baritone, and temporarily converted an Acoustic Electric into one. Ultimately, the neck didn't like the heavier gauged strings necessary to get a good tone, so I switched it back to Standard Pitch. I have a Preset on my HX Stomp with Polypitch to emulate a baritone. It works pretty well on single notes, but pitch accuracy and stability on complex chords is another story. I like not having to maintain an additional guitar.
I recently sold my Gretsch baritone and decide I could cover that ground with heavier strings on a 25.5 scale guitar. It works pretty well, but I sometimes miss having the longer scale. I found myself shopping baritones again last night, and now this morning this video hits...🤔
Your baritone videos get me pumped up. Definitely my next guitar related purchase. In my searches here near Washington DC in the US, the pickings are a lot slimmer than standard guitars.
Unless you want a baritone for more metal style playing, the Squier in this video is probably the best option to start. As it's just a Tele with an little longer neck, and relatively inexpensive.
@@GitShiddy thanks for the advice. I've been looking, but not many up for sale around here, used. People must like them. A few Danelectros, Gretchs, Douglases and few converted parts casters, but the paranormals seem to not change hands or they hold their value near 100%. You say you strung yours to reduce string tension. What did you settle on for string gage?
@@GitShiddy Thanks man. I've definitely come to appreciate a little less string tension, so having that as a starting point will be a huge help. Just tuned my Epi Les Paul down to C# for Down / CoC Pepper Keenan type stuff with 10s and it feels really slinky, but it's been surprisingly fun and easy on the hands. Reliving a bit of my high school musical interests and enjoying the Groove Metal stuff about as much as I did back then
I think you meant that you tune your Squier Bari as follows: *B-E-A-D-F#-B.* I prefer things either a little *higher* - say *C# - F# - B - E - G# - C#.* ~ OR ~ *lower* as in the Squier Bass VI, which is tuned a full octave below an ordinary guitar.
I have that Squier Baritone model too, in Seafoam Green. No truss rod problems here. I'm a bass player first who also plays guitar and I got the baritone to explore the 'in-between' tones. I'm also now interested in trying a 30" baritone like a Danelectro or a Gretsch. Or maybe it's just G.A.S. ... 🙄
You should really check out The Bunn’s channel. He’s known as “The Baritone Guitar Guy“ for good reason. He uses Helix as well and mainly plays Sludge Metal.
@@johnnathancordy NST is a tuning used by Robert Fripp. Mostly fifths with one minor third. Usually C, G, D, A, E. G. You probably need a special set of strings. String Joy has a blog post about this and they sell a set for regular guitar.
The Helix poly capo has really scratched the lower tuning itch for me. It works surprisingly well. I just have to use IEMs otherwise I can hear the note on the guitar clashing with the detuned output :)
The only problem is that it uses a lot of DSP. I use it in my band where we play some songs a half step down. Everybody reaches for another guitar except me!
I've been playing baritone as my primary guitar for a couple of years now. They're like their own instrument. Normal scale guitars feel a little like toys now.
It is baffling to hear that you used to play Periphery, but I love that so much that it's part of your journey. The band I'm in plays exclusively 7's, but I bought a Sire because of you and that's my favorite thing now.
I think of it like a classical string ensemble. mandolin, 12 string, acoustic, Strat, shredder, baritone, P bass, upright bass. Then there's the guitar synth. If it's got strings, I want one.
There's one major drawback, though. The best piano teacher I ever knew, who was the Dean of Music at a prestigious faculty, told me. "If I find out you're playing an organ or synth, you're getting dropped. These require different techniques that will interfere with and limit your abilities." She meant business but was a total sweetheart. Rose Goldblatt RIP.
Your cover of “been a while” was deeply moving
Now that you're a dad I thought you'd be going more in the Yacht rock direction!
I have one of these Squiers too and I love the unique sonic range they occupy. Like you, I don't think of it as a drop-tuned guitar but rather as a distinct instrument. Mine got a nice workout today as "The Last Of Us" fever had me revisiting Gustavo Santaolalla's score for Part II. Lots of great moments there. It's fun as hell to chug on these but those big, Spaghetti Western-esque clean sounds are where baritones truly shine for me.
Wow, that first 4 mins!
Hell yeah I need one. I love baritones.
Got myself an HB Amarok baritone. Phenomenal guitar. Still exploring.
I use it to reset my my ear and creativity. Familiar phrases and chord shapes are transformed when you play them on a Bari. I also love that thick yet chimey sound in the upper register- the harmonics are wonderful. Oddly, I bought a used sunburst copy of your Paranormal Cabro Baritone recently, and just traded it in for a black one. So far, I've had a high end Warmoth bari Strat, an amazing Karol baritone acoustic, and yet this is the one that has moved me the most. 27", P90's and the simplicity of a Tele is the big win for me.
Thanks for this video. In May 2023 went with a Squire Classic Vibe Telecaster FSR Custom baritone 27" scale which of course came tuned in the standard baritone tuning of BEADF#B tuning and Squire puts on .014-.068 gauge round wound strings....but since I have changed to flat wounds (which I prefer and have on all my electrics as they're more comfortable and there's no squeak moving along the fretboard) and gauges .015-.060. I have also discovered some very cool alternate tunings for baritone guitar such as : AEADF#B. or AEADEA (DADGAD equivalent) or GDADEA. or GDGCEA or ADGCEA.
When you played these are my favourite things, this become my favourite thing
My favorite song creating instrument is my baritone guitar. In Junior High and High School I played the euphonium/baritone and it's the reason my creative juices like to play in that range of frequencies.
I have one of these Squiers, easily the best entry to baritone. Super familiar, super comfortable scale (unlike say a Danelectro or Gretsch), sounds great. I used a string tension guide to "match" my preferred gauge in E to baritone in B, including an unwound 3rd. Took the whole guitar from feeling kind of rigid and thus leaned me towards heavy riffs & open chords; and made it feel more fluid as such I can play sort of anything now. Cowboy chords to riff rock to chugs to blues to diade & triad melodies, ambience, solos all the crap I can do, I can do on a baritone.
what gauge did u end up with? I cant find anything thats similar to my 9's either too little or too much tension.
@@J.D.... I went with 12-58 to "match" my 9.5-48 gauges relative tension. Used the stringjoy tension calculator & went full nerd to figure out the perfect gauges per string.
I have the same guitar in the Andertons oxblood and gold pickguard finish and love it. Such a good guitar for the money.
John does metalcore! This sounds glorious! It's also cool to hear you namedrop Loathe!
I’ll always have a 7. Now that I mainly play a mexi strat it’s hard to go back and forth with the radius being so different. But with the 7 I can play full acoustic type chords and regular leads and grab the lower octaves on heavy choruses and play huge power chords. It’s worth it.
My Favourite Things sounds effing incredible on that thing in your hands! Good lord
Super cool and different sounding intro. You should definitely do more baritone videos. Perhaps a comparison of the Squier baritone to the Gretsch g5260?
Baritones are great, and although there aren't many out there they tend to be a whole lot cheaper than standard guitars. I have a Chapman ML1 Baritone that I really enjoy. Neck through, two pickups.
extremely tasteful playing i was gushing
You've often said you're not a metal guy, but maybe that's the reason your heavier compositions are so good 🤘
Edit: oh, and an idea: in your last video you said strats sound thin on the upper frets/strings: maybe put a Les Paul-imitating EQ at the front of the chain?
For a quick test on drop tunings use a Digitech Drop, great tracking
Nice playing!! I just got a 277 bari
I like the sound of a Baritone, and temporarily converted an Acoustic Electric into one. Ultimately, the neck didn't like the heavier gauged strings necessary to get a good tone, so I switched it back to Standard Pitch.
I have a Preset on my HX Stomp with Polypitch to emulate a baritone. It works pretty well on single notes, but pitch accuracy and stability on complex chords is another story. I like not having to maintain an additional guitar.
I recently sold my Gretsch baritone and decide I could cover that ground with heavier strings on a 25.5 scale guitar. It works pretty well, but I sometimes miss having the longer scale. I found myself shopping baritones again last night, and now this morning this video hits...🤔
Love this
love the bass tone in the intro. also i was thinking porcupine tree a lot in the clean part.
Bloody love a baritone
Your baritone videos get me pumped up. Definitely my next guitar related purchase. In my searches here near Washington DC in the US, the pickings are a lot slimmer than standard guitars.
Unless you want a baritone for more metal style playing, the Squier in this video is probably the best option to start. As it's just a Tele with an little longer neck, and relatively inexpensive.
@@GitShiddy thanks for the advice. I've been looking, but not many up for sale around here, used. People must like them. A few Danelectros, Gretchs, Douglases and few converted parts casters, but the paranormals seem to not change hands or they hold their value near 100%.
You say you strung yours to reduce string tension. What did you settle on for string gage?
@@brandonmoore7797 They came strung with with 13-64, I went down to 12-58.
@@GitShiddy Thanks man. I've definitely come to appreciate a little less string tension, so having that as a starting point will be a huge help. Just tuned my Epi Les Paul down to C# for Down / CoC Pepper Keenan type stuff with 10s and it feels really slinky, but it's been surprisingly fun and easy on the hands. Reliving a bit of my high school musical interests and enjoying the Groove Metal stuff about as much as I did back then
I think you meant that you tune your Squier Bari as follows: *B-E-A-D-F#-B.* I prefer things either a little *higher* - say *C# - F# - B - E - G# - C#.*
~ OR ~
*lower* as in the Squier Bass VI, which is tuned a full octave below an ordinary guitar.
I love baritones. Reminds me of Mew.
I have that Squier Baritone model too, in Seafoam Green.
No truss rod problems here.
I'm a bass player first who also plays guitar and I got the baritone to explore the 'in-between' tones.
I'm also now interested in trying a 30" baritone like a Danelectro or a Gretsch.
Or maybe it's just G.A.S. ... 🙄
Cordy's gone metal! Fantastic intro
Do check out the Harley Benton Amarok baritone. Seriously!
You should really check out The Bunn’s channel. He’s known as “The Baritone Guitar Guy“ for good reason. He uses Helix as well and mainly plays Sludge Metal.
JOHN!! Really admire your playing - did you study music at any level at university or are you self taught?
You ever try new standard tuning on a baritone? It’s great fun highly recommended. I’d love to see you do a video on NST.
What's new standard Brad?
@@johnnathancordy NST is a tuning used by Robert Fripp. Mostly fifths with one minor third. Usually C, G, D, A, E. G. You probably need a special set of strings. String Joy has a blog post about this and they sell a set for regular guitar.
Rad!!!
The Helix poly capo has really scratched the lower tuning itch for me. It works surprisingly well. I just have to use IEMs otherwise I can hear the note on the guitar clashing with the detuned output :)
The only problem is that it uses a lot of DSP. I use it in my band where we play some songs a half step down. Everybody reaches for another guitar except me!
Bro, you gotta do more metal! you know you want to!
I think the 3rd string is a D.
Sent you an email RE: QC power adapter
SCAM
Dream Theatre?! I thought you were a Taylor Swift fan. 🙄