baritone guitars for non-doom usage?

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Zork
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Re: baritone guitars for non-doom usage?

Post by Zork »

Ah, by the way, a few years ago I built a Baritone Esquire with a Rockinger neck. I sold the guitar later to fund something else but had planned to get another one of those necks when the time is right again. Unfortunatley, they discontinued these necks shortly after but now, they are back again! So if you're in the EU and look for a great (and I mean really, really great!) baritone neck, here you go: https://www.rockinger.com/parts/bodies- ... ewood?c=43

Here's a picture of that Esquire because we all love pictures:
Image

I think might put a longer neck on my baritone strat... :idea:
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Re: baritone guitars for non-doom usage?

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i quickly discovered that i really needed a longer neck on the Jazzmaster. even having used heavy acoustic strings and downtuning to C for Neil Young songs, i didn’t care for B tuning on a 25.5” electric.
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Re: baritone guitars for non-doom usage?

Post by Zork »

Hm, I don't know about the longer scale. I think on my Strat with standard scale B to B works just fine. String tension is fine, intonation is no problem and also tuning stability is no issue. It still sounds a lot like a Strat, though, which is not my preferred guitar sound. The Esquire had more of a "piano tone" compared to the Tele so I might be more happy with a longer scale on the Strat but that has more to do with general sound preferences and less with a low tuning. :idk:
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Re: baritone guitars for non-doom usage?

Post by dubkitty »

i still think WRHBs would be perfect for a baritone, but i'm not willing to dump $400 into pickups on spec. if i build another quasi-JM with the black Xaviere body i'll probably get them because that's one of the few pickups i still want that i don't have, and i reckon i could stick the baritone neck on to see how they worked. but when i sat down and thought about it the JM seemed like the obvious candidate, and then discovering the tailpiece cemented it.

i could probably work with a 25.5" scale in B if i went to much heavier strings, but i kind of want to be able to bend without a tremolo.
In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni

FIFTY YEARS OF SCARING THE CHILDREN 1970-2020--and i'm not done yet

DUBZ LOOPZ 2: THE NEXT GENERATION OUT NOW: https://on.soundcloud.com/9HKgc5xbaaYz6FNL7

DUBZ ÄLTER LOOPZ (2012-14): https://soundcloud.com/dubkitteh-1/sets ... ks-2012-14
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Re: baritone guitars for non-doom usage?

Post by dubkitty »

i got an email from Eastwood who are introducing a very unusual baritone which shoves the pickups down towards the bridge to accomodate a 35-fret fingerboard! if i wasn't already so far into the Jazzmaster conversion i'd be sorely tempted by this, which would give you almost an extra octave on the top which is well into standard guitar range. i doubt the pickups are much cop, but that sort of thing is fixable. i also expect that it'd neck dive like a mofo with its 30" scale. still, the idea of being able to loop and play actual bass parts without an octave divider is very tempting. however, assuming i need one baritone i certainly don't need two, and i really like where the Jazzmaster is going. it also looks even trickier than a Jazzmaster to lean up against something without tipping over sideways, and i have to question just how playable those top 10 frets are going to be packed in so close together. but probably the biggest disqualifier is no tremolo...Eastwood will be selling a version with a Les Trem, but i don't know that it'll work that well with the big strings. i'd think a Stetsbar like the one i put on my Jetstar would be better. and a couple of fretboard markers above the 21st fret would sure help.

eastwood guitarlin.jpg
Last edited by dubkitty on Thu Feb 19, 2026 1:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni

FIFTY YEARS OF SCARING THE CHILDREN 1970-2020--and i'm not done yet

DUBZ LOOPZ 2: THE NEXT GENERATION OUT NOW: https://on.soundcloud.com/9HKgc5xbaaYz6FNL7

DUBZ ÄLTER LOOPZ (2012-14): https://soundcloud.com/dubkitteh-1/sets ... ks-2012-14
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Re: baritone guitars for non-doom usage?

Post by dubkitty »

demo video, kind of obnoxious and trebly:

In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni

FIFTY YEARS OF SCARING THE CHILDREN 1970-2020--and i'm not done yet

DUBZ LOOPZ 2: THE NEXT GENERATION OUT NOW: https://on.soundcloud.com/9HKgc5xbaaYz6FNL7

DUBZ ÄLTER LOOPZ (2012-14): https://soundcloud.com/dubkitteh-1/sets ... ks-2012-14
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Re: baritone guitars for non-doom usage?

Post by dubkitty »

it's based on Eastwood's re-rub of the 60s Teisco 6-string bass, wedded to a Danelectro Guitarlin-style neck. i reckon they didn't do the monkey grip on this (they do on the 6-string basses) because it needs every ounce of counterbalance in the lower bout it can get. i like the set neck, but have to wonder about the likelihood of that longboi neck twisting/warping.
In girum imus nocte et consumimur igni

FIFTY YEARS OF SCARING THE CHILDREN 1970-2020--and i'm not done yet

DUBZ LOOPZ 2: THE NEXT GENERATION OUT NOW: https://on.soundcloud.com/9HKgc5xbaaYz6FNL7

DUBZ ÄLTER LOOPZ (2012-14): https://soundcloud.com/dubkitteh-1/sets ... ks-2012-14
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