@@Durkhead no not really technically baritone starts at C# but it just became standard for baritone’s to be in Bb because of baritone horns A C# horn would be hard to swing because there’s no natural notes only sharps and flats
I bought a King 30" Jazzmaster Baritone guitar off of Ebay for 100 bucks. I wasn't sure wanted to go more baritone than my 27" Explorer. Turns out I love it. And the thing plays good. Mine came with two P90's though.
I've been playing the old version of this guitar for a couple years. Swapped the stock pickups for a cheap guitar fetish pickup and loved the clarity I got out of it I think it works best in the baritone range, I tune mine to Drop G or F. It is a solid instrument for the price, no complaints or problems with mine with many many hours of use. Looking forward to more content with this thing.
As a modernized Bass VI it's pretty rad. The og bass VI showed up in a lot of surf/60s rock and some new wave. They are absolutely killer for rockabilly too. I feel like this would be a good middle ground for a hipsterific bass/drum duo.
I use 13-64 strings on my 30" baritone. You shouldn't really need anything thicker than that, unless you want to go lower than drop G or something. Those Bass VI strings are made for tuning an octave below standard E since the original Fender Bass VI was intended to be used as a 6-string bass guitar, not as a regular guitar. The first 5- and 6-string basses that look like they do today, and that are tuned B-E-A-D-G-C, came much later.
I use the 24-100 bass vi strings because I actually use it as a bass, tuned to D standard, so you absolutely don't need them if you're going to play it like a very downtuned guitar
Ended up using your affiliate link to buy one of these today. Had my eye on one for a while so I'm excited to get it in my hands and throw some new tuners on it.
honestly, I'd love this if this was setup as a standard guitar, that white offset look, dual humbuckers with the black block inlays on the maple board and the reversed headstock is super sick
I’ve played with that tuning on this guitar, and it’s perfect for it, especially with the low .90. I’ve also used it as a bass and it sounded fine. It works really well as a hybrid. The lowest I’ve been able to get it go was to E0.
@@leechickE0 is wild, I just ordered one and plan to try B0 or hopefully A0 if it'll intonate close enough. Wanna try to cover some Admiral Angry stuff.
@ with a .90 or like .80+ 100%z. For the longest time I ran it with an .80 from an 8 string set and that could comfortably get down to like A/G. I’m used to sloppy strings though so might not be for the faint of heart.
@@leechick I'm also used to low tension, I've been using a 25.5" 7 string with a low D1 and the other 6 strings in drop A for the longest time haha. It sucks like that though because I prefer to beat the fuck out of my strings and I can't really do that on such a short scale guitar in this tuning. I ordered a custom set for the G4M with an 85 on the low side so I think I'll be able to hit those lower tunings pretty well.
Bought mine for playing Loathe stuff. It's perfect for that, and I really like the tuning intervals they use because aside from the low E (detuned to C# or B for some songs) being a 95, the rest of the string set I use are basically typical gauges for drop A on a 7 string, 64-11. Tension overall is pretty light so the only real "struggle" of playing is getting used to the scale length, which didn't take long. If you like thall and other really low tuned metal but aren't an 8 string guy, a bass VI is probably for you. Certainly is for me.
Been eyeing this guitar for a while. Never been a huge fan of 7+ string guitars. I already have a white and black jazzmaster that I love and this would be the perfect twin to it. Also, it seems like a great project guitar! 100% going to pick it up
For that .90 gauge string you can unwind it a bit by the ball end so it fits through the ferrule. Also for tuning options you could try what Loathe do with their Bass VIs. the 1st-5th strings can be in Drop A, and then the 6th strings is E1. Loathe also take that E1 all the way down to B0. So there's really many tuning options you can use it it. Another tuning I like to do on a Bass VI is an octave drop tuning. So for example tun it to B Std. And then take the low B and drop it all the way down to E1. So you have an octave jump between the 6th and 5th string. You just need to get a bit of a custom string set for this. SO for example maybe a 17-62 set for the 1st to 5th strings and then a 90 on the bottom.
Bought this guitar a couple months ago, aside from coming with a bad bridge pickup it was setup perfect. Super fun messing around in double drop tunings
The most unique thing about the Ibanez 28inch scale guitars is that you can use a bass string for the low string. Great for an octave drop tuning. It also works pretty well as a short scale bass vi (surprisingly decent intonation) or tuned to F#/G. Most of the time I end up just having it in "normal" low tuning like B/C# though
The baritone guitar originated as a German acoustic guitar innovation over 100 years ago, but it wasn't popular until the 1950s when it was adapted for electric guitars. The first mass-produced baritone guitar was released by Danelectro in 1956. It was quickly adopted in surf and country-western music, and was especially prominent in spaghetti western film scores.
I have two Ibanez 6s with 28 inch scales. I tune them specifically to the Humanity's Last Breath tuning. (E B E A Ab A) I use Ernie Ball baritone six string sets, and an additional 14 gauge to replace the 18. Once I got used to it, I could not imagine not having one in my collection. It's such a dark and mean, sounding set up
90-20 is only maybe needed for like drop D-C an octave below. I personally get these 30" guitars to have thinner strings for Drop F, 73-10s. Not a fan of anything above 74 unless I have to tune lower than drop F. I own this same guitar, so maybe that's some insight for the purpose of a longer scale length. I also prefer steel strings so I buy custom sets from Kalium Audio. String joy works, I'm just not into nickle for metal, fine for anything else tho. Also speaking of steel, I'd check out the firefly guitars 30" and 28" guitars they have nice stainless steel frets and similar nice specs for mega cheap.
I have the Sunburst version of this guitar and I tune it B to B. Basically a 7 string missing the high E. I use the stock string gauge that it came with which is 24 to 84. This thing is killer for the price. I prefer playing one of these opposed to a 7 string.
I've had mine for about a year and a half, when they were still branded "SubZero" and I absolutely love it. It's a great inexpensive mod platform. I swapped the pickups to Seymour Duncan P-Rails and then swapped again for a set of Bareknuckle Impulses. I almost always make custom packs of D'Addario strings using stringsbymail. I tune it to double drop C# and have settled on a .100 bass string, then .070, .052, .038, .028, and .018w guitar strings. I did have to remove the back string furrel and undo a few wraps from the ball end on the bass string, but everything has the tension that I like.
If you tune that EADGBe an octave lower than a standard guitar, it's the same as the Fender/Squier Bass VI which has been used by people such as Jack Bruce in Cream, Robert Smith in the Cure, and Sergio Vega in Deftones. For around $200, that's a fantastic deal. The Squier is somewhere around $450-$500. It's exactly what you said, an instrument that bridges the guitar/bass divide. It plays very much like a guitar, but can sound like a bass when needed as well.
Erik Bickerstaffe from Loathe uses a 30" baritone, I find that band (especially their most recent album) to be super interesting in the way they play. A fusion of Shoegaze and hardcore - check 'em out of you wanna get an idea of how some heavier music sounds with this kind of guitar.
I got this guitar a month ago. Very good quality for the money. I was pleasantly surprised at the range of tones possible. After EQ adjustments can play 2-4 notes simultaneously without too much mud (so as usual, somewhere between a guitar and bass). Still figuring out how I want to play it. (Been bouncing around between Loathe, AIC, and The Cure.
I used Ernie ball Mammoth slinky and Baritone slinky on my Harley Benton Ja 30 inch baritone. They seem to hold tune just fine in drop F# and still have bend.
This sounds wicked!! I have the Squire Bass VI version of this concept. (Also see Fender Bass VI, Schecter Hellcat-VI, SubZero Rogue VI, Harley Benton JA Baritone) You actually might like the Squire version better because it has a low-end phase cut switch. I primarily play bass but I this thing for it's dip into the guitar world. You should join the fun in the r/BassVI community if you are looking for more info!
I adore my SRC6. Ibanez firmly made it a bass, with bass pickups and tuners, but it still makes a hell of an E1-tuned baritone. I have a sketchy Agile baritone multiscale ordered, too. I love baritone guitars. I think I have this one saved as a bookmark lol
I was considering a Baritone guitar but went with a short scale Bass instead. If I saw the right Baritone at a pawn shop for the right price I would jump on it...I bought a Mandolin last year on a whim so the collection is always growing.
I was always curious about baritone guitars, at this price tag, I might actually make the jump. Really insightful video, thanks! Would love to see that C tuning video for bass-lines. :D
The bass player for my band plays a fan fret baritone 6 string Ibanez bass - pretty sure it's a 34.5-37" fan, in F# 4ths tuning - to put it under our guitars in drop B. The plan is to eventually get 30" baritone guitars to put in F# standard, so we have some songs in drop B and some in F# standard, and the bass player just keeps playing thing.
Hey Taylor. Another great video. Good job. The guitar actually looks really nice for the price. A couple of helpful tips if you want to use this thing as a bass in standard C: you can replace the string ferrule with a bass string ferrule, for the lowest string. You would need to drill out the whole on the back of the guitar. You may have to drill a bigger hole all the way through the guitar, just depends on how big the hole and string are. Also You will probably run into intonation issues going that low. You can replace the bridge with a Hipshot Tone-A-Matic bridge. Has more room for intonation. Keep up the good work!
A bass string ferrule is way too big for the hole (as someone who lost one) you won't be able to drill out a big enough hole without getting into the hole for the A string. It took me 3 sets of ferrules to find the right one to fit, so really make sure not to lose one. Bridge wise, these already come with a bridge that's identical to the GOTOH Nashville, it's wider than the standard tune-o-matic in order to give more room to intonate on the low end. It's a small detail, but one that speaks to how good these are
Love mine. Have the old "SubZero" version. Swapped the bridge pickup with a Bare Knuckle Black Hawk and deleted the tone pot. I use a 14-62 set of baritone strings and keep it tuned to G#. It is my favorite guitar in the collection. Interesting they started glossing the neck. Mine is all satin.
Drill out the ferrule. Bam. done. Do the same to the lowest tuner when you put locking tuners on it like a sane person. That's what I did using these strings on the previous iteration of this guitar, the SubZero RogueVI. You can even do it with a small file if power tools intimidate you.
You ever use new standard tuning (Robert Fripp's tuning)? Low to high, it's C-G-D-A-E-g--all 5ths, except for that minor 3rd between the two highest strings (the high E will NOT go up to B without breaking). I don't think it would work too well for a bass VI, mind you, but you might like it for a regular guitar.
It's a bass VI guitar, you can get strings specifically for them. Not bass strings, not baritone strings, bass VI strings. also they are typically tuned E standard one octave down from a typical guitar. And yes there is validity to using it as a bass. The Bass VI style instrument by Danelectro is also the first 6 string bass and the first electric Baritone guitar and are featured in a lot of music.
Danelectro did make the first six string electric bass and the Fender Bass VI is basically a take on that. He said nothing incorrect. The four string Fender P-Bass was the first mass produced electric bass in 1951. The Danelectro UB-2 was the first mass produced six string bass range guitar in 1956. It’s not spaced like an upright or P-bass, but like a traditional guitar. It’s in the bass register. So, it can be considered a bass guitar or baritone guitar. Bro.
I can call myself a baritone-obsessed player, thanks to the dude called the Bunn, who had an amazing YT channel about baritones. Have 30” 6-string and 7-string guitars in my collection, and those baritone slinky strings are the best set I’ve tried. My tuning is drop A# 6-string tuning + low F or D# on top.
I have the subzero original guitar and use a custom set of stringjoy electric guitar strings 017, 026w, 034, 048, 060, 090, I would go bass strings next time for sure, the windings don’t reach the tuner on the low E and then the thicker portion of the string ends after the first fret which buzzes hard everytime I hit the first fret, the strings sat out then tuning it up one day they sunk in the ferrules but I’d drill out the hole and add a bass ferrule to stop that Other problem I had was cheap electronics, did a gentle volume swell and managed to snap the shaft off the tone pot, but aside from that, slide some foam at the headstock and behind the bridge or use fret wraps, and mess around with your amp settings, my orange and my Marshall are very different in terms of how I use my distortion and eq to get a good sound
I have a Firefly 30" Bari that looks almost identical to this G4M one. Same controls and electronics, reverse headstock, etc. Only difference I see is the Tele-style bridge on mine, the tortoise shell pick guard, and the headstock is just plain maple with a Fender-style hole for the truss rod adjustment instead of a cover plate. Since I'm mostly a Bass player I have it tuned B E A D G C (Sometimes B D A D G C). But if I want to pretend to be a guitar player I tune it to B E A D F# B and put a capo on the 5th fret which makes it E Standard. Overall love mine. Strange to learn to play though. Edit: Oh. I have a set of Ernie Ball Baritone Slinkys 13-72 on mine, P02839. I was going to order the ones you threw on yours but looks like I might need to get a custom set - thanks for that info!
Just got mine 2 days ago and planned to get a 100 gauge and go down to drop C an octave lower. I was also expecting that strings this thick won’t fit, so I plan on drilling the hole out and get a bass ferrule.
i think I might know the culprit of the string not fitting through the back. I'm pretty sure that the ferrules are different sizes based on the string gauges so you might have put the incorrect ferrule in the E string slot and the hole isn't big enough to fit the string through. I may be wrong about that but I think I had the same issue when I was restringing this same guitar.
Manufacturers aren't helping with confusion over terminology. Baritone is the pitch range above bass. A baritone guitar, in standard tuning, will be B to B (5 semitones below guitar) with strings 15-70 ish. A Bass VI is a full octave below guitar (to make it easier for guitarists to record bass lines back in the day) with strings 24-84 ish. You've got a Bass VI there but G4M have called it a baritone for some reason. Edit: just noticed you tuned up a couple of semitones after putting on heavier gauge strings. Surprised the strings or neck didn't snap! 24-84 is for E standard a full octave below guitar.
I have one of these (subzero) it’s exactly the same specs and is a total fucking beast. 100% recommend it to anyone who wants proper low tunings. F and lower.
Just got an Aria Pro II Jet B'Tone (hate the name) but it is also a 30" scale with a neck single coil and bridge humbucker and I've been pretty impressed with it for a sub $500 instrument. Not a fan of the standard trem on it but a small block of wood will take care of that. And I'm a sucker for offset single cuts.
I've got two of these, and one of the Harley Benton single coil based ones. The D'Addario Bass VI string set is the one to go for on these (24-84) I use it in standard, or drop D as both a bass and a guitar, you just have to live with it's quirks. When chosing chords generally don't bother with more than triads, because things can get muddy FAST. What is fun though is taking spread chords or partial chords, and filling in behind the guitar, it's a pretty unique feel, sometimes it lends itself well to recording a bassline and a more melodic line as counterpoint on the same song. It sits in an odd place in a mix, and you'll end up using it a lot.
I got a SubZero 30” like this! Have it set up in ADADGB. Same exact guitar Loathe used in the I Let It In And It Took Everything album. They also use EAEADF#.
With 8 strings, I’ve owned three and returned all of them, and they were all priced between 1700-4200 in cost. What I found is if you need all the range that 8 strings offer, you’re going to have to invest a lot more time with EQ, whereas most players in the chuggabunga realm would be perfectly accepting of losing out on the wider range. I’ve gotten really use to 7-string, so I could see a baritone 7 working out better for me than an 8, however, if F# is as low as you go, the advantage of an 8 is you can always tune the guitar to standard, making all future setups a lot less time-consuming.
Got this one last year and it absolutely worth it for the price if you're into low tunings. Sometimes I use it as a bass in demos as well, it kinda works for the lighter music I'm using it to play dumb thall chugs, and I've sorta made up an unusual tuning - DADGGC, don't know why, but I'm still using this one 😁
Reminds me of the old Fender Bass VI, but better! For tuning, instead of drop E1, and wrapping your brain around what is what, what about just tuning in E1 standard? Exactly 1 octave below standard E2. Super easy, and would lessen the tension you mentioned earlier 🤙
I would actually love to get one of these. But shipping to New Zealand is actually more than cost of the guitar itself and there doesn't seem to be a local equivalent.
Ive been debating getting one. I have plenty of Ormsby guitars which are 27.8" for 7 strings(28.3" for 8), so it being so cheap has held me back. I think I'll get one sometime honestly now. Could definitely use it to track some stuff.
I think you may have put in the string ferrules wrong? My g4m baritone could take a 90 gauge without needing to enlarge the hole, when I changed to a .105 gauge I had to drill the low E ferrule.
I'm so tempted to just buy another Baritone Guitar 😅 I am currently using a Gretsch G526 Baritone modded with Pegasus pick ups. You should try the Gretsch Baritone it's honestly a great instrument I exclusively dropped my 7 & 8 string guitars for it xD
You tuned it right. Most people playing 30" scale guitars would drop it to E, maybe even lower. I probably would have went with 72s on it, just for tone and playablility sake. I think you will enjoy it a lot more when you put those on. Welcome to the world of extended range instruments man!
I had the 30" scale Bc Rich Bich and it was a monster. I had it in C#, so not really a heavy downtunig, and it was a pìano ! Awesome... 27" baritones are for me regular guitars just with a little more string tension, which I love. My E tuned guitars are stringed with 12-58.
I’ve been eyeing this for so long, but it sounds like I might struggle buying appropriate strings for it in my area, without busting the bank every time. Kinda interesting G4M doesn’t even offer many options for this type of instrument
A pro tip, if you want to know what strings are on the guitar you can measure the strings with calipers. The thin one are hard to measure, but thick boys are easy.
It's a short scale bass that sounds like a guitar so both 😅 and I have the Harley Benton ja baritone (30 inch scale) tuned to d# and i use it for some clanky high gaine metal goodness and I also use it for recording bass parts because playing it in the neck position actually sounds identical to a bass which is great
hey man, I’m not a guitar RUclipsr. I just make music but, I am converting a ibanez SRC6MS into one of these basically. Putting fishman open core seven string pickups. I will make a video when I finally get it finished. and answer your question I will be playing it like a riff machine 8 string. I will use a different guitar altogether when I’m tracking leads
I got a guitar like this. I wanted a baritone to play stuff in B and A standard and drop. I like it for riffs, but the spacing is too much for melodic lines. If I have a chance I'll trade it for a baritone with shorter scale like 28" or 27". I ended up getting a 7 string in the meantime for shorter scale. I use both depending on the song.
I don't have a barritone but was considering one for a bit tbh. I'd probably use it on something stupidly low like drop A or B or something. also I know Machine Head uses baritones themselves and they go pretty low on their tunings. I think they're usually in drop B as far as I know. I also believe the barritones are intended for lower drops where the string tensions would be a problem on a standard scale but since never owned one cannot talk experience but more like what it seems like it'd make sense
So I would love one or the Firefly one, preferably the firefly as I prefer fixed bridges over Tune-o-matics buttt, getting them to australia sucks and super expensive. But one day I will, I need a white baritone JM to fell at home with my other white JMs
I had the firefly baritone model that looks like this put hipshot bridge and tuners some used puckups off reverb thing was killer only issue was the paint finish was thin so I scratched super easy mine was a corner leaner so it got scuffed alot
Standard tuning on these would be EAGDbe, just like a normal guitar, but an octave lower. A more bassy 6-string bass would be BEADGC, but that's not really great with such a short scale.
Found that I’m most comfortable in drop c on a 26.5 and c# on a 25.5-26.5 Though I do have a 25.5 in drop c# as well Since I like lighter strings 10-52 gives me the brightness, attack and note clarity. Though I like listening to lower tuned bands. Just doesn’t seem to work well for me and my setup
Get One Here! tidd.ly/4eSgFz4
Yes it looked good. Who knows? Maybye i will get that one in the future?🙃
D'Addario and Stringjoy also make string sets for these sorts of guitar hybrids
As a black metal guitarist, I love baritone guitars because they allow me to access the joys of C# standard tuning without it feeling weird to play
C# is really the best low tuning for black metal stuff. It's aggressive, easy to play fast, and has it's own vibe that B, C, and D don't imo
Isnt that too high of a tuning for a baritone ?
C# is NOT 30inch baritone territory...dumbo
@@Durkhead no not really technically baritone starts at C# but it just became standard for baritone’s to be in Bb because of baritone horns
A C# horn would be hard to swing because there’s no natural notes only sharps and flats
same but im tuned to c# octave lower
You’re talking about clefs like we actually read music 💀
I think it’s that face thing babies are born with. It’s sad.
My favorite comment!
@ nice
I bought a King 30" Jazzmaster Baritone guitar off of Ebay for 100 bucks. I wasn't sure wanted to go more baritone than my 27" Explorer. Turns out I love it. And the thing plays good. Mine came with two P90's though.
I've been playing the old version of this guitar for a couple years. Swapped the stock pickups for a cheap guitar fetish pickup and loved the clarity I got out of it I think it works best in the baritone range, I tune mine to Drop G or F.
It is a solid instrument for the price, no complaints or problems with mine with many many hours of use.
Looking forward to more content with this thing.
As a modernized Bass VI it's pretty rad. The og bass VI showed up in a lot of surf/60s rock and some new wave. They are absolutely killer for rockabilly too. I feel like this would be a good middle ground for a hipsterific bass/drum duo.
I use 13-64 strings on my 30" baritone. You shouldn't really need anything thicker than that, unless you want to go lower than drop G or something. Those Bass VI strings are made for tuning an octave below standard E since the original Fender Bass VI was intended to be used as a 6-string bass guitar, not as a regular guitar. The first 5- and 6-string basses that look like they do today, and that are tuned B-E-A-D-G-C, came much later.
I use 12-56 for B standard with my 27", 12-62 for drop g#, so spot on
I have 14-70 on my 30” Firefly JM in drop E
I use the 24-100 bass vi strings because I actually use it as a bass, tuned to D standard, so you absolutely don't need them if you're going to play it like a very downtuned guitar
Ended up using your affiliate link to buy one of these today.
Had my eye on one for a while so I'm excited to get it in my hands and throw some new tuners on it.
honestly, I'd love this if this was setup as a standard guitar, that white offset look, dual humbuckers with the black block inlays on the maple board and the reversed headstock is super sick
Taylor unknowingly putting this thing through a huge torture test with drop E and bass vi strings 😂
That's a good thing, yeah? Yeah, I MEANT to do that. Look at me, I'm perpheshinal!!
I am glad you're wondering about a possible lower octave C standard setup because I was wondering the same thing for you. Keep doing what you do.
I’ve played with that tuning on this guitar, and it’s perfect for it, especially with the low .90. I’ve also used it as a bass and it sounded fine. It works really well as a hybrid. The lowest I’ve been able to get it go was to E0.
@@leechickE0 is wild, I just ordered one and plan to try B0 or hopefully A0 if it'll intonate close enough. Wanna try to cover some Admiral Angry stuff.
@ with a .90 or like .80+ 100%z. For the longest time I ran it with an .80 from an 8 string set and that could comfortably get down to like A/G. I’m used to sloppy strings though so might not be for the faint of heart.
@@leechick I'm also used to low tension, I've been using a 25.5" 7 string with a low D1 and the other 6 strings in drop A for the longest time haha. It sucks like that though because I prefer to beat the fuck out of my strings and I can't really do that on such a short scale guitar in this tuning. I ordered a custom set for the G4M with an 85 on the low side so I think I'll be able to hit those lower tunings pretty well.
A comparison between transpose pedals/plugins vs 7 or 8 strings guitars vs a Baritone would be cool to watch
I agree. Do we need the actual guitars for all tunings anymore or are we entering an era of pitch shifting?
Bought mine for playing Loathe stuff. It's perfect for that, and I really like the tuning intervals they use because aside from the low E (detuned to C# or B for some songs) being a 95, the rest of the string set I use are basically typical gauges for drop A on a 7 string, 64-11. Tension overall is pretty light so the only real "struggle" of playing is getting used to the scale length, which didn't take long. If you like thall and other really low tuned metal but aren't an 8 string guy, a bass VI is probably for you. Certainly is for me.
Been eyeing this guitar for a while. Never been a huge fan of 7+ string guitars. I already have a white and black jazzmaster that I love and this would be the perfect twin to it. Also, it seems like a great project guitar! 100% going to pick it up
When you realize that tuning 2 steps down is for old people. What a weird world we live in. Im with you man. C is the sweet spot.
I love that you are discovering the fun and challenges of baritones ❤️
For that .90 gauge string you can unwind it a bit by the ball end so it fits through the ferrule. Also for tuning options you could try what Loathe do with their Bass VIs. the 1st-5th strings can be in Drop A, and then the 6th strings is E1. Loathe also take that E1 all the way down to B0. So there's really many tuning options you can use it it. Another tuning I like to do on a Bass VI is an octave drop tuning. So for example tun it to B Std. And then take the low B and drop it all the way down to E1. So you have an octave jump between the 6th and 5th string. You just need to get a bit of a custom string set for this. SO for example maybe a 17-62 set for the 1st to 5th strings and then a 90 on the bottom.
Bought this guitar a couple months ago, aside from coming with a bad bridge pickup it was setup perfect. Super fun messing around in double drop tunings
Recently got myself an Ibanez RGRTBB21-BKF which is a 28" baritone. No idea what to do with it but boy do I love cavemanning on it.
@@autonomouspirate i have that one too. I went to Humanity's Last Breath tuning and never looked back
@havenlewis5913 now that is an excellent idea! They use some weird tuning. I've not tried that! Need some mighty thick strings or?
The most unique thing about the Ibanez 28inch scale guitars is that you can use a bass string for the low string. Great for an octave drop tuning. It also works pretty well as a short scale bass vi (surprisingly decent intonation) or tuned to F#/G. Most of the time I end up just having it in "normal" low tuning like B/C# though
@@CoolGuyAtlas I was leaning towards G# tuning tbh! So that's cool to know.
The baritone guitar originated as a German acoustic guitar innovation over 100 years ago, but it wasn't popular until the 1950s when it was adapted for electric guitars. The first mass-produced baritone guitar was released by Danelectro in 1956. It was quickly adopted in surf and country-western music, and was especially prominent in spaghetti western film scores.
I have two Ibanez 6s with 28 inch scales. I tune them specifically to the Humanity's Last Breath tuning. (E B E A Ab A) I use Ernie Ball baritone six string sets, and an additional 14 gauge to replace the 18. Once I got used to it, I could not imagine not having one in my collection. It's such a dark and mean, sounding set up
Dude, I've been eyeballing that guitar for weeks !
90-20 is only maybe needed for like drop D-C an octave below. I personally get these 30" guitars to have thinner strings for Drop F, 73-10s. Not a fan of anything above 74 unless I have to tune lower than drop F. I own this same guitar, so maybe that's some insight for the purpose of a longer scale length.
I also prefer steel strings so I buy custom sets from Kalium Audio. String joy works, I'm just not into nickle for metal, fine for anything else tho.
Also speaking of steel, I'd check out the firefly guitars 30" and 28" guitars they have nice stainless steel frets and similar nice specs for mega cheap.
@@colinmitchell1287 yeah I’d probably prefer to go the other way with it either way lighter gauge strings. I’ll try it out in the future.
I've got a heavily modified version of this same guitar and it's AMAZING. even stock it's great for the price
@@wandersaroundalot I agree, quality is on point
What mod's did you do...?
I heavily modded my HB JA 30inch baritone and wanna know what other's did with thier baritone...
Monstrous instrument! Great video sir!
Aw yeah. Bringing more chugs except lower. 🤘🤘🤘
You could still tune it to C standard, just like... more lower. You could also drill out the string ferrule to fit that .090 (or bigger).
Hey Taylor, always dig your review videos. Keep up the awesome work!
I have the Sunburst version of this guitar and I tune it B to B. Basically a 7 string missing the high E. I use the stock string gauge that it came with which is 24 to 84. This thing is killer for the price. I prefer playing one of these opposed to a 7 string.
Do more gear4music reviews love them
this
What's the shipping wait time to the US?
@@DylanWilliams-h7b I have one more coming before the end of the year!
I've had mine for about a year and a half, when they were still branded "SubZero" and I absolutely love it. It's a great inexpensive mod platform. I swapped the pickups to Seymour Duncan P-Rails and then swapped again for a set of Bareknuckle Impulses. I almost always make custom packs of D'Addario strings using stringsbymail. I tune it to double drop C# and have settled on a .100 bass string, then .070, .052, .038, .028, and .018w guitar strings. I did have to remove the back string furrel and undo a few wraps from the ball end on the bass string, but everything has the tension that I like.
I had that guitar before when it called Subzero. You can definitely add a 70 gauge string string for drop E and it'll hold it just fine
Definitely interested in seeing you trying to track it as a bass
If you tune that EADGBe an octave lower than a standard guitar, it's the same as the Fender/Squier Bass VI which has been used by people such as Jack Bruce in Cream, Robert Smith in the Cure, and Sergio Vega in Deftones. For around $200, that's a fantastic deal. The Squier is somewhere around $450-$500. It's exactly what you said, an instrument that bridges the guitar/bass divide. It plays very much like a guitar, but can sound like a bass when needed as well.
Got my hands on one recently: they’re a fairly well constructed piece of kit and handsome, but definitely not much use for me
Tune to drop F# use for rhythm guitar. Use the Ibanez BTB 805MS bass or dingwall D-Rock 5. And a 7 string or 8 string ms for lead guitar.
Erik Bickerstaffe from Loathe uses a 30" baritone, I find that band (especially their most recent album) to be super interesting in the way they play. A fusion of Shoegaze and hardcore - check 'em out of you wanna get an idea of how some heavier music sounds with this kind of guitar.
I got this guitar a month ago. Very good quality for the money. I was pleasantly surprised at the range of tones possible. After EQ adjustments can play 2-4 notes simultaneously without too much mud (so as usual, somewhere between a guitar and bass). Still figuring out how I want to play it. (Been bouncing around between Loathe, AIC, and The Cure.
I used Ernie ball Mammoth slinky and Baritone slinky on my Harley Benton Ja 30 inch baritone. They seem to hold tune just fine in drop F# and still have bend.
if you change those strings again id get the string joy baritone guitar strings there a 13-74 (i think) and they would be good for that guitar
This sounds wicked!! I have the Squire Bass VI version of this concept. (Also see Fender Bass VI, Schecter Hellcat-VI, SubZero Rogue VI, Harley Benton JA Baritone) You actually might like the Squire version better because it has a low-end phase cut switch. I primarily play bass but I this thing for it's dip into the guitar world. You should join the fun in the r/BassVI community if you are looking for more info!
I adore my SRC6. Ibanez firmly made it a bass, with bass pickups and tuners, but it still makes a hell of an E1-tuned baritone.
I have a sketchy Agile baritone multiscale ordered, too.
I love baritone guitars. I think I have this one saved as a bookmark lol
The Strings are .24-.84 so it is a 6 string Short Scale Bass. The 30" Baritone Guitar uses .14-.68 Strings tune to A you will like it this way.
I was considering a Baritone guitar but went with a short scale Bass instead. If I saw the right Baritone at a pawn shop for the right price I would jump on it...I bought a Mandolin last year on a whim so the collection is always growing.
I was always curious about baritone guitars, at this price tag, I might actually make the jump. Really insightful video, thanks!
Would love to see that C tuning video for bass-lines. :D
I owned the Ibanez src6ms, it was tuned E standard and octave down, which I love because it's still "standard" tuning. Sort of
The bass player for my band plays a fan fret baritone 6 string Ibanez bass - pretty sure it's a 34.5-37" fan, in F# 4ths tuning - to put it under our guitars in drop B. The plan is to eventually get 30" baritone guitars to put in F# standard, so we have some songs in drop B and some in F# standard, and the bass player just keeps playing thing.
I can see these being a complete beast for modding. Also that headstock looks really familiar lol
Hey Taylor. Another great video. Good job. The guitar actually looks really nice for the price. A couple of helpful tips if you want to use this thing as a bass in standard C: you can replace the string ferrule with a bass string ferrule, for the lowest string. You would need to drill out the whole on the back of the guitar. You may have to drill a bigger hole all the way through the guitar, just depends on how big the hole and string are. Also You will probably run into intonation issues going that low. You can replace the bridge with a Hipshot Tone-A-Matic bridge. Has more room for intonation. Keep up the good work!
A bass string ferrule is way too big for the hole (as someone who lost one) you won't be able to drill out a big enough hole without getting into the hole for the A string.
It took me 3 sets of ferrules to find the right one to fit, so really make sure not to lose one.
Bridge wise, these already come with a bridge that's identical to the GOTOH Nashville, it's wider than the standard tune-o-matic in order to give more room to intonate on the low end. It's a small detail, but one that speaks to how good these are
Love mine. Have the old "SubZero" version. Swapped the bridge pickup with a Bare Knuckle Black Hawk and deleted the tone pot. I use a 14-62 set of baritone strings and keep it tuned to G#. It is my favorite guitar in the collection. Interesting they started glossing the neck. Mine is all satin.
Drill out the ferrule. Bam. done. Do the same to the lowest tuner when you put locking tuners on it like a sane person. That's what I did using these strings on the previous iteration of this guitar, the SubZero RogueVI. You can even do it with a small file if power tools intimidate you.
I’ve been wanting a baritone guitar for so long, because I’ve been making a lot of post metal music and just love versatility you can get out of them.
Post metal is just metal. Please stawph wif 'em fanceh terms, eh leh?
You ever use new standard tuning (Robert Fripp's tuning)? Low to high, it's C-G-D-A-E-g--all 5ths, except for that minor 3rd between the two highest strings (the high E will NOT go up to B without breaking). I don't think it would work too well for a bass VI, mind you, but you might like it for a regular guitar.
Thank you so much i love these videos❤ I bought bone brekers kirk hammetts emg pickups and replaced my jackson stock shitty pickups🎉
It's a bass VI guitar, you can get strings specifically for them. Not bass strings, not baritone strings, bass VI strings. also they are typically tuned E standard one octave down from a typical guitar. And yes there is validity to using it as a bass. The Bass VI style instrument by Danelectro is also the first 6 string bass and the first electric Baritone guitar and are featured in a lot of music.
Bass VI doesn't predate the electric bass bro stop that
@@jackbootshamangaming4541 Meh, was just a misremembering of the Danelectro one being the first baritone and 6 string bass.
Danelectro did make the first six string electric bass and the Fender Bass VI is basically a take on that. He said nothing incorrect.
The four string Fender P-Bass was the first mass produced electric bass in 1951.
The Danelectro UB-2 was the first mass produced six string bass range guitar in 1956. It’s not spaced like an upright or P-bass, but like a traditional guitar. It’s in the bass register. So, it can be considered a bass guitar or baritone guitar.
Bro.
I can call myself a baritone-obsessed player, thanks to the dude called the Bunn, who had an amazing YT channel about baritones. Have 30” 6-string and 7-string guitars in my collection, and those baritone slinky strings are the best set I’ve tried. My tuning is drop A# 6-string tuning + low F or D# on top.
I have the subzero original guitar and use a custom set of stringjoy electric guitar strings 017, 026w, 034, 048, 060, 090, I would go bass strings next time for sure, the windings don’t reach the tuner on the low E and then the thicker portion of the string ends after the first fret which buzzes hard everytime I hit the first fret, the strings sat out then tuning it up one day they sunk in the ferrules but I’d drill out the hole and add a bass ferrule to stop that
Other problem I had was cheap electronics, did a gentle volume swell and managed to snap the shaft off the tone pot, but aside from that, slide some foam at the headstock and behind the bridge or use fret wraps, and mess around with your amp settings, my orange and my Marshall are very different in terms of how I use my distortion and eq to get a good sound
I have a Firefly 30" Bari that looks almost identical to this G4M one. Same controls and electronics, reverse headstock, etc. Only difference I see is the Tele-style bridge on mine, the tortoise shell pick guard, and the headstock is just plain maple with a Fender-style hole for the truss rod adjustment instead of a cover plate.
Since I'm mostly a Bass player I have it tuned B E A D G C (Sometimes B D A D G C). But if I want to pretend to be a guitar player I tune it to B E A D F# B and put a capo on the 5th fret which makes it E Standard.
Overall love mine. Strange to learn to play though.
Edit: Oh. I have a set of Ernie Ball Baritone Slinkys 13-72 on mine, P02839. I was going to order the ones you threw on yours but looks like I might need to get a custom set - thanks for that info!
Just got mine 2 days ago and planned to get a 100 gauge and go down to drop C an octave lower. I was also expecting that strings this thick won’t fit, so I plan on drilling the hole out and get a bass ferrule.
That’s exactly how I tune my 30’ baritones. 👍
Great video.
i think I might know the culprit of the string not fitting through the back. I'm pretty sure that the ferrules are different sizes based on the string gauges so you might have put the incorrect ferrule in the E string slot and the hole isn't big enough to fit the string through. I may be wrong about that but I think I had the same issue when I was restringing this same guitar.
Manufacturers aren't helping with confusion over terminology. Baritone is the pitch range above bass. A baritone guitar, in standard tuning, will be B to B (5 semitones below guitar) with strings 15-70 ish.
A Bass VI is a full octave below guitar (to make it easier for guitarists to record bass lines back in the day) with strings 24-84 ish.
You've got a Bass VI there but G4M have called it a baritone for some reason.
Edit: just noticed you tuned up a couple of semitones after putting on heavier gauge strings. Surprised the strings or neck didn't snap! 24-84 is for E standard a full octave below guitar.
I have one of these (subzero) it’s exactly the same specs and is a total fucking beast. 100% recommend it to anyone who wants proper low tunings. F and lower.
Just got an Aria Pro II Jet B'Tone (hate the name) but it is also a 30" scale with a neck single coil and bridge humbucker and I've been pretty impressed with it for a sub $500 instrument. Not a fan of the standard trem on it but a small block of wood will take care of that. And I'm a sucker for offset single cuts.
Review of this arrived like I ordered it. I've been considering buying this very same instrument.
I've got two of these, and one of the Harley Benton single coil based ones.
The D'Addario Bass VI string set is the one to go for on these (24-84)
I use it in standard, or drop D as both a bass and a guitar, you just have to live with it's quirks. When chosing chords generally don't bother with more than triads, because things can get muddy FAST.
What is fun though is taking spread chords or partial chords, and filling in behind the guitar, it's a pretty unique feel, sometimes it lends itself well to recording a bassline and a more melodic line as counterpoint on the same song.
It sits in an odd place in a mix, and you'll end up using it a lot.
By "Standard" I mean E - e just in the bass octave obviously, I'm not trying to tune up an octave.
I’d put regular guitar string on the first four in order to make standard tuning chord and have the bottom 2 strings E1 and A1
@@off6848 the scale length means you'd probably be better off trying baritone strings.
Might be worth a try
@@blackxlist4150 I think it should work because I once put regular strings on my 30 short scale Ibanez bass
I got a SubZero 30” like this! Have it set up in ADADGB. Same exact guitar Loathe used in the I Let It In And It Took Everything album. They also use EAEADF#.
With 8 strings, I’ve owned three and returned all of them, and they were all priced between 1700-4200 in cost. What I found is if you need all the range that 8 strings offer, you’re going to have to invest a lot more time with EQ, whereas most players in the chuggabunga realm would be perfectly accepting of losing out on the wider range.
I’ve gotten really use to 7-string, so I could see a baritone 7 working out better for me than an 8, however, if F# is as low as you go, the advantage of an 8 is you can always tune the guitar to standard, making all future setups a lot less time-consuming.
Got this one last year and it absolutely worth it for the price if you're into low tunings. Sometimes I use it as a bass in demos as well, it kinda works for the lighter music
I'm using it to play dumb thall chugs, and I've sorta made up an unusual tuning - DADGGC, don't know why, but I'm still using this one 😁
Reminds me of the old Fender Bass VI, but better!
For tuning, instead of drop E1, and wrapping your brain around what is what, what about just tuning in E1 standard? Exactly 1 octave below standard E2. Super easy, and would lessen the tension you mentioned earlier 🤙
I would actually love to get one of these. But shipping to New Zealand is actually more than cost of the guitar itself and there doesn't seem to be a local equivalent.
Ive been debating getting one. I have plenty of Ormsby guitars which are 27.8" for 7 strings(28.3" for 8), so it being so cheap has held me back. I think I'll get one sometime honestly now. Could definitely use it to track some stuff.
I think you may have put in the string ferrules wrong? My g4m baritone could take a 90 gauge without needing to enlarge the hole, when I changed to a .105 gauge I had to drill the low E ferrule.
I had a similar scale guitar before life got in the way and I had to sell it. I used 14-68 for drop A. Pretty comfy to my dumb hands. Cheers.
I'm so tempted to just buy another Baritone Guitar 😅 I am currently using a Gretsch G526 Baritone modded with Pegasus pick ups. You should try the Gretsch Baritone it's honestly a great instrument I exclusively dropped my 7 & 8 string guitars for it xD
You tuned it right. Most people playing 30" scale guitars would drop it to E, maybe even lower. I probably would have went with 72s on it, just for tone and playablility sake. I think you will enjoy it a lot more when you put those on. Welcome to the world of extended range instruments man!
I have this guitar and i tuned it to A standard with baritone strings and I really prefer than E bass VI tuning.
I had the 30" scale Bc Rich Bich and it was a monster. I had it in C#, so not really a heavy downtunig, and it was a pìano ! Awesome... 27" baritones are for me regular guitars just with a little more string tension, which I love. My E tuned guitars are stringed with 12-58.
I’ve been eyeing this for so long, but it sounds like I might struggle buying appropriate strings for it in my area, without busting the bank every time. Kinda interesting G4M doesn’t even offer many options for this type of instrument
A pro tip, if you want to know what strings are on the guitar you can measure the strings with calipers. The thin one are hard to measure, but thick boys are easy.
Check out Black Tongue's album Nadir. It's a long ass 6 string baritone in double drop C.
I have the Harley Benton ja 30 inch, I put d'addario baritone strings on it and tuned to drop f#.
I've been looking for a bass vi for the longest time. There are not many in NZ. And importing adds 200+ usd. They also don't sell these here.
Love the look
It's a short scale bass that sounds like a guitar so both 😅 and I have the Harley Benton ja baritone (30 inch scale) tuned to d# and i use it for some clanky high gaine metal goodness and I also use it for recording bass parts because playing it in the neck position actually sounds identical to a bass which is great
hey man, I’m not a guitar RUclipsr. I just make music but, I am converting a ibanez SRC6MS into one of these basically. Putting fishman open core seven string pickups. I will make a video when I finally get it finished.
and answer your question I will be playing it like a riff machine 8 string. I will use a different guitar altogether when I’m tracking leads
I can DM u on instagram the pictures or something!
I just bought one of those harley benton baritones. so its good to see some other ones and what the options are out there.
I got a guitar like this. I wanted a baritone to play stuff in B and A standard and drop. I like it for riffs, but the spacing is too much for melodic lines. If I have a chance I'll trade it for a baritone with shorter scale like 28" or 27". I ended up getting a 7 string in the meantime for shorter scale. I use both depending on the song.
I don't have a barritone but was considering one for a bit tbh. I'd probably use it on something stupidly low like drop A or B or something. also I know Machine Head uses baritones themselves and they go pretty low on their tunings. I think they're usually in drop B as far as I know. I also believe the barritones are intended for lower drops where the string tensions would be a problem on a standard scale but since never owned one cannot talk experience but more like what it seems like it'd make sense
So I would love one or the Firefly one, preferably the firefly as I prefer fixed bridges over Tune-o-matics buttt, getting them to australia sucks and super expensive. But one day I will, I need a white baritone JM to fell at home with my other white JMs
I wonder if this one differs at all from the Firefly ones, other than FF has stainless steel, ball end frets. They look the same.
17:06 in C1 standard you could also play Mick Gordon style riffs
I had the firefly baritone model that looks like this put hipshot bridge and tuners some used puckups off reverb thing was killer only issue was the paint finish was thin so I scratched super easy mine was a corner leaner so it got scuffed alot
DOUBLE DROP OPEN C IS WHAT WE PLAY IN!
I've had a squire bass vi for years! Cool, different! Thanks 🤘
The noise you mentioned in the video is avoided like 90% by pressing the strings harder
So getting one of these to play Type O songs and Swedish OSDM
13:15 unexpected dwarf fortress
I have one of these too, I also have a 27" bari, I am not a shredder I play ambient guitar etc.
Standard tuning on these would be EAGDbe, just like a normal guitar, but an octave lower. A more bassy 6-string bass would be BEADGC, but that's not really great with such a short scale.
Found that I’m most comfortable in drop c on a 26.5 and c# on a 25.5-26.5
Though I do have a 25.5 in drop c# as well
Since I like lighter strings 10-52 gives me the brightness, attack and note clarity.
Though I like listening to lower tuned bands. Just doesn’t seem to work well for me and my setup