Baritone Question

d_byrne23d_byrne23
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    d_byrne23
    Basically I still can't decide on a guitar..I'm sure a lot of you guys are sick of offering advice..but I just find this place to be unbiased and offer advice from guys who have actually owned these guitars and played them extensively. Basically I can grab a USED/Minor scratc ec1000 in see through blue for 800 canadian, but for around 150 less I can get a brand new MH400 Baritone. A lot of this use will be for tunings such as Drop C and below even some B (not any lower than that). I have NEVER played a baritone, however from searching on this board I have read a lot and people suggest that playing below C it is recommended. Any thoughts pros and cons? Thanks again for the advice, if I could fedex you guys beers I would haha cheers
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    LOL
    LOL wrote

    Think about it this way. If you're playing a standard tuned Gibson Les Paul (24.75" scale) and you move to a 25.5" scale, do you tune the guitar up a whole step? No. Baritone's will work even in standard tuning, you just need to compensate for the longer scale with different gauge strings. The scale is longer so the same strings are going to have more tension on the baritone.

    If you want the guitar, go for it. I personally love baritones no matter what the tune. I've only owned one though, and I don't have it anymore. It was an earlier VB-300.

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      capoeiraesp
      capoeiraesp wrote

      Bud the baritones are great regardless. I had a vb-400 for a while. I loved it in drop C with 10-52 strings. Great tension and playability. I had some odd times where it was dropped B and B standard and it was equally awesome. The 24.75" scale can do these tunings, however I don't like having to put ridiculously heavy string gauges on em and if you use lighter strings the 1st-3rd string tend to go outta tune easily. Some people reckon there's this big stretching your hand business with the baritones. To me it was just same ol guitar playing. The ec-1000 in blue is pretty sick but the mhb-400 is great for the low stuff. Choose wisely.

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        d_byrne23
        d_byrne23 wrote

        That's definitely the thing, I am very lazy sometimes, but when I have owned 24.75" scales instruments I have had to end up putting on heavy gauges all the time for certain tunings and the baritone can kind of do more with less as you mentioned. The decisions continue...ahhhh

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          mikerockstar
          mikerockstar wrote

          I've owned my MHB-400 for about 3-4 years now. I love it.

          For about 2 years I've been playing in drop-C with either 10-52's (like one of the ppl before me said he does), or 11-49's! Sometimes I play in D-standard, as well.

          I find this guitar has a slightly darker tone, overall, especially compared to my EC-1000VB. I swapped the 81 EMG in the neck with a 60, and believe it or not brightened the tone slightly. But in the end it probably was a waste of $100 buying that EMG for a change that wasn't terribly significant.

          ANYWAYS, I'd highly recommend either guitar. I'd love to get my hands on a EC-1000 or H-1001 in See-through-blue. I've posted on here before about trying to find pics of the H-1001 STB, but no takers.

          If you like lower tunings, the baritone is the way to go, I think. My EC-1000 doesn't play as nicely, IMO, with the heavy gauges and drop tunings, even after being professionally set up for it.

          Extra scale length? Not overly noticeable to me. I like the longer neck because it makes me look more awesome on stage, lol! Well, I like to think it does :)

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