Baritone Bros UNITE!

[Grandnoise]

my schecter hellcat is definitely muddy in the lower regions, I'm thinking of trying to move the strings up a guage as the a string is about perfect for my lows. I also need to find a better amp and cab.

[MEC]

my schecter hellcat is definitely muddy in the lower regions, I'm thinking of trying to move the strings up a guage as the a string is about perfect for my lows. I also need to find a better amp and cab.

I use these and move them all up 1 space then put a 17 or so guitar string on for the high E.
I really like this setup better than the heavier strings.
If you want it more guitar like try tuning up a bit, maybe to F?
It should sound nice through that Sound City.

[Gearmond]

that is a ludicrously specific set of strings right there.

[the_carl]

I didn't think Bass VI's counted as baritones, but since people have been posting them, may as well contribute this abomination:



It was originally some sort of 60s-70s Japanese shortscale bass that I picked up on eBay last year for like $30 because I'd decided that I wanted to try refinishing a bass and adding pickups and whatnot without messing up an instrument that I cared about. Stripped the finish and got some of the parts, and then I got lazy and never went anywhere with it. Then I remembered I had it again a few weeks ago and decided to go the Bass VI route.

It's pretty much an example of exactly how not to make an instrument. As it turns out, this thing was made of various plywood/particleboard stuff, including the neck and maybe even the fingerboard, so I just kind of dug a couple holes in the headstock and threw in the cheapest set of guitar tuners I could find on eBay. Somewhere along the line I lost the screws, so the tuners are just kind of hanging out in the holes. The low E string has one of the original tuners because the guitar tuner was too small for that heavy a string gauge. The bridge is also an eBay special, and the holes weren't quite big enough for the end of the low E. I also just sort of eyeballed most things, so the neck and bridge don't really line up that well. The nut is also just held on by string tension somewhere on the headstock, but it doesn't really matter since it has a 0 fret. Strangely enough, I've got it pretty well intonated, the tuning stays fairly stable, and it plays better than you'd think.

I was also planning on refinishing the body, but didn't get around to doing that. The pickguard and electronics are held on by masking tape because I didn't have any duct tape and I lost all the original screws. There was a hole to the bridge for the ground wire, but the stuff I used to strip the finish got into the hole and clogged it when it dried, so I just left the ground wire running on top of the body. It then broke off of the jack, so now it's just sticking off the bridge and I'm too lazy to find my soldering iron.

It sounds decent and is really fun to play, though. I would get some new pickups, but they'd be like twice the cost of everything else I've got into it. It'll probably fall apart in a couple months due to the whole particleboard neck thing anyway, at which point I'll be tempted to look for a Hellcat.

[MEC]

I also just sort of eyeballed most things, so the neck and bridge don't really line up that well.

I LOL'd.
Hey man, whatever works.
These things are super fun to play and that's what I like most about them.

[Gearmond]

i spy a dearmond gold pup

[Achtane]

That thing is fucking awesome, you should be proud. I thought my pickups being held in place by a combination of wires and short screws/washers was sketchy.
It looks like a cardboard mockup of a guitar, I love it!

[benjuro]

You should try the TAFM, especially for Bass and Baritone.
It's not real muffy but it's got Lows and Lows of Lows.

I've been eyeing that exact box more and more recently...

[nightraven]

i always thought the coolest bass fuzz was the EHX Big Muff Deluxe. compressed clean blend and a real grinding fuzz tone. there's also the Colorsound Jumbo Tone Bender series (incl the B&M Champion Fuzz) that do a great Muff sound with clean blend as well.

[Ilikewater]

if you are in california, you should check out Subway Guitars. If you can get passed the horror stories of Fatdog, he can build you some really nice shit. Stay away from the turds on the wall, and just have him build you something. Usually under 500$. can't beat it.

[julius_deane]

My Blacktop Jazzy is tuned C standard???

[lorez]

I didn't think Bass VI's counted as baritones, but since people have been posting them, may as well contribute this abomination:



It was originally some sort of 60s-70s Japanese shortscale bass that I picked up on eBay last year for like $30 because I'd decided that I wanted to try refinishing a bass and adding pickups and whatnot without messing up an instrument that I cared about. Stripped the finish and got some of the parts, and then I got lazy and never went anywhere with it. Then I remembered I had it again a few weeks ago and decided to go the Bass VI route.

It's pretty much an example of exactly how not to make an instrument. As it turns out, this thing was made of various plywood/particleboard stuff, including the neck and maybe even the fingerboard, so I just kind of dug a couple holes in the headstock and threw in the cheapest set of guitar tuners I could find on eBay. Somewhere along the line I lost the screws, so the tuners are just kind of hanging out in the holes. The low E string has one of the original tuners because the guitar tuner was too small for that heavy a string gauge. The bridge is also an eBay special, and the holes weren't quite big enough for the end of the low E. I also just sort of eyeballed most things, so the neck and bridge don't really line up that well. The nut is also just held on by string tension somewhere on the headstock, but it doesn't really matter since it has a 0 fret. Strangely enough, I've got it pretty well intonated, the tuning stays fairly stable, and it plays better than you'd think.

I was also planning on refinishing the body, but didn't get around to doing that. The pickguard and electronics are held on by masking tape because I didn't have any duct tape and I lost all the original screws. There was a hole to the bridge for the ground wire, but the stuff I used to strip the finish got into the hole and clogged it when it dried, so I just left the ground wire running on top of the body. It then broke off of the jack, so now it's just sticking off the bridge and I'm too lazy to find my soldering iron.

It sounds decent and is really fun to play, though. I would get some new pickups, but they'd be like twice the cost of everything else I've got into it. It'll probably fall apart in a couple months due to the whole particleboard neck thing anyway, at which point I'll be tempted to look for a Hellcat.

inspiring, I recently picked up a similar bass and trying to decide what to do with it but doin an baritone might be the answer.

[Jero]

I didn't think Bass VI's counted as baritones, but since people have been posting them, may as well contribute this abomination:

It was originally some sort of 60s-70s Japanese shortscale bass that I picked up on eBay last year for like $30 because I'd decided that I wanted to try refinishing a bass and adding pickups and whatnot without messing up an instrument that I cared about. Stripped the finish and got some of the parts, and then I got lazy and never went anywhere with it. Then I remembered I had it again a few weeks ago and decided to go the Bass VI route.

inspiring, I recently picked up a similar bass and trying to decide what to do with it but doin an baritone might be the answer.

That's an old Kay k1 bass! I have the body for one in my closet and the pup in the neck position of my pbass (but has no neck ) The bridges they came with were super weird.

[Gone Fission]

Any decent cheap strat or tele clone should be good for at least b to b with the right strings. My $80 (Taiwanese?) Fernandes strat is set up to drop c. Tasty stuff, though maybe not deep enough to hang in this thread.

[the_carl]

That's an old Kay k1 bass! I have the body for one in my closet and the pup in the neck position of my pbass (but has no neck ) The bridges they came with were super weird.

Yeah, the bridge it came with was crazy:

I think they were supposed to have bridge covers to hide that mess, but of course everyone lost them. The pickup in mine is also pretty microphonic, but... works for me, it's usually going through a couple fuzz pedals anyway.