Baritone Guitars

wiley
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Fri Dec 09, 2016 10:20 pm



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neverfoundthetime
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Sat Dec 10, 2016 1:48 pm

Well, I just returned from Die Gitarre and tried out the Taylor Baritone 8 with mahogany back and sides and.... I really liked it a lot. As some have mentioned, including Doug, it is quite special to sing along with. I tried out Send me no Wine (moody Blues) tuned as it was and it sounded really good with a great richness to it and depth of sound and so much more comfortable to sing. I will have to visit again and take more time and prepare some songs and take a capo (wanna know how that will play out). Hmmm, very intriguing but I am very daunted at the US 3'900 price tag... even if i do get some sort of discount, that is very pricey! :dry:

Thanks Wiley, Bart PMed me just now, great to hear someone has first hand experience.


tjwatson10167
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Sat Dec 10, 2016 2:17 pm

I was also able to play Bart's 8 string baritone Taylor at IGC. I loved it. It sounds so full, rich and bright at the same time. Don't think you will regret it if you decide to get it.

Ted


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neverfoundthetime
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Sat Dec 10, 2016 3:57 pm

Hi Ted, lucky man! The 8 string is the way to go for me, the normal baritone without the octave strings is too dull for me.


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neverfoundthetime
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Sat Dec 10, 2016 7:43 pm

Love the way this Bari 8 gets played...



crieniecat
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Sun Dec 11, 2016 10:57 am

ooooh that sounded very goooooood B)
Nice find :)


jayswett
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Sun Dec 11, 2016 1:23 pm

Chris, That guy in the background (at the end of the video) sounded alot like you.

As for a baritone guitar, I'm still trying to muster up the courage to buy a good, normal Taylor. The price tag that you mentioned does seem quite high for what I believe others described as a niche guitar. Nevertheless, it would be a treat for all of us purchased it and uploaded a few videos to TG.


dennisg
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Thu Dec 15, 2016 11:10 am

Yesterday, I had a chance to test out the new Taylor 326e 6-string baritone, and I thought I'd pass along some thoughts.

First, the good things about it: 1) I love the body size. The Grand Symphony body is so much more comfortable to hold and play than my old jumbo Martin. 2) This guitar is a finger-picker's delight. My test song was Badfinger's "Day After Day," a somewhat delicate song that was a joy to play (and sing) on the baritone. I typically play this song in the key of E on a standard guitar, and even though I occasionally perform it at open mics, it's at the upper limit of my vocal range. Using the same chord shapes on the baritone (which puts it in the key of b), it was a pleasure to sing with. It's a sad song, and the dark finger-picked tones the baritone produces were ideal. 3) The guitar is a pleasure to play. Taylor's ability to mass-produce guitar necks that are outstanding to the touch is legendary. I regularly play Martins, Collings, Goodalls and Santa Cruzes, and I don't think any of those companies makes a neck that's as perfect as a Taylor neck. Despite the fact that the baritone uses heavy-gauge strings, the long scale length makes it relatively easy to fret, although I'll say that getting a clean sound out of a barred F chord is a challenge.

Here's what I was less than enthused about: This guitar produces thundering tones when played in almost any style other than finger-picked. For example, I use a flat pick on Bonnie Raitt's song "I Can't Make You Love Me." On a standard guitar, I play it capo'd at the seventh fret, using a flat pick to both lightly strum and pick out individual notes. Playing in the same key (C shape, no capo -- hence the key of G on the baritone), the tones the guitar produced were booming and muddy on the bass strings. For me, this makes the guitar absolutely unusable for most of the songs I play. I mean, if the tone is just overwhelming on a song like that, it's going to sound like a Boeing 747 taking off on songs that require a more vigorous pick approach.

Bottom line: I really wanted this guitar to work for me. But paying $1800 (its price here in the U.S.) for a niche guitar that, in all practicality, I'd hardly use, just seems like a bad idea. Full disclosure: I actually bought the guitar yesterday, brought it home and played it for a couple of hours last night and this morning. There were moments when I was awestruck by how lovely the tone is ... but there were too many moments when the overtones just bludgeoned me. So I'm going to return the guitar today. And thus ends my flirtation with baritone guitars.


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neverfoundthetime
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Thu Dec 15, 2016 3:08 pm

Thanks for that detailed review of your Baritone experience Dennis. I can identify with all you are saying there. I would only want to go for the Baritone 8 string, not the six. Isn't it fun though, singing with a baritone guitar, the way the rich, deep tones mix with your voice, really special!


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