Purchased from: eBay
Features: I believe this is a 1999 reissue, but don't quote me on that. The guitar looks like a piece of junk. You'll see it, you'll pick it up, and you'll say, damn, this thing sucks. It's a semi-hollowbody. Two "lipstick" single-coil pickups. 28" neck (details below). Extremely basic gig bag etc. I really like it's minimal nature. I'm really sick of souped-up, pimped-out Les Pauls, PRSs and what have you. This is a guitar, not a sex toy. // 8
Sound: This is one of the coolest instruments I have ever played. It's amazing. The Baritone guitar is a very odd instrument. It is tuned B-to-B (as opposed to the normal tuning, E-to-E). This instrument is not quite a bass and not quite a guitar. It sounds deep, full, reach, extremely twangy, and with a touch of reverb, it sounds fantastic. Two-note lead lines really do well on this instrument. The middle pickup setting is the one I enjoy the most; it's the fullest, richest sound. It has this "pop" to it, that I really can't describe at all, but it's fantastic. I actually tune it a full octave down occasionally, playing it like a 6-string bass. There is one main problem with this, which is that the string tension gets a little too low. However this guitar plays fabulously as a bass, and more importantly, sounds god-like. There is no other guitar that sounds like this. // 10
Action, Fit & Finish: The action is high. I would like to bring it down, but I'm lazy and, anyway, I think it may actually help the tone. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I've played it live. It's a blast. The strap buttons legitimately do suck. They're super-cheap and awkwardly placed. Can you depend on it? I'm not too rough on my guitars, so I do. // 6
Impression: I guess I write pop-ish songs, but I consider my stuff to be fairly experimental sound-wise. The thing is perfect for me, because it gives me a whole new tonal palette to work with. I would definitely get another if it were stolen or lost; I might look into the Fender Jaguar Bass, however, which is a reissue of the Fender Bass VI, a baritone guitar from the '60s that was never very popular. I wish it felt a little sturdier. // 10
