The baritone guitar is essentially a guitar with a longer scale length, allowing it to be tuned lower than traditional guitars. Visually, it doesn’t differ much from a regular acoustic or electric guitar, but sonically, it provides a deeper register, bridging soul-blues and classical music. Iconic for its sound in spaghetti western films, the baritone guitar covers a broad sound spectrum, from surf music to country. It is also favored in genres like hard rock and heavy metal, where tunings such as B, A, or lower are standard. In the following sections, we’ll explore the characteristics of the baritone guitar and its history, as this hybrid between a standard guitar and a bass gains popularity.

A brief history of the baritone guitar

Developed to address the inability to tune standard guitars to lower registers, the baritone guitar was introduced in 1956 by the American company Danelectro. The first baritone guitar was a six-string bass tuned an octave below a classical guitar.

In 1961, Fender produced a strong competitor: the legendary Bass VI, considered a full-fledged electric bass, which was later released in a three-pickup Jaguar version in 1963. This instrument became popular among instrumental electric groups such as the Shadows.

Initially confined to classical music, the baritone guitar didn’t gain immediate popularity. Over time, however, it became a staple for surf-rock and country artists. By the mid-1960s, the famous Danelectro Tic-Tac model, named for its distinctive elastic sound, found extensive use in soundtracks for spaghetti western films. Duane Eddy, a rock and roll legend and surf rock pioneer, was a notable figure in this genre.

The baritone guitar also gained traction in 1960s beat music, evidenced by John Lennon’s use of the Fender Bass VI. Today, the baritone guitar is highly favored by metal and nu-metal bands, a genre emerging in the late 1990s characterized by dark, deep tones.

Baritone guitars have been made in both electric and acoustic versions, expanding their use across various musical genres.

Genres and baritone guitarists

With its deep bass tones that add richness to songs, the baritone guitar, whether classical or electric, suits a wide range of music genres. Its use is evident in spaghetti western soundtracks or tracks from the early 1960s.

Many artists have played baritone guitars, including John Lennon and Jack Bruce of Cream. The first guitarist to use one publicly was Jet Harris, bassist for the Shadows, who performed “Besame Mucho” on a Fender VI during a TV show. Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, pioneers of surf music, recorded “Dance, Dance, Dance” and “Carolina, No” using a baritone guitar.

The baritone guitar’s deep sound can also be heard in Johnny Cash’s country hits, along with works by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. The Fender VI appeared in music videos for the Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be,” and “The Long and Winding Road,” played by John Lennon or George Harrison while Paul McCartney was at the piano.

Nearly two decades later, baritones, especially the Fender Bass VI, were used by Robert Smith of the Cure, particularly in the 1981 album Faith. Pat Metheny also embraced the baritone guitar, recording the 2003 album One Quiet Night with a custom-made baritone by Linda Manzer.

The love for downtuning (tuning lower) has made baritone guitars popular among rock and heavy metal bands since the 1990s. While many guitarists opted for seven-string guitars, others, like Robb Flynn of Machine Head and Mike Mushok of Staind, chose baritone guitars.

Recently, the baritone guitar has experienced a resurgence in popularity, championed by musicians such as Ben Harper, Ed Gerhard, Pat Smear of the Foo Fighters, and others. In Italy, it has been popularized by the Piedmontese musician Filippo Cosentino, who innovatively uses it as a solo instrument.

Features of the baritone guitar

The baritone guitar, also known as a six-string bass, features a longer neck that provides greater tension for lower tunings. Essentially, when tuned similarly to a standard guitar, a baritone guitar produces a lower register without causing the strings to become slack and unplayable. This is due to the increased scale length, which keeps the strings tight and playable at lower tunings.

Compared to standard guitars, baritone guitars offer a deeper tonal range and more room for tonal exploration, producing a distinctive sound that immediately evokes the 1950s surf rock, spaghetti western country, and metal genres.

In terms of construction, baritone guitars have a wider body than standard guitars, especially in acoustic models. However, the most significant difference is in the scale length (or diapason), which is the distance between the nut and the bridge. Unlike standard guitars with scale lengths between 24.9 and 25.7 inches, baritone guitars have scales ranging from 27″ (685.80 mm) to around 30.5″ (774.7 mm), ideal for lower tunings.

Another distinguishing feature is the use of thicker strings, ranging from 0.017″-0.095″, compared to the traditional 0.008″-0.054″. The thicker strings allow for significant work on harmonics. Moreover, the sound, deeper and more resonant, is perfect for metal genres.

Regarding tuning, several options are available. The most common is B tuning, a perfect fourth below standard tuning (B E A D F# B). Another popular tuning is A tuning, a perfect fifth lower (A D G C E A), offering a deeper sound. Other tunings include Drop A (A E A D F# A), descending major third (C F A E G C), octave down, and Nashville tuning for the middle strings.

Baritone guitars come in various types. The most commonly produced categories today are vintage baritone and metal baritone. This category also includes 7-string and 8-string baritone guitars, which allow for incredibly deep tones while maintaining playable string tension.

Some models have the soundhole shifted to the upper shoulder to counteract the tension exerted by the strings on the soundboard.

Many wonder if it’s possible to convert a standard guitar into a baritone. In the following video, Riccardo Tagliabue explains how it can be done.

Playing the baritone guitar

Playing techniques for baritone guitars often involve doubling bass lines (or double bass), muting the string sound, and decisively picking with a plectrum to take advantage of the spring reverb as a defining element of the sound. This technique has led to a style known as “tic-tac bass.”

One advantage of the baritone guitar is that it doesn’t require new fingerings. This makes it easier to play than a seven-string guitar, where the additional string can initially be disorienting.