Baritone Guitar, 30" scale length

[ssstonelover]

I just completed a baritone (in leftie) for a client and loaded it up with lots of goodies:
- 10-way Free-way pickup switching (SSS version)
- GFS treble/mid/bass EQ plus a 50K volume port
- Schaller adjustable string width roller bridge
- Graduated set of lipstick pickups (GFS)
- Hipshot Tuners: 2 bass (Ultralite) and four guitar type (Classic)
- Stringjoy balanced gauge baritone strings (.0135-.062)
- Pearloid fret markers on a 30" scale 2 octave neck
- Tusq nut (Graph Tech)
- Poplar 1-piece body
- Maple neck with scarf joint
- Mirror acrylic pickup rings (self-machined)
- Custom water slide decal set

Doing a one-off always takes a ton of time -- to work out the design, features, fit, ergonomics, positions of the parts, etc.
I love Ibanez basses, and this, plus the Strat SSS layout, and a compact headstock played into the design. I worked out the design on Illustrator (1:1 scale) and overlaid parts and features to get a representation of reality, after which I made some detailed mockups of the controls cavity and other areas to confirm easy fit and function.

I built this for a local musician (guitarist, song writer, teacher) and we settled on a 4 x 2 headstock with bass tuners for the thickest strings. He's got a part in an upcoming movie, so maybe in a year or so we can see the results on the silver screen, and he promises he will be playing this one which will be very cool, as it will fit that space between lead, bass and rhythm guitars giving him a lot of room to play in.

[newey]

Absolutely gorgeous, ssstonelover! I'm a big fan of the GFS lipstick tube pickups, and they fit very well in this application.

[sumgai]

Bethany,


I swear, your work almost makes me want to play again, just so I could justify owing one of your beautiful rigs.

Please post the circuit diagram you used for wiring it all together. I'm especially interested in how you used the Freeway 10-position switch.





sumgai

[thetragichero]

neat!
based on the gauge i'm assuming it's tuned A-A or B-B. my fender bass vi (30" scale tuned E-E) has become my #1 instrument for my solo music... covers all the bases from bass to guitar, although adding a strangle switch whenever i end up changing strings (mine is the pawnshop model with 5-way switch instead of the slider switches, although i swapped the standard switch with a superswitch since all three single coils in parallel is a much more useful sound than bridge humbucker+middle single coil)

[ssstonelover]

Hi Sumgai,

There are 2 circuits, the one from Free-way for the pickups, and one from GFS that I adapted for a 3 pickup guitar (their drawing was for a Les Paul type).
Simply I combined them. Really there was no pressing need to draw them out together as they plugged in without needing extra brain work, so I cheated on that...
I suppose I could do a full blown drawing....but all I had to remember (during the wiring) was using a stereo plug/jack, and that the GFS pickups are 3 wire, with the 3th wire going to ground.

10-way Free-way switch. (If using Lipstick GFS pickups, put the 3rd wire (shield) to ground). 


Ignore the pickup info on this 2nd drawing, as that is on the Free-way drawing. This is the GFS F29 harness combined with a 50K volume put with the boost setting maxed out on the board. Very clean and no capacitance drop-off issue thanks to a full low impedance circuit.


The client really like the complete baritone (set up A-A currently, but also tried in B-B). In a few weeks I'll try to get a recording. Right now he's learning to stretch for those longer reaches (30" scale on this one)

[ssstonelover]

Hi Newey,
3rd guitar I've now done with lipsticks. They sure have a good sound....

[ssstonelover]

Hi Tragichero!

I certainly referred to the Fender VI (in my thoughts) as I did this. The client (a friend and my former guitar instructor) requested a tremolo originally but I (perhaps too hastily) shot it down. After freezing the design but then seeing that Fender was able to pull it off, I could have too (5 springs cranked hard I suppose). Also now that we are seeing the "Get Back" Beatles movies (Peter Jackson) and John and George messing around with one, this is bringing this interesting instrument back into focus.

For this baritone, the tuning currently is A-A and I also tried it B-B. The saddle intonation is pretty similar, just a hair different.

I just looked it up and the Fender Bass V! has a nut width of 38mm (1.5"). This seems crazy narrow for fat strings, so how does it work for you? I'm very curious. This baritone I made is 42mm wide at the nut and 54mm at the bridge saddles.

[thetragichero]

as a pick player (even on a 4 banger) it's easier than if i tried to use my fingers, although really it requires a different approach than bass or guitar. tuned E-e regular guitar chords using all strings sound a bit muddy, but not so bad further away from the nut (a lot of the lead guitar work i've done in churches has made use of chords above the 12th fret on the G B e so it's familiar territory)

this cover was done using only the bass vi, a drum machine, and acoustic cymbals. think i had the capo on the fifth fret and as long as i didn't bang on the low E it didn't mud up):

[ssstonelover]

Tragichero,

Very cool, you've got your own sound. I agree it takes a slightly different approach from straight guitar or bass to get the most out of it.