The folks at Ernie Ball Music Man guitars describe their instruments as “tools for artists” and the John Petrucci BFR Baritone certainly lives up to the company’s tag line. Discontinued in the early 2010s, a used John Petrucci BFR Baritone today will cost you somewhere north of $2,400. Assuming you’ve got the cash, is the instrument worth the price?  We’ve got three factors that will help you decide.

Devotees to the cult of the Fender Telecaster tend to be loyal and zealous. The same can be said of baritone guitar players. Many consider themselves ambassadors of the deep-tuned bari guitar.

So, what happens when you make a baritone Telecaster? Does the result inspire devotion, disappointment, or something in between? In this article, we will take a look at the Fender Blacktop Baritone Telecaster and find out if this Tele/bari combo lives up to its potential.

We will also ask if this baritone Tele is worth the $850+ price it’s currently fetching on the used market and we will conclude with three factors that will help you make the call on this telecaster baritone.

If you are familiar with baritoneguitar.org, you may be aware that the Alvarez ABT60 is one of my favorite acoustic baritones. An excellent option for the budget-minded guitarist, the ABT60 (and the pickup-equipped ABT60e) should be on the list of anyone looking for a reliable, great-sounding, workhorse baritone. You can check out the full review here.

Well, the folks at Alvarez have expanded their line of baritones. Introducing the ABT60CE!  This guitar feels more like an update on the classic ABT60 than an entirely new baritone. Still, the differences are noteworthy and should only encourage you to check out the offerings from Alvarez before making your final selection on your next acoustic baritone.

If you’ve been playing guitar for more than a few months, I am sure you’ve discovered that strings have a huge impact on tone. When it comes to acoustic instruments, this impact is even more pronounced. String materials change the tonal quality of the instrument. The strings you choose can add brightness, add warmth, and effect finger and fret board noise. Moreover, old grimy strings can make a $1,000 guitar sound like a $100 starter instrument.

Acoustic baritone guitars are no exception to this rule - they impact the tone of your acoustic baritone guitar. Moreover, with baritone strings costing more than standard guitar strings, you will want to do your research and get this expensive and tone-impacting purchase right without testing every brand under the sun. To that end, we’ve put together a profile of the 3 best baritone acoustic guitar strings for you.

It is time for our August 2019 listing of the best used baritone guitars from around the web. This list contains some great used baritone acoustics and electrics, including a few rare and unique axes. So, whether you are shopping for a used baritone or simply a player who loves dreaming about great guitars, we hope you enjoy this list of the four best used baritones available this August.

I think you'll agree that it's hard to find a quality electric baritone guitar for under $500. There simply aren't a lot of affordable electric baritones out there that represent solid and versatile options.

Thankfully, the Squier Vintage Modified Baritone Jazzmaster delivers both quality and value. Is the Vintage Modified Jazzmaster the right budget-conscious baritone for you? Read on to find out three reasons Squier's deep-tuned take on the classic Jazzmaster design might the best baritone under $500 and the right axe for you.

As guitarists and musicians, most of us are always on the lookout for ways to push the limits of our creativity and playing. Thankfully, the internet has made it easy to find lessons from master level musical mentors. In this post, we've dug up one such youtube session with solo instrumentalist and baritone artist Andy McKee.

Read on to watch Andy Mckee's performance of "Ebon Coast" and his short lesson on playing techniques and songwriting. After the video, we will highlight three takeaways for every baritone player.

When you run the world's greatest baritone guitar web page, every now and then people contact you with interesting stories, inquiries, and ideas for potential posts.

Earlier this month, Paul Cooper, a guitarist, fiddle player, bouzouki player, and balalaika player from Houston contacted me with a story about a one-of-a-kind 1964 custom-modified Martin D-12-20 baritone. After Paul provided audio and picks, I felt like I had to help tell the story of this unique baritone guitar. If you are a fan of rare guitars, music gear stories, and baritones, then read on to dive into the short-but-fascinating tale of the 64 Martin Modified Baritone.

The Fender Jaguar Baritone Custom made a splash during its short two-year production run from 2005 to 2007. During that period, the manufactured-in-Japan Jaguar Baritone was billed as a shorter-scale alternative to other baritone-bass hybrids, mixing standard guitar playability with traditional fender tone and earth shattering low end.

The Jaguar Baritone originally listed for $699. Today, you can expect to pay between $800 and $1000 on the used market. Is the Jaguar Baritone worth that kind of coin? Should you consider a more affordable in-production model? Does it live up to its original billing as the playable baritone-bass hybrid? We’ve got three things you need to know before you plunk down the nearly one grand required to add the Jaguar Baritone to your arsenal.

But first, let’s talk about the specs and features.

Have you ever wanted...

1. to explore new sounds without learning an entirely new instrument?
   
2. to breath new life into your songs and make your sonic creations stand out?
   

Do you think of yourself as...

1. a singer-songwriter on the lookout for new ways to stand out as a stand-alone act?
   
2. a virtuoso instrumentalist looking to push the limits of your guitar chops?
   
3. a metal or hard rock enthusiast who loves detuned and earth shattering tones, but has never felt drawn to a seven string?
   

If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, than you are in the right place. The baritone guitar could be the musical key to unlocking your full potential and we've lined up five reasons for you to get your hands on a baritone guitar.

In part one of our complete guide to alternative tuning for baritone guitar, we explored B and A standard tunings (perfect fourth and perfect fifth standard), multiple open major chord tunings, and Pat Metheny’s, “Half Nashville” baritone tuning.

Well, I hope your tuning pegs are rested, because we’re back with another tour de force of peg-twisting alternative tunings for your baritone. If you are ready to spark your creativity, expand your sonic horizons, and get out of that musical rut, let’s dive into our first tuning.

Greetings BaritoneGuitar.org Community! We have an exclusive affiliate deal for you from Guitar Center.  You can save 8% off your order of $89.00 or more. Click on the link below to and use code NEWGEAR to take advantage of this offer. Expires March 31.

If you put the hammer of Thor and a Gibson ES-335 into a blender and then produced the resulting guitar overseas to keep the sticker price reasonable, you would have the Hagstrom Viking Baritone. The folks Hagstrom boldly assert that the Viking will “shatter all of your baritone stereotypes.” Does the Viking live up to Hagstrom’s claims? Read our review to find out three reasons you owe it to yourself to check out this Swedish machine.

Note: This review has been edited based on feedback from Hagstrom Viking users. Buyers should be aware that fret and electronic issues may represent long-term problems for the Viking (read on for details). If I were to change the title this article with this information in mind, I'd call it "two reasons to check out the Viking and one reason to think twice."

We are working on an article and we need you! The topic? Crafting great baritone tone. We want to hear from real baritone players all over the world. Our goal is to craft the ultimate guide to optimizing your baritone signal chain/sound - and we want you and your knowledge in our article! 

Interested? Send an email to matt@baritoneguitar.org or head over to our FaceBook page and leave your tone tricks and tips under the post entitled "Baritone Tone Tricks and Tips Needed."  Try to stick to the following guidelines:

Looking for a great deal on a used baritone guitar?  Look no further!  We've compiled a solid list of quality used acoustic and electric baritone guitars for January 2017.  Have a used baritone guitar that you want to sell? List it here in the comments section.

Ibanez introduced the RG series in 1987. The RG has since become arguably the brand's most recognizable line, known for simplicity, speed, and durability. The RGIB6 Baritone is part of the "iron label" collection of RG guitars, a sub species touted as being optimized for metal players.

Ibanez bills the RGIB6 as the ultimate baritone electric for metal and rock enthusiasts and as a top notch working musician’s instrument. Does the RGIB6 live up to its manufacturer's claims? Is it the electric baritone baritone for you?  We’ve got five reasons that the answer to both questions should be yes.

Oh, and reason five contains one of the boldest claims we’ve ever placed in an electric baritone review.

Paul Reed Smith (PRS) guitars has just unveiled their newest baritone: the Tremonti Baritone. The folks at RPS reached out to us on the Tremonti's official release date and were gracious enough to provide us with with the details on this new axe. If you are in the market for a truly premium electric baritone experience or simply have an eye for fine guitars, you'll want to get your hands on the PRS Tremonti Baritone. Check out the official scoop provided by the PRS staff as well as our BaritoneGuitar.org take on the Tremonti Baritone.

The Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI is the modernized reincarnation of the Fender Bass VI, which first appeared in 1961. Tuned a full octave below a standard guitar and owing its good looks to the Jazzmaster and Jaguar models, the Bass VI occupied a sonic estuary between the traditional bass and the baritone guitar. The original Bass VI was discontinued in 1975, but not before enjoying a small cult following which included Joe Perry of Aerosmith, who used the Bass VI on the 1976 track, Back in the Saddle.
 
Are you looking to expand your sonic horizons? Would you like to meet one of the most interesting axes you've never played? Then check our five reasons the Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI should be on your list of instruments to play and own.

The commercially available baritone guitar has woven its way through nearly seven decades of music, adding resonance and low-end to a lot of great tracks over the years. Here is part one of our BaritoneGuitar.org list of essential baritone tracks.

Songs listed are not considered essential because they represent the high water mark for a particular genre or generation of baritone players. Songs have been selected because they typify a particular genre or common use of the baritone guitar.

Greetings Baritone Guitar.Org fans! We have an exclusive affiliate deal for you from Guitar Center.  You can save 8% off your order of $89.00 or more. Click on the link below to and use code 8PERCENT to take advantage of this offer.

In the Spring of 1999, I stumbled across an issue of of Guitar Player Magazine. The cover feature was entitled "15 Days to Better Chops" and the article guaranteed "dramatic improvement in playing" in 15 days with just 15 minutes of practice a day. I plunked down about $4.95 for the magazine. The article lived up to the guarantee and I have considered it to be some of the best money I ever spent.

When you get right down to it, a lot of the magic of the baritone guitar is in the tuning. The reason one creates music on a baritone is because of the deep and rich tones created by playing in a lower register.

Sadly, the average baritone player never ventures beyond standard tuning and thus never experiences the instrument's full potential.

However, if you're reading this article, you are not the average baritone player.

So, check the batteries in your chromatic tuner. Its time to twist some pegs and adjust some strings. Here is part one our complete (or, nearly complete) guide to traditional and alternative baritone tuning.

Welcome to the first of what will become a semi-regular series of posts on used baritone gems: baritone guitars which, if you stumble across one, are worth adding to your arsenal or, at the very least, represent a good reason to linger in the pawn shop a little longer.

Our first used gem is the Tacoma Thurderhawk acoustic baritone. Continue reading to see our full review including a video, specs, and more.