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.

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.

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.

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.