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Posts: 7
Location: Vancouver Island | Hi folks!
I'm considering buying a baritone acoustic guitar. I fell in love with the sound of an acoustic when I came across one playing "Twin Peaks" on Youtube. Wow! Haunting and beautiful! (Search for "twinpeaks baritone" and it'll come up)
What are your experiences with them? Some say they're more difficult to play with the wider neck unless you have long fingers. Some are challeneges by the heavier gauge strings. Others have said they're such a specialty instrument that they find they don't play them all that much and end up selling them before long.
Thinking about the Ovation, but also hear the Tacoma Thunderhawk (hard to find - discontinued) and Alvarez versions are really good. The O is a bit expensive.
Might sell my Legend 6756lx 12 string to pay for one.
What's your collective wisdom on this?
Rick, on Vancouver Island |
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February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | I doubt I'll be letting mine go. Very unique sound. Yes, I find it a little harder to play. The wide neck doesn't bother me (many years of playing 12 string) but it does take a bit to get used to the increased fret spacing.
Good luck on your search. |
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Posts: 6268
Location: Florida Central Gulf Coast | The tones can be beautifully haunting! Don't have one, but have fondle one...  |
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Posts: 5881
Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | StephenT has a pair of custom matching baritones as I recall in both 6 and 12 configurations, the latter of which may be the only one in existence. Had a chance to play them one evening. Terrific guitars. |
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Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | I had one. Very cool. A lot of fun. I didn't really notice it being any harder to play. But I didn't play it much so I ended up selling it to someone who really really wanted it. I think you really need to be playing alternate tunings to get the most out of a baritone. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | The sound can resemble something other than a guitar, particularly in alternate tunings as Bobbo points out, perhaps more like a cello played pizzicato. |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | They are totally fookin awesome. But then, I would say that, wouldn't I?
Brilliant design, even if a banjo player was slightly involved. |
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Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Just do it and you won't be disappointed.
I worked with Mr. Big and he had the first Elite LX Baritone made for me with Abalone inlays up every place they could squeeze it.
I reached a point where I was a little over the edge in my guitar priorities (Hey Willa...)so I sold it off as a way to recalibrate and keep the peace.
Excellant sound, easy to play, sweet to behold and adjusted to every style I wanted to play.
One of the nicer Baritone tricks is to use a partial capo and when playing with others you use the same chord shapes but you have a Drop D tonality to work with.
The Tacoma feels nice and sounds good but you will not even approach the tone, power and adjustability of an Ovation LX with a Contour bowl. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | I own the matched set of 2080D Baritone 6 & 12 string guitars that the Professor mentioned. Possibly one of only a couple Adamas baritones ever made and certainly (to my knowledge) the only Adamas 12 string baritone ever made.
Beal described them perfectly.
I love mine and hope that I am never in the position of having to part with them cause I know I could never afford and the factory would probably never make another set.
Do yourself a favor and grab one. I find them just as easy to play as any other guitar I own and the sound is unique and haunting.
At worse case, capo up a couple frets and your normal again! |
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Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Just a random thought.....tho expensive, not to long ago Randy had his Adamas Baritone available for sale. I believe it was the last one ever made by the Adamas custom shop.
Might be worth checking out if you truly want one of the best baritones available. |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | the only lonngneck Adamas 2080 12 string made. |
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Location: Colorado Rocky Mountains | Woody, that was a beautiful guitar. I sure missed that one. Someday, StephenT will tire of his matched set and open up the door. |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | buy it, you'll love it. the adamas bari's i've played, play like butter. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | HAH....not likely Professor but I have learned never to say never. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Originally posted by Beal:
the only lonngneck Adamas 2080 12 string made. Beal, I was pretty sure it was the only 2080D made but were there ever any other 12 string Adamas longnecks made to your knowledge? |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | You mean like the one I have that Cliff is watching over? Yes, there were 5 made, Adamas 2, all noir in colour. |
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Posts: 15679
Location: SoCal | Originally posted by stephent28:
At worse case, capo up a couple frets and your normal again! It would take more than that for most of the people here to qualify as "normal"...... |
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Location: closely held secret | Stephen lives in the illusion that he is the 'standard' for normal... |
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Let me add, I've only played one Adamas Bari. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Waskel, you mean he's not!??! |
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Location: Tennessee | I'm all in favor of norml. |
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Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | You would be, Bob...
Beal, my vote for normal would be Moody. He makes the rest of us seem like wild radicals. |
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Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Thank kweu, thank kweu very much. |
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Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | NAH, Cliff is normal. |
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Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Normal is a setting on the Dryer...
Musician is the word most use to explain us without going into detail.
"OFC" fits somewhere between OCD, ADHD, THC and LSD... |
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Posts: 5332
Location: Cicero, NY | I've always been normal.
I just choose to disregard the "ab" that everyone puts in front of it. |
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Your experience with a baritone guitar