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Joined:
April 2002
Posts: 202
Location: Orlando, Florida | Would anyone know the real benefits of a long neck ("BARRITONE") guitar? I'm looking into getting a DCS-247 Celebrity Deluxe, and I'm wondering if there would be any gain to it. I've tuned down my regular scale guitars a whole step, and maybe outside of a truss rod adjustment, it seemed to work out just fine. I did'nt notice a change in my intonation. Can a regular scale guitar be used as a "Barritone", and can a long neck be tuned to standard pitch? Anyone have any experience with these guitars?
Thanks;
jyam4 |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | The Ovations aren't a true Baritone, the scale is a little too short, but it will kinda work as a baritone with the correct string guage and tuning. One of the intentions of these guitars is to be tuned a whole tone lower than standard (DGCFAD) so if you want to return to standard tuning put a capo on the 2nd fret. You can pretty much throw away the rule-book with this type of guitar & use your imagination. They're great for low alternate tunings (C or lower) when you can use heavy strings but retain a normal string tension. I know a player who uses a 16-72 set, tuned down to A, on a longneck. A luthier friend of mine has made a few longnecks & I've tried both the US & Korean Ovation versions. They sound enormous. It's a fairly specialised instrument, so make sure it's what you really need before you buy.
Paul
[ June 20, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Joined:
April 2002
Posts: 202
Location: Orlando, Florida | Paul,
Thanks for the reply! The thing is, that in the last few months I've tried to use my Balladeer, in particular, in this way with limited success. At home it seems to work just fine, but when I'd take the guitar out (to church & school) the guitar did'nt sound all that great. So I'd always go back to standard tuning, even though I'd prefer to be tuned a whole step down. Any suggestions how I could make this work with what I have?
Thanks;
jyam4 |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Baritone tunings are usually A or B below regular E. If you want to tune that low on a standard guitar you'll need to use heavy strings, very heavy, bigger than 13-56 mediums. This only works up to a point because the standard scale length is too short, & the strings will be flapping about. Then your guitar and your fingers will complain if you tune the heavy strings, and I don't recommend this, back to standard tuning. There's not really a practical way to do both jobs with one guitar. If you want to use a regular guitar tuned a tone or 3 semitones down, but retain the tone & tension of standard tuning use medium gauge strings, (or heavier, make up a custom set of say 14, 18, 28, 38, 48, 58) & use a capo to return to regular pitch.
Paul
[ June 20, 2002: Message edited by: Paul Templeman ] |
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Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | The problem with a regular guitar tuned down is that the strings start to flap at some point, usually around C or just below. The long neck starts down two steps. You adjust down from there and with heavier strings can easily get down to A.
That was what's behind them. Also to get the bridge back to the middle of the top for that fuller 12 fret sound with a 14 fret neck. |
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Long neck Ovations
