Buying a baritone, some questions...

[beyond dead]

Trying to get my RG to hold drop A tuning, or even get the low A in to proper tune has been such a pain that I decided that it might be the best idea to invest in a baritone guitar.

I have tried ridiculous string sizes, set intonation again and again, and still am not happy with the sound of the low A on any of the guitars with a 25.5" scale length I have played.

long story short, I have found a couple axes on the used market, an esp viper with emg 81 and 85, or a PRS mike mushok blah blah blah with stock p/ups

I plan on trying both axes, but of course I wont be able to put them through the scrutinizing test of quad tracking rhythms or anything.
the Prs has a 27.7" scale length, and the viper has a 27" scale length. would 27" be long enough for drop A tuning?
which axe would you suggest? the esp has had 2 previous owner, whereas the PRS has only had 1.

 

[MetalJonesy]

id want the esp, been wanting a viper for years infact!

 

[Metaltastic]

id want the esp, been wanting a viper for years infact!

Word, my old roommate had one, great guitar, but very neck heavy...

 

[MetalJonesy]

aye, id like one for rhythm stuff. for some reason i just write southern stuff on em, suit it soo well!

 

[beyond dead]

the deal is solid now, i was gonna have to pull out an investment, but the seller is willing to trade for my marshall 4 12 cab (bonus!)

only things making me leery of the viper are the shorter scale, the rosewood fretboard. Is ebony much better? also, every "sg" type guitar I have played was a bit harder to bust pinch harmonics because the bridge seems to be closer to the neck than strat style bodies.

also, the viper is 3rd hand...

 

[AudioPhile777]

would 27" be long enough for drop A tuning?

Yes.

 

[Metaltastic]

Ebony vs. rosewood is pretty much cosmetic IMO; yes, ebony has a bit more snap (apparently), but I still am skeptical as to how much the fingerboard wood really affects the tone (compared to body and neck wood). Also, I can't think of any reason why any guitar would be "easier" or "harder" to do pinch harmonics on, at worst you'd just have to learn the slightly different locations of the nodes. And as long as it isn't cracked anywhere, I wouldn't sweat 3rd-hand! And 27" will be plenty.

 

[beyond dead]

yeah, the nodes seem to be smaller, and there seems to be fewer of them. its doable, but not as easy as on an ibanez RG. there are no cracks, just a chip on the front which is no biggie.

the viper def. looks badassed. the flat body n the PRS is an instant turn off for me. I prefer something with some contour.

I just want to make sure that I get an axe that can actually tune to drop A and sound in tune. Im sure 27" is long enough.

 

[Metaltastic]

yeah, the nodes seem to be smaller, and there seems to be fewer of them. its doable, but not as easy as on an ibanez RG. there are no cracks, just a chip on the front which is no biggie.

Oh of course, I can't believe I didn't think of that - pretty much all Viper/SG-esque guitars have 24.75" necks, so there's your answer as to pinch difficulty! (though I never had trouble with my EC-400, probably because I played it for so long) There wouldn't be fewer of them though...

 

[beyond dead]

that actually makes me feel alot better about the viper. come to think of it, the b.c rich guitars that I found had the same issue where also shorter scale length. I know that the distance from the bridge to the nut is what is measured for scale length, I kinda wondered why those guitars seemed to have less space between the bridge and neck.

its starting to make sense.... and Im blatantly high right now.

 

[Wolfeman]

27" is a good length for a baritone, it will like be tuned to A.

 

[Metaltastic]

that actually makes me feel alot better about the viper. come to think of it, the b.c rich guitars that I found had the same issue where also shorter scale length. I know that the distance from the bridge to the nut is what is measured for scale length, I kinda wondered why those guitars seemed to have less space between the bridge and neck.

its starting to make sense.... and Im blatantly high right now.

I'm blatantly jealous