Why is there a lack of baritone guitars for the metal world?

People need to man up and buy Schecter 7 strings.

With the extra scale length you can get away with having a huge tight tone and only using a 10-60 set of strings, plus the scale length is only like 26.5 or something like that, so it wouldn't take as much to get used to as say a 27 or 28 inch scale.

I played a Les Paul and an ESP horizon for years before I got my Schecters and even though they have the extra length and extra string, it really didn't take me long to adjust at all. I'm talking like...within 5 minutes I was playing it as comfortably as I was playing my 6 strings.

Seriously...I will preach Schecter love forever - I love those god damn things.
 
The thing with Schecter for me (and many others) is that the necks feel like baseball bats :lol: They do make some nice guitars, but the neck profile really isn't for me.
 
Loren Littlejohn said:
These are ugly?

Mushok3.jpg
Click to expand...

That really is fucking sexy as hell, I have to say :headbang:
 
Jind said:
I'm sure if you went back to the manufacturers with the question "why so few baritone guitars?" the answer would be simple "lack of sales". While the idea may have merit, in actuality most of us would stick with what we have. Baritone guitars have been available for a long time, but they are still just a niche item. Sales drive design and production - it's that simple.
Click to expand...

This, exactly.

Not everyone wants to tune down to Zb (thank goat btw.) so they're still very much a niche product.

Just think about how long it took for 7-strings to penetrate the market in such a way that it spawned a product range we have today. I remember, when I started out, Ibanez was basically the only company around that offered half-decent 7 strings off the mill for a non-astronomical price.

Baritones will eventually get there, maybe they won't. Not only have they to compete with the traditional scale lengths, but also with 7+ string-guitars.
 
yep I love the look of the Ibanez MMM 1 baritone too and have been looking for one of those for about 6 months . They're true baritone at 28" scale which means even if you sting them up at concert pitch and choose the correct string gauge for the scale length and correct tension its still going to sound a little heavier in the same way a bass is lower in tone too. . I think most users tune them to 'B' to 'B' as I plan to.
To the O.P:
I remember asking the same question about 5 string basses about 10 years ago and then again about 7 string guitars . It seems until someone big starts taking advantage of a new guitar format there's not enough demand for manufacturers to develop a larger choice of styling and or spec .
Just buy the closest one to what your looking for you can and practice getting used to it while you wait for a nice one to come along ,trust me they will it just takes time for new trends to catch on .
 
Metaltastic said:
Baritone necks are definitely longer, usually between 26 and 28" (but most super-strat guitars are 25.5", such as Chris Amott's Caparison; 25" necks are less common, the only companies I know of who consistently use them are PRS and Carvin) A longer scale length definitely can be advantageous for comfort and intonation (more tension and thus tuning stability without having to use humongous strings), though it also changes the tone somewhat, and I'm on the fence as to whether it's a desirable change (my impression is it tightens everything up, but sometimes a bit too much...really want to pick up a guitar with a long neck, probably a 7-string because of availability/price, to mess around with)
Click to expand...

Longer scales really fuck with the tone of the higher strings, in quite a negative way IMO.
I don't really go lower than drop A with my 7 strings, so I never felt the need to get a guitar with a longer scale, since I am a soloist as much as a rhythm player.

mick thompson said:
i've tried 7 strings in the past but i just cant get my head around the extra string. i've been playing almost 10 years now so i've become accustomed to a 6 string. i understand what your saying about a baritones stability & tightness, i would have thought in many cases especially for metal players tightness is one of the key fundamentals. (at least it is for me) when you have a kick going at a solid 200bpm a sloppy guitar riff can destroy the track

i suppose the only way im going to find out is to go try out one. i dont like the fender baritones or the prs ones cosmetically but ill try them out for tone styling etc. im still hoping for rob flynn's to be released by ESP - his one was a custom baritone if i remember correctly
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It's just one extra string dude and honestly I don't see what playing 6 strings for 10 years has to be with how well you can adapt to 7 strings.
There are plenty of guys who had played 6 strings exclusively for much longer and were able to adapt to 7 strings.
 
muckypup1 said:
^^^ Was the 8 string hard to play dude? The neck's on those monsters always look huge!
Click to expand...

I played a Schecter C-8 Hellraiser 2 months ago.
It's just a guitar bro, not some entirely new instrument, they are really are not difficult to play at all.
The neck was comfy and very easy to get around.
 
I have the gtr in my avatar. 27" scale, not a problem esp. if you have longish fingers. Its currently tuned to std C but originally in B. Just a JB at the bridge but it sounds great (may be bright for some tastes..)
 
jipchen said:
VB-401_BLKS.jpg

MHB-401.jpg

ESP LTD VB-401 and MHB-401. Both baritone.
Click to expand...

+1

Although if you are looking, I'd keep an eye out for a used 301 series LTD. Korean made (not Indonesian like current 401 LTD's).

With the old 301 series, you'd probably want to replace the pickups (came stock with EMG HZ's), but the quality IMO may be better than current 401's and the used pricetage much easier on the wallet.
 
I cant deal with even switching between normal scale lengths lol

I have an ibanez iceman that is a les paul scale length and a jackson soloist which is 25.5 and It always throws me off when I switch. Usually its because I kind of go back and fourth between which one is my primary guitar so I'm playing each one exclusively for a while and then switching :(
 
Lazzari said:
What about agiles dude ?? They have a wide selection of 7 string baritone guitars or even 6 string baritones.. check them out..
Click to expand...

The thing is: Rondo Music has no European distribution.

For most of us Europeans that's quite a dealbreaker because although they gladly ship overseas, we have to deal with customs and taxes (on top of shipping) and there's been some people who had their instrument being damaged upon arrival.

I'm hoping they'll get a proper European distribution at some point.
 
slashvanyoung said:
The thing is: Rondo Music has no European distribution.

For most of us Europeans that's quite a dealbreaker because although they gladly ship overseas, we have to deal with customs and taxes (on top of shipping) and there's been some people who had their instrument being damaged upon arrival.

I'm hoping they'll get a proper European distribution at some point.
Click to expand...

Yeah.. Im trying to order a custom guitar there.. but since im from Venezuela.. we have A LOT of taxes to pay if the guitar (or any product actually) is over 100$.. for example if the guitar is 500$ we have to pay like 200$ or 250$ only in taxes.. add the shipping and you are paying almost (if not more) the same price of the guitar..
 
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