Baritone Guitar Guide — Low Tuning, Models & Applications

A baritone guitar is a standard six-string instrument with a longer scale length — typically 27" to 30" compared to the standard 25.5" — designed to tune lower than standard pitch without the string tension becoming too slack for comfortable playing.

The longer scale length increases string tension at lower pitches, keeping the strings taut and defined. The result is a guitar that can play in B standard (a 4th below E standard), A standard or even lower without the sluggish, floppy feel of a standard guitar detuned to those pitches.

Baritone Tunings

B standard — B-E-A-D-F#-B: The most common baritone tuning. A perfect 4th below standard. Familiar chord shapes work identically, just pitched lower. Used in cinematic, post-rock, and stoner metal.

A standard — A-D-G-C-E-A: A 5th below standard. Common in doom metal and experimental music.

Drop G — G-D-G-C-E-A: Drop A lowered one more step. Requires a 30" scale or heavier strings.

Standard E — some baritones are tuned to standard E pitch — the longer scale gives a slightly different feel and voice without the lower pitch. Used for a fuller, more pronounced bass response in standard styles.

Baritone vs 7-String

This is the most common question for players considering a baritone:

Baritone: Six strings, standard chord vocabulary, tuned lower. Everything you know transfers directly — chord shapes, scales, picking patterns. You are simply playing the same thing in a lower key.

7-string: Seven strings, additional low string (usually B). The standard six strings remain at standard pitch. You can play both standard and extended-range material. Requires learning a new vocabulary for the low string.

Choose baritone if: You want lower pitch without learning new vocabulary, or you specifically want the sound of a lower-tuned standard guitar (surf metal, dark Americana, film scoring).

Choose 7-string if: You want to access low pitch while maintaining standard pitch on the other strings, or your music specifically uses the extended range that djent and progressive metal require.

Best Baritone Guitars

Danelectro 59 Baritone — £400 | Best Budget Baritone

Danelectro's baritone uses the original 1950s-style construction — "masonite" body (compressed wood fibre), lipstick tube pickups, simple controls. The result is a distinctive bright, jangly baritone tone unlike any other guitar in this guide.

Why it's worth buying: The Danelectro's lipstick pickups produce a unique low-mid prominent tone that sounds like nothing else. Link Wray and Duane Eddy recorded on Danelectros; the baritone version captures that surf/spy/Spaghetti Western character perfectly at an accessible price.

Best for: Surf music, Americana, film scoring, dark indie rock.

Squier Vintage Modified Baritone Jazzmaster — £500 | Best Indie/Post-Rock

The Jazzmaster body with baritone neck gives a guitar equally suited to My Bloody Valentine-influenced atmospheric playing and darker indie rock. Single-coil Jazzmaster pickups have the offset guitar's characteristic warmth with baritone's extended range.

Best for: Shoegaze, post-rock, indie, alternative. The Jazzmaster body shape suits players who already play offset Fender guitars.

PRS SE277 — £750 | Best Mid-Range Baritone

The SE277 (27.7" scale) features PRS's excellent SE construction — maple top, mahogany body, PRS SE humbuckers. The quality of construction and hardware at this price is notably better than budget alternatives. A highly versatile baritone that covers country, metal, and everything between.

Best for: Players who want the best all-around baritone at a mid price point without compromising on build quality.

Schecter Hellcat VI — £700 | Best for Metal

Schecter's Hellcat VI uses a Telecaster-style body with 30" scale, EMG-HZ passive humbuckers, and a hard-tail bridge. The 30" scale gives maximum tension for very low tunings — this is the baritone for players who want to go below B standard with adequate string tension.

Best for: Doom metal, stoner rock, extended-range metal.

Fender Tele Baritone MIJ — £1,200 | Best Professional Option

Made in Japan Fender Telecaster Baritone. Standard Telecaster build quality and feel with baritone scale. The familiarity of the Tele form factor with the extended range that country and alternative players want. Telecaster-style single-coil pickups give the classic twang pitched an octave lower.

Best for: Professional players who want a high-quality baritone that feels like a Telecaster.

Amplification for Baritone

Standard guitar speakers (Celestion Vintage 30, G12H-30) roll off rapidly below 80Hz. The low B string's fundamental sits at 61Hz — at or below this rolloff point.

Best amp choices for baritone:

• Fender Twin Reverb — full range response, clean platform, handles the extended low frequencies better than most tube combos
• Roland JC-120 — solid-state but full range, with excellent low-frequency extension
• PA system with FRFR cabinet — the most honest reproduction of the baritone's full frequency range

Avoid small-wattage combos with 8" or 10" speakers — they physically cannot reproduce the baritone's low fundamentals.

Musical Applications

• Surf and spy music — Danelectro baritones define the Dick Dale / Ennio Morricone sound
• Post-rock and ambient — Sigur Rós, Hammock and many post-rock bands use baritones for their expansive low-end drone character
• Doom metal — Tony Iommi effectively plays at baritone pitch; Sleep and Electric Wizard use baritone-equivalent tunings
• Country and Americana — Brad Paisley and other Nashville players use baritones for specific tone colour on studio sessions
• Film scoring — Hans Zimmer's productions and many trailer music composers use baritone as a primary texture instrument

FAQ

Q: What is a baritone guitar? A: A guitar with a longer scale length (27"–30") designed to tune a 4th–6th lower than standard without losing string tension. Standard baritone tuning is B standard — a 4th below E standard — giving a lower, heavier tone while retaining familiar chord shapes.

Q: What is the difference between a baritone and a 7-string? A: A baritone is still a 6-string guitar tuned lower overall. A 7-string adds an extra low string while keeping the standard six strings at normal pitch. Baritones suit players who want familiar chord shapes in a lower key; 7-strings extend the range without retuning the standard strings.

Q: What amp for baritone guitar? A: A full-range amp with clean low-end extension — Fender Twin Reverb, Roland JC-120, or a PA system with full-range speakers. Standard guitar speakers struggle with the fundamental frequencies of baritone tuning.

Q: Is a baritone good for metal? A: Yes — baritones are popular in surf metal, doom metal and dark post-rock. The extended scale makes low riffs sound massive. For djent and technical metal requiring both low and high-register work simultaneously, a 7-string is more versatile.