# 4-String Baritone



## joshuallen (Oct 14, 2014)

I'm starting to plan my next guitar. I'm thinking of doing a 4-string baritone set up for BEAD tuning. Basically, take a 7 and throw away the high 3 strings (actually, I wast thinking of making a cigarbox-type guitar with the extra strings).

Design ideas so far:












The top one is similar to my last design. The bottom is a radical departure. No idea how practical it is. Trying to make an ergonomic guitar look more metal. Note the controls (volume knob, a couple of switches for the pickups) will be on the front edge, down far enough so they don't interfere with playing. THat's my plan anyway.


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## Prophetable (Oct 15, 2014)

A bass.


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## MaxOfMetal (Oct 15, 2014)

Reminds me of those old Schecter Celloblasters, extended scale 5-strings.


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## teamSKDM (Oct 17, 2014)

Very strange to say the least, why cut the range? Genuinely curious.


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## immortalx (Oct 17, 2014)

joshuallen said:


> The bottom is a radical departure. No idea how practical it is.



I don't care how practical it is. I want to see it get done!


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## Vrollin (Oct 17, 2014)

Borland has been rocking the 4 string baritone since 99, has always been a project I have wanted to tackle, I was always just going to mess with a cheapy bass and route to accept a guitar pup though


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## HurrDurr (Oct 17, 2014)

I'd say do that klein-inspired shape is probably where I would settle.


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## joshuallen (Oct 21, 2014)

The first guitar I made was not so good, and I ended up removing the higher two strings because they basically didn't work, but I find the four-string idea to be a lot of fun for rocking out on. Borland plays one (not that I'm much of a Bizkit fan). Max Cavalera plays a six with the higher two strings removed. I mostly play rhythm stuff on my seven, as well, and the high strings mostly feel in the way. Just seemed like a fun, unique project. Something you can't buy in a store. 

I went with this design over modifying a bass or something similar because basses have necks that are nearly as wide as a 6 string. I wanted the spacing to be roughly equal to what it is on a six, while also maintaining a reasonable string spacing. These are in 27" scale length.


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## Nour Ayasso (Oct 21, 2014)

So and ERG djent stick...?  
Seriously though I'd rather see someone using this than using one string on an eight. When someone needs more than six they get a 7/8, when that is too much they just go back to six. Mind as well give chuggers freedom to get a SRG (short range guitar xD) instead of forcing them to buy eight strings for the baritone scale.


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## Tom Drinkwater (Oct 21, 2014)

Great idea! Look up Tenor Guitar on google, you'll probably find a bunch of cool ideas and maybe some hardware and pickups.


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## joshuallen (Oct 21, 2014)

Tom Drinkwater said:


> Great idea! Look up Tenor Guitar on google, you'll probably find a bunch of cool ideas and maybe some hardware and pickups.



Thanks for the advice, I'll check it out.


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## joshuallen (Oct 21, 2014)

What I like about the second design is it is a departure from what I've typically done (the more klein-inspired designs). I may do a pine prototype and see if I like the way it feels.


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## Tesla (Oct 21, 2014)

I've always loved Borlands Cremona guitars (above) such a nice shape...If I were to make one, I'd replicate that shape. Mmmmmm.


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## joshuallen (Oct 23, 2014)

Tesla said:


> I've always loved Borlands Cremona guitars (above) such a nice shape...If I were to make one, I'd replicate that shape. Mmmmmm.



It's a cool guitar, but I gotta be me.

That mask on the other hand....


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## Terrible_Player (Aug 2, 2021)

I made one. I am a woodworker, 30+ year drummer, and hobbyist bassist and rhythm guitarist. Big man with fat fingers and prefer bass string spacing for my preferred downtuned rhythm playing. So, with it being somewhat of a weird idea, I set on building my own with a used SG body I had laying around. Went for a 30” scale. Now, I’m a noob and not gifted on guitar, and I know I’m gonna get flamed, but I just wanted to share. Cheers.


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## Terrible_Player (Aug 2, 2021)




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## LostTheTone (Aug 2, 2021)

Terrible_Player said:


> I made one. I am a woodworker, 30+ year drummer, and hobbyist bassist and rhythm guitarist. Big man with fat fingers and prefer bass string spacing for my preferred downtuned rhythm playing. So, with it being somewhat of a weird idea, I set on building my own with a used SG body I had laying around. Went for a 30” scale. Now, I’m a noob and not gifted on guitar, and I know I’m gonna get flamed, but I just wanted to share. Cheers.
> 
> View attachment 96266



That is officially an awesome guitar my dude. 

Now, I wouldn't want to be the one who had to play it... But it's still awesome AF.

My only immediate questions are - What is the pickup? Not a lot of quad rails out there, you know? Oh and since you set it up like a man with just a volume pot, did you put a treble bleed in there anywhere? My 1V set-up strat needed to be tamed with one just to control the top end.


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## bostjan (Aug 2, 2021)

Terrible_Player said:


> View attachment 96267


Heathen?

I've played tenor guitars before - it's been years, but they are usually tuned like the top 4 strings of a guitar. I like the idea of the bottom 4 strings, like a piccolo bass, but with a more guitar-y feel and tone (due to scale length, string tension, guitar pickups, etc).

1. Scale length. If you are going to do a mock-up, why not start with a pine board and print out a few fretboard templates of different scale lengths and try them out, to see which scale length is most comfortable for you? Since you might lean less or more into chord fingerings, you might find that more or less scale length (respectively) could be a big advantage.
2. Since you're probably going to be dealing with custom made hardware either way, as well as 6 string pickups, why not go 5 strings instead of 4? If you go long scale, you could add a nice low F# string, or, otherwise, you could tune it BEADG and basically have the entire power-chord fretboard area of a seven string guitar. It might be advantageous either way.


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## Terrible_Player (Aug 2, 2021)

LostTheTone said:


> That is officially an awesome guitar my dude.
> 
> Now, I wouldn't want to be the one who had to play it... But it's still awesome AF.
> 
> My only immediate questions are - What is the pickup? Not a lot of quad rails out there, you know? Oh and since you set it up like a man with just a volume pot, did you put a treble bleed in there anywhere? My 1V set-up strat needed to be tamed with one just to control the top end.



Thank you. . Because I wasn’t even sure it would be a success, I outfitted it with cheap Chinese stuff, like the pickup, from Ali express. Now I know it works and I like it, I’ll upgrade items as appropriate, like maybe a Nazgul if it will work ok with the 4 strings.


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## Terrible_Player (Aug 2, 2021)

bostjan said:


> Heathen?
> 
> I've played tenor guitars before - it's been years, but they are usually tuned like the top 4 strings of a guitar. I like the idea of the bottom 4 strings, like a piccolo bass, but with a more guitar-y feel and tone (due to scale length, string tension, guitar pickups, etc).
> 
> ...



nice! Yup, named it heathen as it just doesn’t really conform. It’s a pretty new build and so far I have it tuned EAEA, for seven string drop tune power chords, and the extra low E for the grunty rumblings. It was a project to satisfy my3 passions. Woodworking, art, and music. Plus, runes are cool. . It’s early times w this guitar and much, Including tuning, could be subject to change. Just wanted an 8 string with some spacing between the strings, and the ability to go low. I’m a hack, and don’t need the upper 4 strings at this point. That may evolve as my playing skill does too. Cheers.


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## LostTheTone (Aug 3, 2021)

Terrible_Player said:


> Thank you. . Because I wasn’t even sure it would be a success, I outfitted it with cheap Chinese stuff, like the pickup, from Ali express. Now I know it works and I like it, I’ll upgrade items as appropriate, like maybe a Nazgul if it will work ok with the 4 strings.



I suspected that you might have gone with "whatever was laying on the workbench" for the pickup but I didn't want to say that and make you sound cheap 

I would urge a bit of caution about the Nazgul. Not that it's a bad pickup, but it's a traditional pole piece design that's expecting six strings in specific places. Given your string spacing is non-standard then I think you would definitely want to go with either rails or active pickups, just so you don't have to worry at all about the spacing. If you look at Wes Borland above you'll see he's playing a rail pickup (a Dimebucker if I am any judge).

There's plenty of choice there though; the Dimebucker itself, or D-Activator X or X2N. Or a Bare Kunkle Black Hawk or Impulse. Alternatively you'd have your choice of most EMG or Fishman pickups, since they are mostly bar magnets under the hood. I don't know which I'd choose exactly, but there's plenty there for you to mull over.

I know you have already done the finish on this one, so you probably wouldn't want to get the wood working tools out again, but since you used a bass neck and bass style spacing, EMG 7 strings might not be a bad shout. They are just built in the housings they use for bass pickups, and are bar magnets too. Just a thought!

Oh and... Definitely think about a treble bleed if you put in a nice pickup. You might not notice is on a crappy one, but the fuzzy overly lairy top end your get from no tone control might make any good pickup sound frustratingly medium.


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## Terrible_Player (Aug 3, 2021)

Excellent input and advice! Thank you! Was wondering about the nazgul, you confirmed my suspicions. Cheers!


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