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Found the optimal tuning/string guage (Re: Baryton guitar strings/tuning?)



Hi GAng,

Just a short note to thank everybody that posted helpful ideas for
stringing/tuning my Telecaster that recently received a baritone neck
(fretted). After a lot of experimenting I have settled with ordinary
guitar tuning lowered one whole tone; i.e. drop-D. The reason I drop
it down is that I want to use .010 set strings, which is what I use on
regular guitars. The bari tele sounds amazing at this tuning.

I think the reason you don't see much baritone guitars around is that
people tend to accept using normal baritone strings and tuning. But
doing so makes the guitar play in a lower register that it may be hard
to find useful in more orchestrated music (although beautiful for solo
guitar pieces, or if you design the full music after the darker guitar
voicing. Personally I have other string instrument that sound "dark
and heavy" in a better way than a guitar so I decided to let the Tele
stay in the traditional guitar range where melodies sing over stuff
rather than drown behind stuff). What you get when using the longer
bari neck at (almost) normal guitar tuning is a lot better intonation,
more musical tone, better definition of played chords and easier
fingering at the highest frets. I love this Telecaster now and will
definitely mutate my Stratocaster too with a fretted baritone neck in
the future (no money and no time this year). I've been using the
strat's neck since 1986 so if not replacing it I would have to refret
it anyway (would cost the same as buying an All-Parts baritone neck).

Big thanks to Bill Walker that notified me on the German Pyramid
strings! The round cores make them sound as you expect from good
strings. Actually, I haven't had as good strings since a brand I used
up to around 1980 when they were discontinued. I can't recall the name
of those strings but from the feel and sound of the Pyramid strings
I'm certain that my old up-to-1980 favorite strings also used round
cores. A little more tense (good thing for great sound), a little more
sustain and longer life (don't know about that third poing, but that's
what people say about Pyramid).

I also picked up a flat wound Pyramid .013 - .056 set for the fretless
Harp Guitar (drop-B tuned) but I can't detect any difference compared
to D'addario's strings of the same specs. "Longer life" isn't an
argument regarding flat wounds since they normally last forever anyway
;-)

Greetings from Sweden

Per Boysen
www.perboysen.com
http://www.youtube.com/perboysen