NBVID

[Lt. Bob]

I bought a Firefly baritone git ..... offset body ..... 30" scale.
Just unpacked it .... haven't even taken the plastic off the pickups and haven't really played it yet.

Now baritones can be from 27" to 30" and are generally tuned down a fourth ... B-B.
But the 30" scale is like a Fender Bass VI which is tuned down an octave ... E-E.

This thing came in tuned B-B so I'm gonna leave it there for tonight .... but I think I'd want to go to E-E an octave down because of the ease of playing it in a jam situation.
But I think before I do that I'll need to change the strings as the ones on it seem too light.

On a Fender VI the strings go .095 .075 .055 .045 .035 .025 and the big string doesn't look anywhere near that large ..... I'll grab my string gauge and check. And of course if I need larger strings then it'll require nut work.

Anyways ..... it looks nice ..... it's BIG ... really almost short scale bass range but surprisingly light which is nice.
I'll play it some tonight and give ya'll a report.


That's reflections on the lower left and not some funky finish thing

[CrowsofFritz]

Everyone is getting a Barry now

[Lt. Bob]

It's pretty nice ..... for the price it's quite good .... had to loosen the truss rod to allow some relief and I had to raise the action.
Then I played the solo for Wichita Lineman about 20 times ....... lol

[Tadpui]

Looks great! I've been wanting a bass VI for a while now. I came so close to buying one last month, but I'm saving for other things like a driveway and bathtubs and a refrigerator. Maybe in another couple of years I'll get one.

[Lt. Bob]

Looks great! I've been wanting a bass VI for a while now. I came so close to buying one last month, but I'm saving for other things like a driveway and bathtubs and a refrigerator. Maybe in another couple of years I'll get one.

this one is only $179

[Greg_L]

Haha that's cool Boob!

[vomitHatSteve]

Nice!

So what distinguishes a bari guit tuned E to E and a 6-string bass tuned the same way? Does the guitar have smaller spacing for easier chords or something?

[Lt. Bob]

Nice!

So what distinguishes a bari guit tuned E to E and a 6-string bass tuned the same way? Does the guitar have smaller spacing for easier chords or something?

no .... it's the same thing, (unless you're talking about a full size 6 string bass but that would be tuned B-C) ..... there's disagreement over whether the Bass VI should be called a bass or a baritone ..... this thing has a 30" scale ..... I believe short scale basses are generally 32".
Right now I have mine tuned B_B but as soon as I get some Bass VI strings I'm going for E-E

[WhiskeyJack]

Nice Snag @Lt. Bob I was kind of toying with getting one a couple years ago when i was kind of going thru a Spaghetti westrern fascination. But didn't know they required entirely different tunings. When I talked to a dude about tuning them to E-E i was told that would be too much tension on them it would be in a risk area for breaking the neck.

Is this true ?

Everyone is getting a Barry now

I know. I want one now. the FOMO is real. eastwood has some cool ones.,

[Lt. Bob]

Nice Snag @Lt. Bob I was kind of toying with getting one a couple years ago when i was kind of going thru a Spaghetti westrern fascination. But didn't know they required entirely different tunings. When I talked to a dude about tuning them to E-E i was told that would be too much tension on them it would be in a risk area for breaking the neck.

Is this true ?

no ..... E-E is lower than B-B so there's less tension ..... dude was knowledge-free
It's E-E an octave down

[vomitHatSteve]

Nice Snag @Lt. Bob I was kind of toying with getting one a couple years ago when i was kind of going thru a Spaghetti westrern fascination. But didn't know they required entirely different tunings. When I talked to a dude about tuning them to E-E i was told that would be too much tension on them it would be in a risk area for breaking the neck.

Is this true ?

no ..... E-E is lower than B-B so there's less tension ..... dude was knowledge-free
It's E-E an octave down

Unless he thought WJ meant tuning back up to match a regular guitar tuning, which is how I would have interpreted the initial question. But then my first follow-up would have been "why do you want a bari if you're tuning to standard?"

So my experience with down-tuning an instrument as much as a fifth like you're talking is that there's so little tension that it's like playing on wet noodles (and I don't think that's the kind of spaghetti you wanted!) The solution is to get a heavier gauge, but you might need to file the nut down to fit that.

[Lt. Bob]

no ..... E-E is lower than B-B so there's less tension ..... dude was knowledge-free
It's E-E an octave down

Unless he thought WJ meant tuning back up to match a regular guitar tuning, which is how I would have interpreted the initial question. But then my first follow-up would have been "why do you want a bari if you're tuning to standard?"

So my experience with down-tuning an instrument as much as a fifth like you're talking is that there's so little tension that it's like playing on wet noodles (and I don't think that's the kind of spaghetti you wanted!) The solution is to get a heavier gauge, but you might need to file the nut down to fit that.

well the suggested tuning for a bass VI is E-E an octave down so the only person who would think that he meant standard tuning would be someone who didn't really know what a VI is although, to be fair, I didn't realize that the proper strings for a VI would be so large..

Looking at the Fender website says they consider 30" scale to be a bass and NOT a baritone.
I actually find myself wondering if I should have gotten something shorter but too late now.
I already mentioned I'll prolly have to work on the nut if I go larger .... that's nothing .... I do that kind of work while watching Spongebob.
I'm ordering what Fender suggests for the VI but I'm leaving it where it is for the moment .... once I change I won't be able to go back .... but these strings feel pretty floppy already even though I'm tuned B-B so I'm surely gonna change.
First I need a gauge measurer so I know what's on it now.

[WhiskeyJack]

no ..... E-E is lower than B-B so there's less tension ..... dude was knowledge-free
It's E-E an octave down

Unless he thought WJ meant tuning back up to match a regular guitar tuning,

This. Yes This.

[rayc]

I was considering tuning to standard E for mine but I experimented and found that writing the chords to a song +5 I can just play along without thinking. I used BIAB as it preps chord charts on the go. Pulled up a song I was working on, clicked key, clicked +5 and bang, I was able to track a baritone chord gtr part for a song. Now, fitting that in the mix is easy & hard...basically adjusting EQ to avoid the bass. I'm already used to the fret spacing,
Avoiding the mental gymnastics by changing the chart is easy BUT it does mean I have to learn some new chords. I can also, now, quickly work out spaghetti lines based on chord tones rather than having to re-imagine the fretboard each time I pick the thing up.
Good luck Lt. Bob, you'll be ace at it of course. Nice looking guitar at a great price.
My only nit with mine is that is has humbuckers...I'd have preferred single coils now that I have played and recorded it but that's not the worst thing in the world.

[Lt. Bob]

well my micrometer says the strings on it are 14 - 65 .... so when I go up to bass VI strings ( 24 - 100 ) I'll definitely need to work on the nut.
I'm gonna order some but I'll prolly stay where it is for a while as I have other, more important projects .... but eventually I'm going full Bass VI like on Wichita Lineman.

[vomitHatSteve]

well my micrometer says the strings on it are 14 - 65 .... so when I go up to bass VI strings ( 24 - 100 ) I'll definitely need to work on the nut.
I'm gonna order some but I'll prolly stay where it is for a while as I have other, more important projects .... but eventually I'm going full Bass VI like on Wichita Lineman.

That is a jump!

You've said before that you like longer scales, right? So given the the chance to do it over and get something that the manufacturer considers a "real" bari in a shorter scale, would you even do so?

[Lt. Bob]

well my micrometer says the strings on it are 14 - 65 .... so when I go up to bass VI strings ( 24 - 100 ) I'll definitely need to work on the nut.
I'm gonna order some but I'll prolly stay where it is for a while as I have other, more important projects .... but eventually I'm going full Bass VI like on Wichita Lineman.

That is a jump!

You've said before that you like longer scales, right? So given the the chance to do it over and get something that the manufacturer considers a "real" bari in a shorter scale, would you even do so?

Well, I'm a bass player so no ...... I just wanted to be able to get that sound of the solo on Wichita Lineman and others and they were done on a 30" 6 string bass ( Danelectro 6 string bass ) and videos of Glen Campbell playing it have him using a Fender VI.
So that sound is what I want and I don't think you'd quite get it with a shorter bari and, as a bass player, I don't have a problem with the length.

OTOH I will tell ya'll that playing chords on it is pretty weird .... you're reaching WAY out there and it's different playing chord shape out there ... not super easy.
Also chords already sound kinda strange that low so I think once I go to the correct strings and tuning, they may be so odd sounding they're unusable but we'll see.
I have lots of stuff going on ( how unusual ) so it'll be a bit before I feel like sitting down and working on that nut to allow the larger strings.

I bought this on a whim but I may grab another Firefly or two before the prices triple under drumpf's tariffs.

[vomitHatSteve]

OTOH I will tell ya'll that playing chords on it is pretty weird .... you're reaching WAY out there and it's different playing chord shape out there ... not super easy.
Also chords already sound kinda strange that low so I think once I go to the correct strings and tuning, they may be so odd sounding they're unusable but we'll see.

Oh yeah! I can imagine