JohnJohn Posted March 1, 2004 Report Posted March 1, 2004 It's been a while so I might have this reversed.Is it Longer Scale = less tension or shorter scale = less tension? Quote
fidgec94 Posted March 1, 2004 Report Posted March 1, 2004 Longer scale length = increased string tension, hence why baritones are good for de-tuning Quote
darren wilson Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 Longer scale length = increased string tension, hence why baritones are good for de-tuning Arrgh. This really drives me crazy! Baritone is the tuning, not the scale length. Long-scale necks are ideally suited for baritone tuning, but the scale length itself does not make the instrument a baritone. You can tune a Les Paul down to A and it will be a baritone. You can tune a 27" scale guitar to concert pitch and it will NOT be a baritone. Can we please start using this terminology correctly? Quote
fidgec94 Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 Longer scale length = increased string tension, hence why baritones are good for de-tuning Arrgh. This really drives me crazy! Baritone is the tuning, not the scale length. Long-scale necks are ideally suited for baritone tuning, but the scale length itself does not make the instrument a baritone. You can tune a Les Paul down to A and it will be a baritone. You can tune a 27" scale guitar to concert pitch and it will NOT be a baritone. Can we please start using this terminology correctly? I didn't know that, certainly most of the sites i've visited that sell extended scale necks just refer to them as a baritone neck. Correction noted! Quote
westhemann Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 yes every site i see has baritones sold seperately from the guitars...just like basses are basses even though they are guitars... in any case it seems a little picky Quote
darren wilson Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 Tell ESP that. If ESP ships the guitars tuned down to B or A, then technically they are baritone instruments. "Baritone" describes the note range between the Bass and Tenor voices. Quote
darren wilson Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 yes every site i see has baritones sold seperately from the guitars...just like basses are basses even though they are guitars... in any case it seems a little picky Basses ARE basses. I believe "Bass Guitar" is a term that was invented when electric basses started being built using the same construction methods as guitars. Basses traditionally were not fretted instruments. Bass is bass, guitar is guitar, baritone is baritone. Yes, technically they are their own distinct class of instrument, in between the guitar and the bass. But they're called "Baritone" because of their tuning, not the length of their neck. The low tuning necessitates the longer scale length in order to achieve better tone and intonation, not the other way around. I really don't think i'm being picky. I'm a stickler for using correct terminology so people don't get confused or misled by incorrect information. Quote
Saber Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 So if you tune a guitar down an octave, can you call it a bass guitar? Quote
westhemann Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 yes every site i see has baritones sold seperately from the guitars...just like basses are basses even though they are guitars... in any case it seems a little picky Basses ARE basses. I believe "Bass Guitar" is a term that was invented when electric basses started being built using the same construction methods as guitars. Basses traditionally were not fretted instruments. Bass is bass, guitar is guitar, baritone is baritone. Yes, technically they are their own distinct class of instrument, in between the guitar and the bass. But they're called "Baritone" because of their tuning, not the length of their neck. The low tuning necessitates the longer scale length in order to achieve better tone and intonation, not the other way around. I really don't think i'm being picky. I'm a stickler for using correct terminology so people don't get confused or misled by incorrect information. don't you think this might be a useless debate?really what do you hope to accomplish?do you want every new member to read through the project guitar book of P.C. terminology so that your pet peeve can be alleviated? so now everyone should type "baritone scale instrument" instead of just a simple "baritone"? sorry,but that is.....picky and like you said...technically they ARE their own class of instrument anyway Quote
darren wilson Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 don't you think this might be a useless debate?really what do you hope to accomplish?do you want every new member to read through the project guitar book of P.C. terminology so that your pet peeve can be alleviated? so now everyone should type "baritone scale instrument" instead of just a simple "baritone"? sorry,but that is.....picky You may call it a useless debate. I call it correcting misinformation. If you're happy with letting it slide, that's fine. I prefer not to. Isn't this forum supposed to be about learning? Why is my "pet peeve" being dismissed as some sort of crusade toward political correctness (i honestly don't know where you pulled that from), when i'm trying to educate and correct false assumptions or simple misinterpretations of language? Yes it's a pet peeve, and maybe my first post came off a little aggressive, but upholding clarity in language is something i care about. Quote
westhemann Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 i don't feel you are correcting misinformation as "baritone" has become an accepted word to describe a long scaled instrument built to be tuned to A anyway you have made your point and i have made mine...let's leave it at that as i don't want to turn this thread into a long and fruitless argument Quote
BLS Posted March 2, 2004 Report Posted March 2, 2004 I dont think calling a 27" scale guitar a baritone will matter much Quote
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