Baritone or 7? production or custom?

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colimofsmoke

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hey all,

So I'm back in the market for a new guitar, looking to pick something up in a month or so. Been playing in B standard or A standard for a while now. Think doom with a more modern sound, and more articulation/midrange/cut. VHT Deliverance at the moment. I played a 7 string for a while, 26.5 scale, mahogany, neck-through, Blackouts. Thing was great, but I never used the 7th string (i.e. the highest one), and the fretboard width caused me some hand cramping during longer jams. I really prefer the feel of a 6, but have had a lot of problems with string tension and staying in tune trying to run B standard on 6's. Should clarify here that I prefer SG/Gibsons, and am trying to stay away from super strat bodies. I'm aware that people make it work on LP scale necks, but I found I really preferred the string feel with the 26.5 scale in that tuning. I play with a drummer and no bass player, so no worries about "stepping on the bassist's toes". kind of the point, actually.

Sooo, anyone got any suggestions on baritones? The widely available tele and Guild baritones are not appealing to me at all. The PRS Mushok looks alright, but reviews don't paint a pretty picture: scale too long (27.7), pickups muddy, neck dive, etc. I'm not interested in the Schecter baritone because A: i've already had a flat black schecter 7 and want something different, and B: not down with superstrats.

The wild card here is, I talked to Black Water a while back, and he was willing to make me a baritone scale SG, macassar Ebony top, ebony fingerboard, mahogany set neck and mahogany body, BKP warpigs, all of which he thought would get me the dark sound yet retain articulation. Which all sounded great, other than the fact that we couldn't agree on a headstock shape. but then Sandy happened and screwed with my money. hard. I don't want to post the dude's quote without his permission, but let's just say more than 2, less than 3.

So, if I can find a production baritone or 7 (ESP LTD MLH-7, maybe?) for somewhere in the $600 to <$1k range, that would be good, I can pick something up in a few weeks and get rocking again. Or do I bite the bullet, wait a couple more months, put down the deposit instead of picking up the cheaper guitar, and get my first custom?

Cheers
 
This looks like a killer Baritone! Nice price point too. :thumbsup:

King Guitar":1x16aogv said:
2013_ESP_New_Products_Page_41_zpsd0209a73.jpg
 
I have a 26.5" Schecter SLS C-1 EX. I was someone who really disliked Schecter for years. The new SLS series feels great. The body width and neck profile feel really comfortable. I have it tuned to drop Bb, and it stays in tune very well and intonates without issues. It would be right in your price range.
 
My PRS Mushok baritone rocks, and I own several bari's. No neck dive, solid, resonant guitar. I don't think the 27.7" scale is "too long," I regularly switch between 25", 25.5" 27.7" and 29 5/8" scale guitars, so I may notice it less than most. The stock pickups were a bit muddy for me, but I know some guys who have gotten good results from them. When I put a Gibson 500T in the bridge, it really livened the guitar up. Clear, articulate and very mean sounding.

That EC401B is on my to-get list, as well.
 
dooredge":8nuanxur said:
This looks like a killer Baritone! Nice price point too. :thumbsup:

King Guitar":8nuanxur said:
Too bad about the 24 frets. I am guessing they dont feel as small on the extended neck though. I hate it on the regular LTD's.
 
SomeGuyChi":g1rkg1aa said:
My PRS Mushok baritone rocks, and I own several bari's. No neck dive, solid, resonant guitar. I don't think the 27.7" scale is "too long," I regularly switch between 25", 25.5" 27.7" and 29 5/8" scale guitars, so I may notice it less than most. The stock pickups were a bit muddy for me, but I know some guys who have gotten good results from them. When I put a Gibson 500T in the bridge, it really livened the guitar up. Clear, articulate and very mean sounding.

That EC401B is on my to-get list, as well.


hm, ok. maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but that's the first positive things I've really heard about the PRS Mushok. Really curious about that ESP, may be the way to go.
 
I had the PRS MM baritone for a moment. Nice guitar, but I never gelled w/ the 27.7" scale or the flatness of the body. I like archtop guitars so it didn't stick around too long. Stock p/ups aren't good for metal either. Count on replacing them if that's what you're after musically.
 
not bad! more djenty sounding than i'm after, but good to hear.
 
colimofsmoke":j3gin75a said:
not bad! more djenty sounding than i'm after, but good to hear.

Ha yea, I know :aww: It's more "djenty" sounding than I'm usually after, too, but for some reason, that's the sound my right hand is putting out these days.
 
After owning a slew of 7s which I didn't get on with for one reason or another (Ibanez RG7321: too cheap; RG1527: too dark; Schecter C-7: horrible fretwork, cheap floyd; ESP Viper 7 Standard: great but no floyd rose), I'm getting one custom built.

As for baritone, I'm ordering up an Epiphone Robb Flynn sig next month.
 
colimofsmoke":1nd24eju said:
SomeGuyChi":1nd24eju said:
My PRS Mushok baritone rocks, and I own several bari's. No neck dive, solid, resonant guitar. I don't think the 27.7" scale is "too long," I regularly switch between 25", 25.5" 27.7" and 29 5/8" scale guitars, so I may notice it less than most. The stock pickups were a bit muddy for me, but I know some guys who have gotten good results from them. When I put a Gibson 500T in the bridge, it really livened the guitar up. Clear, articulate and very mean sounding.

That EC401B is on my to-get list, as well.


hm, ok. maybe I'm looking in the wrong places, but that's the first positive things I've really heard about the PRS Mushok. Really curious about that ESP, may be the way to go.

The Mushok is amazing. Well built, and sounds incredible with a pickup swap. I've had two so far.
 
ok, that's good to hear. i'll have to see if I can find one to check out. either that, or i'll probably go for the ESP, although I didn't care so much for the couple of EC's I've played.
 
Just a heads up that Rondo has quite a few 27" scale AL and possibly scepters too. May be worth checking out.
 
I play a Deliverance 60 myself as a main amp, owned 7's and an 8 for years, but finally admitted to myself that 6 strings is where it's at and sold off the 7's and 8.

Bought the super cheap Ibanez RGD320 baritone 6 string and changed the shit stock pickups to EMTY/AHB-1 Blackouts and now the thing straight up kills!!

Give me a baritone 6 over a 7 or 8 any day :rock:

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think I'll just pick up the PRS Mushok and throw some pups in it. Maybe some ceramic BKP Warpigs.
 
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