SG Baritone Tuning and Strings

[ShamusCockhorse]

Just saw this stunning guitar yesterday and blown away. Not being familiar with baritone guitars, I just have a few questions. I understand the purpose for this guitars design, however, I don't like using heavier gauge strings, nor being locked into any tuning, so wondering if anyone has used lighter gauge or tuned up any, and how it holds up. Not sure if it just doesn't work for this style guitar, but aesthetically I love the design color and look, plus the fact that it's a heavier larger SG, as one of my issues with SGs is they are too light and small for my personal tastes.

[capmaster]

Hello SC, and welcome here.

 

The purpose of the longer scale is achieving a cleaner tone at baritone tuning pitches BEADF#B. Standard EADGBE tuning at 27" scale means increased string tension. The specific string tension, force per square, depends on scale and pitch only, regardless of gauge. As a result, any string tuned to E4, the standard pitch of the E1st, may withstand the tension for a significantly shorter period. This is a point to be considered although the SG Baritone is of shorter scale than most other baritone guitars.

[drzing]

The baritone guitar is a baritone guitar, its the nature of the beast.

Like Capmaster said, the longer scale implies in increased tension, hence why thicker strings

are used, I guess that thinner strings might render a baritone guitar impossible to have intonation

properly set in all or most strings.

I find that any SG (or other good guitar) can stand a very broad range of tunings, but you cannot

vary too much without needing to adjust other parameters, like string gauge, intonation, or even the

nut rod, when tension gets to vary too much.

Long neck requires thicker strings, otherwise you're going against its purpose, which is also a lower

sounding instrument. Its a baritone, its not a bass, its not a guitar, its something inbetween.

[KNude]

Hello,

 

Does someone know what the stock strings (make and gauges) for the SG Baritone are?

One of the strings on my new baritone snapped and I replaced it with something I had at hand at the moment. The new string seems to be too light and causes pressed notes to be sharp. The stock strings sound and feel perfect.

 

- KNude