The Six Best Baritone Guitars for Every Budget: Surf, Sludge, and Stoner!
The longer the neck, the hard they hit!
The Five Best Baritone Guitars for Every Budget: Surf, Sludge and Stoner! · Source: PRS
Baritone guitars are popular for their extreme down tunings without additional strings or a wobbly feel. In this purchase advisor, we explain why the long scale is popular not only in metal, but also in other genres. We’ll also take a look at the special features you should look for when choosing the best baritone guitar for you. Get ready to impress your bassist!
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In recent years, we have seen an increase in baritone models from many guitar makers. However, the concept itself is as old as the modern electric guitar. Back in the 1950s, Danelectro developed a baritone model for rock ‘n’ roll guitarist Duane Eddy, and many other manufacturers followed suit.
The baritone guitar gained wider recognition with the success of the Beach Boys and surf rock. In the late 1980s, the competition for lower tuning began, and a new group of musicians embraced the long scale lengths. Metalheads took advantage of some of the unique features of baritone guitars.
Bariton Guitars vs. 7- and 8-Strings
A baritone guitar has the advantage of being easy to play, even when it’s tuned very low. This is made possible by the instrument’s extended scale length. While 7- and 8-string guitars add extra low strings, baritone guitars have longer necks to ensure stable playability.
Unlike 7- or 8-string guitars, baritone guitars are tuned based on more classic than standard intervals. They are usually tuned a fourth (B-E-A-D-F♯-B) or a fifth (A-D-G-C-E-A) lower than a standard guitar.
The longer neck allows for tuning down to the B range while maintaining a similar feel. This allows you to play with the same chord patterns and scale positions as on a standard guitar! For many guitarists, this is the main advantage over additional strings. It’s quick to adjust, and the learning curve is very flat.
Best Baritone Guitars in a Band
Its clear, deep, rumbling sound makes an impression on any band member. In the context of modern metal, it’s hard to imagine many bands without a baritone guitar. However, when playing with other musicians, it’s essential to be aware of the danger of frequency overlap.
In a band context, the guitar is most often an instrument in the mid-range. This is the frequency range where the instrument feels at home and fits in among other instruments. However, extreme downtuning can cause the frequency ranges of both the bass and bass drum to overlap with the baritone guitar’s, resulting in an unfocused, muddy sound.
Classic or Brutal — the Best Baritone Guitars for Your Style
Interestingly, most guitarists today mostly associate baritone guitars with metal genres. However, their long necks offer interesting sonic options for a wide variety of styles, particularly jazz and surf rock in the style of the Beach Boys.
In comparison, modern metal guitars differ from classic baritone guitars mainly in terms of the woods used and the pickups. As both types of baritone guitar have their merits but differ greatly in character, we present four instruments of each type in the following section. Enjoy!
The Best Baritone Guitars for Surfrock, Jazz, and More
With classic, more tame pickups, conservative electronics, and proven wood combinations, these candidates in our baritone guitar selection offer tried-and-true technology alongside a long scale.
Harley Benton JA-Baritone
The JA Baritone from Harley Benton is perfect for anyone looking to take their first steps into the world of baritone guitars. As always, the value for money of this Thomann own-brand product is exceptional.
Its offset body, finished in an elegant opaque black, is reminiscent of Jaguar and Jazzmaster guitars. And the solid poplar wood adds an extra warm, deep tone to the mix. Harley Benton opted for a maple neck with a beautiful C profile, while the purpleheart fretboard features classic block inlays.
With a generous scale length of 762 mm, the JA Baritone is exactly 114 mm longer than typical Jazzmaster models (648 mm). Black deluxe hardware and two AlNiCo P90-style single coils complete the package.
Features:
- Solid poplar body
- Maple neck with C-profile and Purple Heart fretboard
- 30″ scale length for a tight feel when downtuned
- Two P90 AlNiCo vintage-style single coils for classic sound
- Factory string gauge: .014 – .068
The Harley Benton JA-Baritone is one of the best baritone guitars for beginners, and it’s available from Thomann* for $195.00 / £175.00 / €199.00.
Gretsch G5260 EMTC Jet Baritone
A true representative of the Gretsch Electromatic series, the G5260 Baritone embodies everything we love about Gretsch: pure rock ‘n’ roll.
Its classic single-cut body is made entirely of mahogany. A top made of light-sounding maple would be out of place here and defeat the purpose. The maple neck offers space for 22 medium jumbo frets on a laurel fretboard.
With a scale length of 756 mm, this guitar is perfectly matched to factory strings (.014 –.072) and invites you to experiment with tunings down to Drop D. Despite its length, the neck’s thin U-profile fits very comfortably in your hand.
The two Gretsch mini humbuckers deliver a beautifully fat, warm sound without being too ‘hot’ and work flawlessly from jazz to stoner rock. The Gretsch G5260 EMTC Jet features beautiful binding, a synthetic bone saddle, and chrome hardware.
Features:
- Mahogany body with cream binding
- Bolt-on maple neck with laurel fretboard and big block inlays
- 2 Gretsch mini humbuckers
- Chrome hardware, anchored Adjusto-Matic bridge with Gretsch V-Stoptail tailpiece
- Scale length 756, factory strings .014 – .072
The Gretsch G5260 EMTC is another very affordable contender for the best baritone guitars for beginners, and it’s available from Thomann* for $579.00 / £522.00 / €589.00.
Squier Tele Custom Baritone
A Telecaster as a baritone guitar? Why, yes! The Squier Tele Custom Baritone proves the ingenuity and flexibility of the late Leo Fender’s design.
The Tele’s nyatoh body boasts the classic Fender Custom look. Its opaque black, high-gloss finish is edged with white binding, and it features a three-ply pickguard. The neck of the Tele has a comfortable C profile and is classically crafted from maple. The 22 narrow-tall frets are set on a beautifully grained laurel fingerboard.
With a scale length of 686 mm, the Tele isn’t a large guitar, but the .014–.068 strings and B standard tuning make it perfectly playable.
The Squier Tele Custom Baritone’s fat sound is delivered by two Fender-designed AlNiCo single coils and routed through the bridge of the guitar’s body. Nickel hardware, a bone saddle, and chrome barrel string retainers give this Tele a real visual appeal!
Features:
- Nyatho body with white binding on top and back
- Bolt-on maple neck with laurel fretboard (C profile)
- 2 Fender-designed AlNiCo single coils
- Bone saddle, nickel hardware, and vintage-style tuners
- 686 mm scale length with .014–.068 strings
The Squier Tele Custom Baritone is available from Thomann* for $413.00 / £373.00 / €419.00.
The Best Baritone Guitars for Metal and Doom
Baritone guitars have become indispensable, especially in modern metal. Deep and even deeper tunings make the riffs sound brutal and aggressive. To achieve this, these models need high-output pickups and maximum tuning stability.
Harley Benton Amarok-BT
The Amarok series is aimed at the more demanding music crowd and delivers exactly what you would expect. Harley Benton has squeezed a range of impressive features into this well-rounded package, including EMG pickups, stainless steel frets (jumbo, of course), an ebony fretboard and a reversed headstock.
The mahogany body with maple top has a pleasant curve and surrounds the five-strip maple-mahogany neck. You’re not misreading; this is indeed a genuine neck-through construction! The body binding is not glued on, instead, it is a fine offset wood edge that provides a contrast to the curly maple on the top.
With a scale length of 686 mm, the Amarok Baritone Guitar is easy to handle, and the EMG pickups deliver plenty of output. Due to the locking tuners, tuning stability is not an issue, even with the long scale length and hard riffing.
Overall, this is a real metal axe that can handle even the most extreme drop tunings with ease.
Features:
- Mahogany body with cloud maple veneer on the top
- Neck-through construction, 5-strip (maple and mahogany), ebony fretboard
- 2 EMG Retro Active Hot 70 pickups
- Reverse headstock
- Black hardware and locking tuners
The Harley Benton Amarok-BT is available from Thomann* for $539.00 / £479.00 / €549.00.
PRS SE 277 CA Charcoal Burst
The PRS SE 277 Baritone in Charcoal Burst is built for guitarists who want to dig deeper. With its extended 27.7″ scale length, this baritone beast offers tight string tension and clear definition all the way down to a factory-tuned B–E–A–D–F#–B. The mahogany body paired with a carved maple top and figured veneer delivers a rich, punchy tone, and it’s perfect for heavy riffs, ambient drones, or anything in between.
Comfort and class come together in the maple neck, carved to PRS’s Wide Fat profile, while the rosewood fretboard plays fast and smooth. Tone-wise, the two 85/15 “S” humbuckers bring plenty of clarity and punch, even in the lowest registers. They’re voiced to stay articulate with high gain and still shine when cleaned up.
The push/pull tone knob adds optional single-coil flavors, and a 3-way switch plus volume and tone controls make dialing in your sound easy. With a PRS plate-style bridge, string-through body, and solid hardware throughout, this is a baritone built to perform.
Features:
- Mahogany body
- Maple neck with rosewood fretboard and PRS birds inlays
- 2 x 85/15 “S” treble and bass humbuckers, 3-way switch and tone control with push-pull function
- 27.7″ (703 mm) scale length and 22 frets
- PRS plate-style bridge with string-thru-body
The PRS SE 277 CA in Charcoal Burst is available from Thomann* for $1,133.00 / £1,022.00 / €1,149.00.
ESP E-II Viper Baritone
Even your neighbour’s grandmother knows by now that ESP can build metal guitars. However, fewer people are aware that baritone guitars are also part of the Japanese luxury manufacturer’s portfolio.
The E-II Viper Baritone CHMS is a no-nonsense guitar with all the features that make ESP so revered in metal: active EMG 81 (bridge) and EMG 60 (neck) humbuckers, a mahogany body, a maple neck with an ebony fretboard, and Gotoh locking tuners.
With a 27″ scale length, the Viper is easy to master, and its 24 XJ frets help you to stay in control. The matte finish and subtle dot inlays contrast with the dark ebony fretrboard to create a beautifully evil look.
Features:
- Mahogany body with double cutaway
- Maple neck, three-strip with ebony fingerboard and 24 XJ Freds
- 2 active EMG 81 (bridge) & EMG 60 (neck) humbuckers
- Black Gotoh hardware and locking tuners
- 27″ scale length
The ESP E-II Viper Baritone is one of the best baritone guitars on the market. It is available from Thomann* for $2,299.00 / £2,099.00 / €2,399.00.
The Best Baritone Guitars — Conclusion
A baritone guitar is a must-have for any decent guitar collection, whether you play fusion, surf rock, or doom metal.
Its ability to play extreme tunings without the need for additional strings is extremely practical. Because who wants to relearn all the scales and chord shapes?
This guide is based on Jan Rotring’s purchase advisor, first published on Gearnews.de, translated and rewritten by Julian Schmauch.
*Disclaimer: This purchase advisor on the best baritone guitars contains affiliate links and/or widgets. When you buy a product via our affiliate partner, we receive a small commission that helps support what we do. Don’t worry, you pay the same price. Thanks for your support!
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