Gretsch Electromatic baritone

[morrow]

And another kijiji find , Gretsch baritone . Real good price .
It was tuned to B , I’ve dropped it down to A . There’s been talk of an odd little project with some friends , and there’s some baritone in there so I snagged it and might well be letting one of the guitarists have it . We’ll see .
One knob and a strap pin are not original , everything else checks out good .
It is on the heavy side , but being a specialty instrument would only be used for a song or two at a time .
I’ve been playing a Bass VI a lot . This is 29 3/4 scale , so was originally planned to be a Bass VI , but the string spacing is tighter like a guitar , so they marketed it as a baritone . You have to be careful with string length because of the extra scale and the Bigsby .
Herself thinks it’s a fine looking thing . And for the time being I’m enjoying goofing around on it .
Feeling lucky .

[Pilgrim]

I find that extremely gorgeous!!

Wow, simply wow!

[morrow]

Apparently many baritone and Bass VI string sets do not fit . It’s a 29 3/4 scale and the Bigsby adds a couple of inches . So you have to be careful buying strings .
The internet tells me that D'Addario EXL157 Nickel Plated Steel (.014-.068 Gauges, Tuned B to B ) is the way to go .
I’ll try and get a knob and strap pin for it , I’ve got a temporary strap pin on it for now .

[Pilgrim]

Apparently many baritone and Bass VI string sets do not fit . It’s a 29 3/4 scale and the Bigsby adds a couple of inches . So you have to be careful buying strings .
The internet tells me that D'Addario EXL157 Nickel Plated Steel (.014-.068 Gauges, Tuned B to B ) is the way to go .
I’ll try and get a knob and strap pin for it , I’ve got a temporary strap pin on it for now .

Those "G" logo Gretsch knobs should be easy.  Even Amazon has them.

[morrow]

Ordered strings and knobs this morning !
Goofing around on it today .

[ilan]

Oh, that's very sweet.

I'd string it E-E like a bass VI, with flats of course. LaBella has a custom set.

[morrow]

I have a Squier VI (and have been playing it a lot) , the strings on the Gretsch are a little closer together so fingerstyle gets cramped , but not impossible . I find chords in the lower positions don’t always work EtoE it’s just too muddy , but AtoA they’re fine . So I got baritone strings . Chords just ring !
I’ve heard that if you’re going to use the Bigsby a lot you should pick up a roller bridge , and the tuning will hold up better . There’s a drop in replacement . So far I haven’t used the bar much .
We’ll see , I’ll probably pick one up.
I may wind up selling it to a friend for a project we’re starting , or may fall for it and hang on to it . It’s an enjoyable rabbit hole I did not anticipate . It’s wonderful to be retired and curious .
It will possess some serious twang with fresh strings , and that’s what we’re looking for .

[Pilgrim]

Sounds delightful!!

And I freely confess to loving the look of the Gretsch instruments.