Baritone 8 string acoustic

[PeterDoubt]

Howdy!

What does anyone know about this guitar? I'm getting wildly conflicting information. I've heard they've stopped making them entirely, that they can still be ordered from the custom shop, etc., etc,. I played a 2010 Indian Rosewood last weekend that I loved. I believe they made a 2012 Fall LMTD in Mahogany or Tasmaninan Blackwood, which ironically is a very light colored wood. The 8 string has an octave on the 3rd and 4th strings and is tuned down about 4 steps. Again, I could be mis or misterinformed. Wouldn't be the first time.
The prices are all over the map. Last w/e they were asking somewhere around $xxx or $xxx. I checked the ebay sold listings and about 5 went for between $xxx and $xxx. in January and February.
Someone told me I could order one for xxx up front. Dave's in Lacrosse seemed to think they aren't being made anymore. I am infatuated, of course.
I have no way of knowing where the prices are going to go. I sure would like one. And now that I've just posted this, I've probably made id much more difficuly, unless there is a kind soul out there. The next few months are going to be tight right now, too, of course. Thanks for letting me rant and rave a bit here - where else would one accomplish such a feat?

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend :   )
And if not, fake it. Works for me.


Thanks from Mister Doubt :   )

removed $ references

[guitarsrsoawesome]

A local music store loaned me one to try out and you're right, they do have octave strings on the third and fourth.  The one I tried had a GS body shape and beautiful appointments.   I believe it also was a rosewood.  Taylor is calling it a Legacy Model now which means they are no longer in production, but they list a phone number on this page for people interested in one:

http://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/baritone-8

Hope that helps

[PeterDoubt]

Thanks..more conflicting info, though. Anyone know of a good used version?

[PeterDoubt]

They no longer make the Legacy Baritone 8. Any ideas?

[Earl]

Peter, as Taylor uses it legacy model means "no longer in regular production" but you can almost always order it as a custom build.  FWIW, I happen to have a six string 416 LTD baritone that I could part with.  It's not what you were asking about, but PM me if you want more info.  I just haven't gotten around to posting an ad here.....

[PeterDoubt]

Thanks, but I'm really looking for an 8 string Rosewood. Appreciate the offer. I'm pretty interested in which direction the price moves..currently too high I think. I hope a couple more open up though :  ) good luck to you...

[crtsoln]

I actually picked up a Baritone 8 string as new old stock about 18 months ago in Canada (Made in Aug 2012 according to the serial #). They are truly a different sounding guitar. You play them exactly as you would play a six string but the guitar is in a B tuning (B E A D F# B) with the two additional strings tuned the same as the regular string (A and D). Taylor did offer a 400 series 8 string limited edition as a fall 2012 model but I don't believe the rosewood is available anymore as a stock model and only as a BTO now but you may find someone that still has one sitting on a hook somewhere, they were really not that popular. They are a bit longer scale (27 inch) and I have only ever seen them in a GS body style. Your right about the pricing being all over them map. I have seen listings for more than I paid new for it and others about where I expected them to be used. There are limited qty available so unlike the standard Taylor models there really isn't any fixed range used pricing to drive off of.

I love mine but I honestly don't pull it out that often. When you ready and if you don't mind getting something from Canada, let me know. I may consider selling, especially with the exchange they way it is.

G'luck.

[Ironhead1977]

I put a set of mediums on from a 12 string set and tuned to C# it really sounds great.

[Earl]

I do something similar with my 416LTD baritone 6.  I put heavy's on it (14-59, D'Addario EJ-18 set) and tune it to C.  I found that the long 27" scale and the original string set (16-70) was just a bit much for my gradually weakening left hand.  It is now fun to play my baritone again with "lighter" strings.

[mgap]

I do something similar with my 416LTD baritone 6.  I put heavy's on it (14-59, D'Addario EJ-18 set) and tune it to C.  I found that the long 27" scale and the original string set (16-70) was just a bit much for my gradually weakening left hand.  It is now fun to play my baritone again with "lighter" strings.

Thats cool Earl.  I have played a couple of those but never with the lighter strings,  did the tone change much from the change of strings?

[Earl]

Since the 59-14 heavy gauge set is tuned C-C, the overall tension is pretty close to the 70-16 tuned to B, I didn't even need to make a truss rod adjustment.

As for tone it lost maybe 5%.  It's so hard to quantify something like tone.  But whatever I might have given up in tone (not much) was well worth it to gain easier playability.  This is not very different from using lights or extra lights at standard E-E tuning on a regular guitar - similar results.  At the next string change I might experiment with using a single 62 for the sixth string instead of the 59 that is part of the set, to see if it gives me perceptibly more bass by driving the top just a little harder. 

I was almost ready to give up on playing the baritone altogether with the original super-heavy strings tuned B-B, but still loved the low growling tone.  By going comparatively "light" gauge, I still have most of the baritone sound and it's soooo much easier on my fretting hand.  The experiment only cost me a set of strings.  That is why I picked the EJ-18 set.  They are the only readily available heavy gauge set in stock at most stores (without having to order something special).  I actually got this idea from a friend who has a Santa Cruz baritone.  She loved how easy it played for her, but she was using mediums tuned down to B -- way too floppy and buzzy.  I did some work with the D'Addario on-line string tension calculator and figured out what would work as an easy off the shelf experiment.

[Louis]

I'm pretty dumb on these baritones so enlighten me,you say you play them the same way you play a 6 string.so let's say your tuned normal pitch and you want to play. As an example " Early morning rain " in "C" do you just go ahead and do it like you would a normal 6 string ?.Cause I went through this a bit when I bought , my 12 string and the guy at GuitarWorks in Calgary basically told me in my case I would be better off with a 12 instead.

[DennisG]

I'm pretty dumb on these baritones so enlighten me,you say you play them the same way you play a 6 string.so let's say your tuned normal pitch and you want to play. As an example " Early morning rain " in "C" do you just go ahead and do it like you would a normal 6 string ?.Cause I went through this a bit when I bought , my 12 string and the guy at GuitarWorks in Calgary basically told me in my case I would be better off with a 12 instead.

Louis,

A baritone guitar is typically tuned from B to B, unlike a standard guitar which is tuned from E to E.  The difference between the two guitars is 2.5 whole steps.  So if you play a C-shape chord on a baritone, in actuality, you'll be playing a G, since G is 2.5 steps lower than C.  Make sense?

[guitarsrsoawesome]

I'm pretty dumb on these baritones so enlighten me,you say you play them the same way you play a 6 string.so let's say your tuned normal pitch and you want to play. As an example " Early morning rain " in "C" do you just go ahead and do it like you would a normal 6 string ?.Cause I went through this a bit when I bought , my 12 string and the guy at GuitarWorks in Calgary basically told me in my case I would be better off with a 12 instead.

Louis,

A baritone guitar is typically tuned from B to B, unlike a standard guitar which is tuned from E to E.  The difference between the two guitars is 2.5 whole steps.  So if you play a C-shape chord on a baritone, in actuality, you'll be playing a G, since G is 2.5 steps lower than C.  Make sense?

What a great explanation in one concise paragraph.  Well done, my friend, well done.