I bought one a month ago. Expected an ok experience. Had a Taylor baritone for about $1600 that I got rid of. This guitar blew me away. Playability fantastic and surprisingly well balanced. No setup needed. I haven't played anything else since it arrived. Great value.
Seriously? Do I really have to explain Guitar 101, that price doesn't always dictate quality of sound? It's a pretty basic concept. The Taylor was well made and better wood (probably), The Alvarez just sounds better.
Hey Fair enough buddy. If you feel that that's your view. No need to get upset. I just usually find it goes the other way. I.e. You pay for what you get with instruments. I'm currently researching the baritone Taylor £1300 ish compared to the Taylor 916 £4,300 with a big detune down to a B tuning. I haven't played either yet....not sure if it's worth buying a baritone or just a good sounding guitar detuned. What do you think?
mate, can you use baritone acoustic guitars to play in standard tunings? lol I wanna get a baritone to play low end stuff but I really want it to be versatile to play things in standard
@@christopheralvares8493 I had an acoustic bass. Takamine. Bought it for the campfires. No volume at all. Completely drowned out by only two acoustic guitars. They're a novelty. Got rid of it. Uprights are the only acoustic bass worth owning.
Agreed I have the 2011 I believe… I had to pay the $1800.00 as it was handcrafted/assembled back then… anyways, when I want to play a lot of bass lines and runs I tune to B and when I want a more standard acoustic sound I tune to C. Feel you whole upper body vibrate so one really can feel the music. Most fun to play out of my guitar collection Taylor Martin Rushing etc. best 400 one can invest reg music equip. Ps. It has soo many capabilities. Eg: recoding tracks for new songs I write. I can use just this guitar for all tracks bass rhythm and bass.
They asked him what kind of machine heads he had and he laughed "I never got into head shrinking and I don't think I could shrink them that small anyway"
Can you make a vid playing J200 & ABT60 showing sound difference between the two? If you have one already, I'll keep looking for it. Thanks & great video here on the Alvarez
I read somewhere that they manufacture nuts and saddles out of bone dust. Maybe it's something like this. It's made out of real bone but it's not just cut out of a bone.
I think this may be what I buy next. I currently have a really nice Cordoba C5 Nylon that I gig with. The issue has been that I have really big hands and other than playing a classical guitar with a wide neck, I've been SOL finding a guitar that would fit my hands, this one looks about right
Those that are bashing the sound, I don't have an OPINION because I've never played it. It's hard to base a decision on a video when for one the demonstrator spent most of the video talking and not playing, 2, mic and eq affects sound, and 3 the headphones or speakers used to listen affects how you perceive the sound to be, Last but not least, taste in tone is a personal preference, nothing more. I played on $1,200 guitars that I didn't like, and $300 guitars I loved... Tone is a matter of personal taste, nothing more. Rather than say " it sounds like shit" how about saying for example " it doesn't seem to have as much low end as I like" or " it's not bright enough for me, I like my guitars to be low to mid range" as an example... thank you for reading this if you made it this far...
I picked up a used Epiphone EJ-200 (non-cutaway) off of Craigslist four or five years back. I wanted a carry around busking/campfire guitar that I wasn't worried about getting damaged/stolen/etc... it was in good shape, looked decent and at $200, it fit the bill of "Someone swiped it, oh well." That guitar is one of my favourites today and I'm as likely to reach for it as I am my Eastman jumbo when I'm scratching ideas in the studio. I've also had nothing but compliments from anyone who has picked it up or commented on its sound. I think these were $300 new... again, a campfire level guitar that absolutely floored me because I picked it up with realistic expectations. That's exactly why I just ordered the ABT60 on Friday. I'm not expecting a Martin Grand Baritone... because I wouldn't want to carry that down to the park, coffee shop or pub for a hang and strum -- I also have no idea of whether a Baritone will "speak" to me until I've had the opportunity to live with one a while. At $400, that makes sense. At Martin's $6000... it would be foolish. That's sort of the story of my ex-wife, and I learned that lesson. Finally, you are absolutely correct on judging tone and quality of sound off not only a recording, but on TH-cam. First and foremost, I wouldn't mic a baritone the way I would I would a standard guitar and I wouldn't give it the same post-treatment... but I don't expect Eric to really change anything around for a quick mile high overview. Especially considering the TH-cam part. TH-cam is great for exposure, entertainment and background listening, but it's not the right tool to judge the quality and characteristic of an instrument. Beyond the lossy sound encoding, most people are listening on their phone with earbuds or laptop speakers. What kind of neutral sound reproduction can one expect?
I think Baritone guitars suffer from having their treble strings tuned too low, which is why I like a tuning like 6C-5G-4c-3g-2c-1e or 6Bb-5G-4c-3f-2c-1e. Love those deep tones. Yet, without any diamonds in the sky (glistening trebles) some of the charm of the acoustic guitar is lost.
I’m glad I found your review! I’m looking to add a baritone electric-acoustic to my collection and I wanted to see a demo from someone whose opinion I trust. I’m thinking this will add some tonal depth to my new acoustic punk band project! Thanks again for all the lessons and inspiration!
Its a baritone. Tune the low B string 2 half steps down and you have Drop A tuning. Or all strings down by 1 full step and you have A Standard tuning. I think you can wiggle with it all you want.
Thank you for your thorough review. I am pondering picking up a baritone guitar myself and I was looking at this and the orangewood Hugo live. Anybody compared the two on her or can speak on both? Much appreciated!
MrBuc128 You don't buy a baritone or 7/8/9/15 string guitar just to tune it like a standard 6 string. Just stick to a normal guitar if that's what you want. The unusual guitars are designed that way for a reason.
+MrBuc128 Most people play baritones in standard tuning, but its standard tuning transposed down to B, or even lower. So you still play all the same shapes, its just lower.
@@yourguitarsage well. Perhaps you could give a link to describtion. And probably add some playing on the guitar instead of reading. I think this is great instrument btw.
Just checked if this guitar is available in Britain & i see that it is at £260 = $409 to £369 = $576 .. I just purchased a Farida m2 ens parlour guitar ( a lovely instrument ) so i cant afford one of these unless i hit the beans on toast diet for a month or so ; it then begs the question : is it worth having my living room smell like a bag of dry roasted peanuts for the sake of a new guitar ?
for sure excellent guitar for the money, i got the ABT 60E, has the B-Band SYS650 electronics on it and it has a built in tuner, but for me, its only a 440 tuner and i use 432, so i drew a line on the tuner at 432 but is a little difficult to use that way, strange they dont come with a case, but found a open box jumbo gator case deal online for cheap that works real well, anyway, i have 3 guitars hanging beside of me in arms reach, and i seam to grab this baritone guitar most of the time, it just real fun to play and mess around with, its like the ultimate acoustic unplugged bass that also does loe kottke toned style guitar, and ry cooder with a slide, its a really fun guitar to play!, actually, now i know why the 7 string guitar was made, that missing high string sound takes some getting used to when playing a full chord, i actually been thinking of trying to turn one into a baritone 12 string, lol, but the neck doesn't look quite wide enough, anyway, im so glad i got this guitar,
Would 16 70 strings work on normal tuning on my normal acoustic looking for Most heavy strings for my fender newporter I’ve had normal 14 60 gauge sounded incredible wondering if that’s the heaviest gauge before they become baratone
I believe the 16 70s are a baritone set of strings. I'm no professional but I would suggest , you experiment with different strings . Throw em on there, see what happens. Play you a vintage Alvarez , there's something about these guitars
I have to have a little fun with this video,,, " i don't nothing about it, don't understand what baritone is or what the tuning is but man it sounds great and you got to buy one" LOL Actually I may end up getting one. I've listened to taylor reviews of the same type of guitar and this one sounds more workable in post and live, it seems to be a little brighter while keeping a warm quality. Sounds great. I don't know what he used to record it but He probably don't know what mic he used or how he did it LOL Sorry had to poke fun a little, but man it does sound great though,,,
"Or a person, maybe in other countries" Ahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha You had me in stitches with that dry delivery, oh my goodness hahahhahahaha
Seriously thank you so much for saying that. I bought this thing too and was a bit appointed (considering I could have spent that same $400 on a standard acoustic like a taylor/martin and the tone would kick its ass.) Now with that being said, this isn't a terrible instrument and you probably won't be able to find too many acoustic baritone options in this price range. And I don't feel like the tone sounds like total junk. But I was very disappointed with what I got considering what I spent. Not horrible. But I'm sick of people over-hyping the tone on this thing. That's not the reason they should tell you to buy it. If you buy it, it should be because you want to experiment with your first baritone acoustic before you buy an expensive one. You know youre not getting an instrument thats gonna sound like a martin. But after you get a feel for it, you can then go buy the Alverez Yairi version of this baritone, (and the tone on that thing will blow this abt60 out of the water.Check it out on here if you havent) Of course that same Yairi is 1300$ brand new though. I guess the truth is: you're just not gonna get a killer sounding acoustic baritone for 400$ and I am a little upset because that's the impression I got before I ordered this instrument. Should have played it in a store first but I trusted all of the reviews that bragged about the amazing sound on this thing lol
I bought one a month ago. Expected an ok experience. Had a Taylor baritone for about $1600 that I got rid of. This guitar blew me away. Playability fantastic and surprisingly well balanced. No setup needed. I haven't played anything else since it arrived. Great value.
Bob Lewis
Confused. you swapped a £1800 guitar for a £300 one? And it's better? Please explain
Seriously? Do I really have to explain Guitar 101, that price doesn't always dictate quality of sound? It's a pretty basic concept. The Taylor was well made and better wood (probably), The Alvarez just sounds better.
Hey Fair enough buddy. If you feel that that's your view. No need to get upset.
I just usually find it goes the other way. I.e. You pay for what you get with instruments.
I'm currently researching the baritone Taylor £1300 ish compared to the Taylor 916 £4,300 with a big detune down to a B tuning. I haven't played either yet....not sure if it's worth buying a baritone or just a good sounding guitar detuned. What do you think?
mate, can you use baritone acoustic guitars to play in standard tunings? lol I wanna get a baritone to play low end stuff but I really want it to be versatile to play things in standard
Azman Al Aydeross- capo it...
As a bassist, I prefer these over acoustic basses.
Totally agree with you
@@christopheralvares8493 I had an acoustic bass. Takamine. Bought it for the campfires. No volume at all. Completely drowned out by only two acoustic guitars. They're a novelty. Got rid of it. Uprights are the only acoustic bass worth owning.
@@ferox965 agreed
Mtv unplugged acoustic basses sounds good
I highly agree with this
I'm gonna get one of these sometime soon and have it tuned to C cause other acoustics I've played just don't perform well when I tune down that low.
Agreed I have the 2011 I believe… I had to pay the $1800.00 as it was handcrafted/assembled back then… anyways, when I want to play a lot of bass lines and runs I tune to B and when I want a more standard acoustic sound I tune to C. Feel you whole upper body vibrate so one really can feel the music. Most fun to play out of my guitar collection Taylor Martin Rushing etc. best 400 one can invest reg music equip.
Ps. It has soo many capabilities. Eg: recoding tracks for new songs I write. I can use just this guitar for all tracks bass rhythm and bass.
Jeffrey Dahmer used real bone in his bridge and his tone was to die for.
Fuck sake xD
Roy Jiminez what band is he in?
Faruk and the Fabulous Farm Boys
I thought he used it in his fridge
They asked him what kind of machine heads he had and he laughed "I never got into head shrinking and I don't think I could shrink them that small anyway"
It's got a bone nut and saddle. Also, the double-A headstock inlay is just one of their 2 logos.
👍🙏
Can you make a vid playing J200 & ABT60 showing sound difference between the two? If you have one already, I'll keep looking for it. Thanks & great video here on the Alvarez
Intro music actually from the instrument in the video!
The ABT60 is the cheapest guitar I've ever purchased, and by far my favorite. I haven't played a standard guitar since I bought it.
I agree. It’s an amazing guitar at an amazing price.
Cheap ? I have to sell one of my kidneys to purchase one of them.
@Gabriel Alexander this is cheap my pick guard on my Martin is worth $500
@@alex.ann_der I picked up a used ABT60e for 300 bucks. That's dirt cheap
@@TheGeniuschrist Living in South America hits hard bro.
I was expecting a Drop A demonstration
Sergio Jiménez that’s where I’m stays
I read somewhere that they manufacture nuts and saddles out of bone dust. Maybe it's something like this. It's made out of real bone but it's not just cut out of a bone.
What was the intro song and do you have a tutorial for it?:3
matthewisonline same. that little bass lick.... while common, ya jsut gotta love it.
aurally dictate it you scribe
Was that sufjan in the intro?
Is it good for strumming?
I think this may be what I buy next. I currently have a really nice Cordoba C5 Nylon that I gig with. The issue has been that I have really big hands and other than playing a classical guitar with a wide neck, I've been SOL finding a guitar that would fit my hands, this one looks about right
did you record this with only a room mic? it sounds great
I have one of these and did some filing of the nut to lower the string height, and it looked to be an actual bone nut based on the residue.
Those that are bashing the sound, I don't have an OPINION because I've never played it.
It's hard to base a decision on a video when for one the demonstrator spent most of the video talking and not playing, 2, mic and eq affects sound, and 3 the headphones or speakers used to listen affects how you perceive the sound to be,
Last but not least, taste in tone is a personal preference, nothing more. I played on $1,200 guitars that I didn't like, and $300 guitars I loved... Tone is a matter of personal taste, nothing more.
Rather than say " it sounds like shit" how about saying for example " it doesn't seem to have as much low end as I like" or " it's not bright enough for me, I like my guitars to be low to mid range" as an example...
thank you for reading this if you made it this far...
I picked up a used Epiphone EJ-200 (non-cutaway) off of Craigslist four or five years back. I wanted a carry around busking/campfire guitar that I wasn't worried about getting damaged/stolen/etc... it was in good shape, looked decent and at $200, it fit the bill of "Someone swiped it, oh well."
That guitar is one of my favourites today and I'm as likely to reach for it as I am my Eastman jumbo when I'm scratching ideas in the studio. I've also had nothing but compliments from anyone who has picked it up or commented on its sound. I think these were $300 new... again, a campfire level guitar that absolutely floored me because I picked it up with realistic expectations.
That's exactly why I just ordered the ABT60 on Friday. I'm not expecting a Martin Grand Baritone... because I wouldn't want to carry that down to the park, coffee shop or pub for a hang and strum -- I also have no idea of whether a Baritone will "speak" to me until I've had the opportunity to live with one a while. At $400, that makes sense. At Martin's $6000... it would be foolish. That's sort of the story of my ex-wife, and I learned that lesson.
Finally, you are absolutely correct on judging tone and quality of sound off not only a recording, but on TH-cam. First and foremost, I wouldn't mic a baritone the way I would I would a standard guitar and I wouldn't give it the same post-treatment... but I don't expect Eric to really change anything around for a quick mile high overview. Especially considering the TH-cam part. TH-cam is great for exposure, entertainment and background listening, but it's not the right tool to judge the quality and characteristic of an instrument. Beyond the lossy sound encoding, most people are listening on their phone with earbuds or laptop speakers. What kind of neutral sound reproduction can one expect?
What is the intro number? Please I need to learn it! Freaking awesome!!
My take on “John Wayne Gacy Jr.”, by Sufjan Stevens. Haunting! 👍🙏
What string gauge do you usually use for baritone guitars ?
13 standard.
@@jinshark9078 Thank you
Just ordered one. Thanks for the review.
I think Baritone guitars suffer from having their treble strings tuned too low, which is why I like a tuning like 6C-5G-4c-3g-2c-1e or 6Bb-5G-4c-3f-2c-1e.
Love those deep tones. Yet, without any diamonds in the sky (glistening trebles) some of the charm of the acoustic guitar is lost.
I am getting one of those
What song are you playing in the intro? It sounds amazing!
Did you find it hard to fret? Thanks for the review!
🙏
I’m glad I found your review! I’m looking to add a baritone electric-acoustic to my collection and I wanted to see a demo from someone whose opinion I trust. I’m thinking this will add some tonal depth to my new acoustic punk band project! Thanks again for all the lessons and inspiration!
Thought John Hetfield over here was reading off a floor displayed teleprompter until I realized he was looking at his computer
Are there special strings to baritone guitars?
Yes. Baritone strings
Can this be tuned to A ?
Its a baritone. Tune the low B string 2 half steps down and you have Drop A tuning.
Or all strings down by 1 full step and you have A Standard tuning.
I think you can wiggle with it all you want.
20 sec in & I Want one :) Sounds GOOD. Tune that baby to an open tuning wow.
+Watchman4u Hahaaaa! Let me know when you get one, Watchman4u. How have you been? e:)
That intro song was beautiful.
Super helpful review. Best one I've found on youtube for this guitar. Nice playing as well. Thanks Eric
Can’t spell American Dream without ‘Erich Andreas’
👊🏻
Thank you for your thorough review. I am pondering picking up a baritone guitar myself and I was looking at this and the orangewood Hugo live. Anybody compared the two on her or can speak on both? Much appreciated!
Alvarez. Always underrated. Always boss.
I appreciate your message about being kind towards animals.
I have one But mine is black. Love Baritone Love Alvarez.
Could you use standard tuning on this guitar or is it built only for baritone ?
MrBuc128 You don't buy a baritone or 7/8/9/15 string guitar just to tune it like a standard 6 string. Just stick to a normal guitar if that's what you want. The unusual guitars are designed that way for a reason.
+MrBuc128 Most people play baritones in standard tuning, but its standard tuning transposed down to B, or even lower. So you still play all the same shapes, its just lower.
if tune to B will the strings be a little floppy?
Standard tuning is EADGBE, so if you transpose it it will stop being standard.
You could tune it up to standard, one time. Strings would break and you would damage the bridge.
If you placed a capo on, would it sound like a normal guitar? Or would it sound rich?
He just read the description from official site in the whole review?
Do you mean instead of making it up myself? Yes, I read it from the website so that it was accurate.
@@yourguitarsage well. Perhaps you could give a link to describtion. And probably add some playing on the guitar instead of reading.
I think this is great instrument btw.
@@andywildsnake7714 you're an a**. Not rare for this site/platform, but true nonetheless.
Was that Obama that came up with that name/idea! "Let's name the synthetic nut Real Bone. GOT'EM!"
Wow. You spent most of the video talking about how you didn't know the specifics of this model. Guitar sage, huh? Lol
My thoughts exactly. I almost don't believe he wasn't paid for this review, as he just stared at the website the entire time reading what they said
Does this need longer than std strings?
No
It will need Baritone strings. Standard Baritone strings.
Most Baritone acoustics do... (^^^) probably 70-16
Liona Boyd’s classical guitar might be a baritone guitar.
dude that is beautiful
Just checked if this guitar is available in Britain & i see that it is at £260 = $409 to £369 = $576 .. I just purchased a Farida m2 ens parlour guitar ( a lovely instrument ) so i cant afford one of these unless i hit the beans on toast diet for a month or so ; it then begs the question : is it worth having my living room smell like a bag of dry roasted peanuts for the sake of a new guitar ?
+stiffex Well, now...I love the smell of peanuts! How about you? e:)
for sure excellent guitar for the money, i got the ABT 60E, has the B-Band SYS650 electronics on it and it has a built in tuner, but for me, its only a 440 tuner and i use 432, so i drew a line on the tuner at 432 but is a little difficult to use that way, strange they dont come with a case, but found a open box jumbo gator case deal online for cheap that works real well, anyway, i have 3 guitars hanging beside of me in arms reach, and i seam to grab this baritone guitar most of the time, it just real fun to play and mess around with, its like the ultimate acoustic unplugged bass that also does loe kottke toned style guitar, and ry cooder with a slide, its a really fun guitar to play!, actually, now i know why the 7 string guitar was made, that missing high string sound takes some getting used to when playing a full chord, i actually been thinking of trying to turn one into a baritone 12 string, lol, but the neck doesn't look quite wide enough, anyway, im so glad i got this guitar,
Would 16 70 strings work on normal tuning on my normal acoustic looking for Most heavy strings for my fender newporter I’ve had normal 14 60 gauge sounded incredible wondering if that’s the heaviest gauge before they become baratone
I believe the 16 70s are a baritone set of strings. I'm no professional but I would suggest , you experiment with different strings . Throw em on there, see what happens. Play you a vintage Alvarez , there's something about these guitars
I have to have a little fun with this video,,, " i don't nothing about it, don't understand what baritone is or what the tuning is but man it sounds great and you got to buy one" LOL
Actually I may end up getting one. I've listened to taylor reviews of the same type of guitar and this one sounds more workable in post and live, it seems to be a little brighter while keeping a warm quality. Sounds great. I don't know what he used to record it but He probably don't know what mic he used or how he did it LOL
Sorry had to poke fun a little, but man it does sound great though,,,
I'm trying to get laid, what guitar would you recommend?
Les Paul. Always. 😂
I would recommend a new face and penis.
I think Tom Chapin played a baritone guitar.
Oh no!!! i might have to sell my takamine g series 12 string to get this!!!!
+CDTucker336 Oh no!!! e:):):)
"Or a person, maybe in other countries"
Ahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha
You had me in stitches with that dry delivery, oh my goodness hahahhahahaha
hello i'm eric andre
Walk hard
Haha. Nice.
Yo dat bass godtier
It’s real bone 🍖 buddy
Thank you Eli.
ABS => plastic
Bone from a person.. lmao!!
He never plays chords
abs is plastic
Ivory colored plastic!
This plastic sounds AMAZING!!!
this guitar is junk.tone is like any other 3 to 500 guitar.
+Rex Helley that was a stupid comeback.
umm????? lol im sorry you sad
Well that escalated...
Seriously thank you so much for saying that. I bought this thing too and was a bit appointed (considering I could have spent that same $400 on a standard acoustic like a taylor/martin and the tone would kick its ass.) Now with that being said, this isn't a terrible instrument and you probably won't be able to find too many acoustic baritone options in this price range. And I don't feel like the tone sounds like total junk. But I was very disappointed with what I got considering what I spent. Not horrible. But I'm sick of people over-hyping the tone on this thing. That's not the reason they should tell you to buy it. If you buy it, it should be because you want to experiment with your first baritone acoustic before you buy an expensive one. You know youre not getting an instrument thats gonna sound like a martin. But after you get a feel for it, you can then go buy the Alverez Yairi version of this baritone, (and the tone on that thing will blow this abt60 out of the water.Check it out on here if you havent) Of course that same Yairi is 1300$ brand new though. I guess the truth is: you're just not gonna get a killer sounding acoustic baritone for 400$ and I am a little upset because that's the impression I got before I ordered this instrument. Should have played it in a store first but I trusted all of the reviews that bragged about the amazing sound on this thing lol
Any recommendations for a better baritone acoustic?
Sounds pretty junk to be honest
Well your honesty is so appreciated.
Anyone dumb enough to judge tone based on camera mics is an idiot.