Solo Shows With My Guild 8 String Baritone

[Taylor Martin Guild]

After I retired, I wanted to bring my music to some of the Assisted Living Homes in my area.
I started doling this just before Covid hit.
Now that we are back to what ever normal is, I'm taking my music to over 20 assisted living homes.

I rotate my guitars as I do my shows.
Today was my day with my baritone.

I have to say that I love playing this guitar and I love how it accompanies my voice.
My personal choice for key and string selection has been tuning to D and using medium gauge strings.

Have I said that I love this guitar?
I love this guitar!

 

[HeyMikey]

That is a real kind hearted thing you are doing there TMG! I’d like to do that someday too if I ever get to retire. I know that dreadnut did that a lot as well, and I always thought it was pretty darn admirable.

What kinds of songs are you playing and what do your audiences seem to relate to the most?

 

[chazmo]

TMG, which baritone model did you end up with?

 

[GGJaguar]

TMG, which baritone model did you end up with?

Psssst... it's in the post's title.

 

[chazmo]

Hahaha. I retract the question! D'oh!

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

After doing these shows for almost 4 years, I have found that a mix of fast and slow songs is good. Also be sure to have at least half of the set list be songs that the people will know and can sing-along.
Some of my songs are: Paradise, Red River Valley, Mr. BoJangles, Hello Marylou, When Will I Be Loved, Back Home Again, Country Roads, Puff and This Land. I fill the rest with songs that I like to sing and have had good reactions at my shows.

 

[F-412Spec]

This sounds like a really fun guitar.

Is this a bolt-on neck? What is the scale?

You are tuning 1.5 full steps up from the recommended (B) tuning (?). With mediums, doesn't this push you over the recommended string tension load on the top?

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I contacted Guild and told them my wishes for tuning and string gauges.
I gave them 2 different gauges and tunings and they replied that I was fine with both choices.
The medium gauge strings feel soft and low tension on the baritone.
The baritone comes with strings that are .014 to .072 at B tuning. That is actually a higher tension than what I am now doing.

Not sure about the neck joint.
The neck is 27" scale length.

 

[F-412Spec]

The neck is 27" scale length.

Thank you; I'm getting it now. Given the same strings, 6-string tension would be less on a 27 scale in D than a 25.4 in E. It would probably still be less with the two added octave strings. I'm going to have test-drive one of these sometime soon

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I had an Alvarez 6 string baritone before the Guild 8 string came out. I kept that baritone in B to B tuning.
The tone was muddy and the strings were very heavy. [thick] I sold it to a friend that tuned 1/2 step up to C flat.
That helped the tone but I told him that the higher tension may not be safe.
I put brass bridge pins in both baritone guitars to help with the muddiness.