Why I Needed a Baritone Telecaster Guitar

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Baritone electric guitars live in that perfect middle ground between standard guitar and bass, and once you understand what they do best, it’s hard to live without one.In this video, I’m diving into baritone guitars, why a typical 27” scale baritone is very different from a Bass VI (usually 29–30” scale), and how each one functions in a band context. While they can look similar at first glance, they play, feel, and sit in a mix very differently.

I also talk about classic effects choices for baritone, especially tremolo and vibrato, and why those sounds pair so perfectly with the baritone’s extended range and piano-like low end.

A huge influence for me was Pete Anderson, particularly his baritone work with Dwight Yoakam on tracks like “Little Ways” and "Buenos Noches From a Lonely Room." Seeing Pete on Austin City Limits in 1989, playing a baritone Telecaster, impacted me as a young player, as it was the first time I really understood how powerful a baritone could be in country music.