Pros and Cons of Baritone, 7 String, or 8 String Guitars? | Extended Range Guitar Discussion Review

[@DarthCalculus]

As a (primarily) pianist I definitely identify with stepping on other instruments' ranges. Had a bass player once point to my lowest octave and basically tell me not to play those notes

[@HighZ]

Haha hopefully that's before you guys started playing and not after!

[@EmileA-gs1kk]

I mean… you bought the whole piano, go use the whole piano.

[@ProgSchmock]

Pro: sounds sick :) Con: harder to play :(

[@HighZ]

Pretty much

[@Skyswayer]

Really loving the non-biased, down to earth attitude. These types of videos are worth so much more than those sponsored 3 trillion sub channel reviews. Thanks for adding real quality to the online guitar community.

[@HighZ]

Thank you for the kind words! I figure since I have all these, I might as well put out the information I was looking for when doing research. Figure I'll keep making videos like this as long as I have something useful to say. Cheers!

[@socratrees47]

Been a 7 string player for years now and finally got my first 8 string, an Agile Perihelion 8, and it was a battle learning that thing for a couple weeks on multiple fronts- 8 strings, multiscale, headless, active fishman fluence pickups, and a damn floating tremolo bridge lol I've never had to work with any of those things so i bargained for ALL OF THEM lol and what it has taught me is to challenge myself creatively is VERY important. They may be more difficult to play but thats ok its just challenging, not impossible. and the sounds i've been making are SO SICK. the rewards for this challenge have been WAY worth the frustration. if you're on the fence about going up a string i say JUST DO IT. blues, metal, reggae, punk, pop- doesnt matter. extend your range of capabilities.

[@HighZ]

There are definitely rewards for practicing and gaining competency in the 8 string! You gain a lot of possibilities as you mentioned

[@Itsyourbestie12345]

Finally a normal guitar review!!!!

[@Itsyourbestie12345]

Correction not a guitar review...... extended range review lol

[@HighZ]

All good. I try to give information and not twist anything! There also are guitar reviews on the channel like this too

[@Panurg81]

i really like your attitude. not claiming anyting and still very educative. thanks for your content. would love that more ppl be so open and transparent. really appreciate it.

[@HighZ]

Thanks! I agree. I'm doing my best to make the videos I would have wanted to find so that means a lot

[@adrianmyers7927]

Bought my first 8 string, I absolutely love it. Definitely not everyone's cup of tea, definitely wide fret board, but the sound of chords with more bass just make is so worth it. It helps that my hands have naturally long, thin and stretchy fingers to really hit the wide amount of strings.

[@HighZ]

Sounds like it fits you well. Can't wait to hear what you do with it!

[@necroticpoison]

My favourites for both: For 6, comfort and layout, plus 4 round octaves. 7+: playing off the e but having the few notes lower you can pedal off of or make chords with. You can basically approach the key centre note (e) from below. A song that highlights it is Kirisute Gomen. Can be very refreshing to listen to and play. For me, I'm going to stick with 6 tuned low. 6 just feels right, like a smooth road. With a 6, you can still do the 7 string's play off the e thing with lower note access, you just need to tune low to get your desired key to be on the 5th string, so often need a bari. Great vid.

[@HighZ]

Thank you! Very insightful thoughts too, I gotta listen to that song. Definitely going with a lower tuned 6 string primarily. I have almost all of my 6s in drop C!

[@Nachtmahr616]

Evertune is the best thing that has happened in terms of guitar inventions, imo. Boomers hate it but I love such modern solutions to common annoyances. Just got my first one on a Solar T1.7, so I hope it will reduce the need for baritone scales, since my goblin hands really don't like them

[@HighZ]

Haha awesome! I love my T1.7 so I get the feeling you're going to love yours too! You're right, the evertune is a fantastic addition to modern guitar features

[@13_cmi]

Low tunings are of course great for the crazy metal. I love that stuff. But sometimes I just put on some reverb and delay with a clean tone and it just sounds beautiful. A few times doing that I nearly fell fell asleep. I could enjoy a 7 string for sure.

[@HighZ]

Clean tones are definitely fun to use! I used the 8 string and clean tones for my video background music so I definitely agree

[@heavenly2k]

I think this video will be really helpful for someone curious about guitars that arent your typical 6 string. I'm 23 and have had my 6 string since I was in elementary school and just recently got a new guitar finally. It's a 7 string with an evertune bridge and I'm definitely in love. I'm now more used to it than my 6 string. For the record, I dont just make metal. I'm tuned to Drop E but that tuning is good for basically everything lol even dream pop and shoegaze . Have had my guitar for over a year now and I haven't found it to be too hard to get used to.

[@HighZ]

Sounds like a huge upgrade! 7s aren't for everyone but for those who can think of how to use them and enjoy the feel and function, they're so useful and fun!

[@SALTY85]

Quite a collection of guitars you have there!

[@HighZ]

Thanks!

[@peterbatten596]

It’s weird how are brains are wired as songwriter/musicians. I love 7,8 and 9 strings. But for some reason, I get more confused on a 7 than an 8. But I feel that with the 8, I’m always double drop tuning so it’s easy to use the bottom 2 to guide the rhythm with with the perfect 5ths and my hand will separate from the 2 bottom strings, naturally find the top standard tuning 6. What’s helps me ultimately in the end is when I’m writing a riff, am I looking at it from the bottom up or top to bottom with whatever idea I have. I love 6 string baritones but as you touched on when mentioning “replication” and that’s pretty spot on. A huge factor that people forget with baritones is the actual timbre of it which can be clear and mimic it to a point. But scale length and pickups that are wound for 8 strings are voiced for it. Awesome videos.

[@HighZ]

Thank you! It's indeed amazing how these different options can in theory do the same thing but can say even so slightly different

[@peterbatten596]

@@HighZ I think since we’re in such a golden age for guitar tone with the technology area that people have a hard time not necessarily with the instrument but how to build tone that makes sense in a mix. The producer side of me sees this way too often. Because even though there’s a lot of similarities and pros (especially with low registers and not having to deal with the actual headspace of a real amp and if your cab can actually boost those frequencies out when dialed in), there is a much needed learning curve because music theory isn’t just about steps, but also in frequencies. At least speaking diatonically, IE: why is there “no flat” tuning from C to B or from F to E which ties in there but also how it affects the rest of the notes on the fretboard, etc. Sorry for the longer responses but I do appreciate the actual responses and definitely got a new subscriber. Anytime to nerd out about guitars/music in general is always a good time.

[@brunofaustino3689]

I was having the same talk with my drummer today! I have two 7 string guitars but I am thinking in buying a 8 string guitar for our new album! Great video, btw!

[@HighZ]

Sweet, what a coincidence! There's definitely a lot to think about when making the jump for 7 to 8 strings

[@brunofaustino3689]

@@HighZ Yes, really, it was a coincidence! We usually play in drop B, but now I am also playing in drop A with a 7-string guitar... As we are writing new stuff, we are exploring different tones and an 8-string and/or baritone guitar may be a good addition. Also, I am more in tune with Ibanez than previously.

[@eggpod4567]

​@@brunofaustino3689Dude, look into Agiles from Rondo music. They have an 8 string right now with a flody rose, with active EMG pick-ups. For 749. They're so well built. My Ibanez RG-8. Needs some upgrades. My Agile comes studio ready basically. They're perfect. It has a 28 inch scale too. I just got an Interceptor pro myself. (Got the last one) and it seven better then the one I mentioned. It has 3 pick-ups, along with the other features listed above. It's the best guitar I've ever owned. I swear by them.

[@fionnwallenwein7110]

whats the band name dude, im always down for some music i havent listened to!

[@juser-abuser]

@@brunofaustino3689 start to learn basic chords, edgy kid

[@Crispy_Music_2024]

Thank you for making these types of videos. They are really enjoyable to watch and the info you share is valuable, especially when we can't get in-person experience with guitars and have to buy before we try.

[@HighZ]

Thanks! I'm glad these are informative and enjoyable. I wanted to make videos covering things I wish I knew when researching, so your kind words mean a lot!

[@Gary-zq3pz]

I've got an 8 and 7 string guitar, but I don't have a baritone guitar yet. Definitely getting one when I find the right instrument.

[@HighZ]

Very wise to wait until you find the right one!

[@SamBrockmann]

As a 7-string afficionado, I appreciate this.

[@HighZ]

Thanks!

[@mooglefan123]

for me personally i only play 8 strings, i do have a warriety of 6 strings(and ofc i did learn guitar on 6 tring guitars), but for some reason for me, i just prefer 8 string. even for jazz songs or songs that only uses 6 strings i always play on my 8 strings.

[@HighZ]

I can see how the neck profile and feel would be very comfortable for some people. Even though I largely prefer 6 strings, sometimes I really want to play my 8 even if I'm only using the treble strings so I hear you there!

[@AleksandrRudiak]

I was looking for a 7 string to buy and found cheap 8 string, thought if not now i'll never try one and bought it without too much thinking. It has it cons (it was less than 300$ tho) but i'm not regreting my decision, i actually started to play a lot more (had one 6 string before that for 10+ years) even on my first guitar. If you ever looked at 8 string guitar and thought to yourself "should i buy it do i really need so much strings" you 100% need that you may not know it yet. People who don't need those instruments wouldn't even look at them. But if you're considering to buy one for downtune i suggest going 27' or higher for either your entire scale lenght or 8 string scale lenght. I have 26.5 scale lenght with 0.94 (bass A string) and it is on the edge of the tension i like in E1.

[@HighZ]

Great that you were pleasantly surprised! Good call on the scale length

[@BlastbeatsRtreats]

Your guitar collection deserves a video.😎

[@HighZ]

Been thinking of doing this, maybe towards the end of the year!

[@chasegoodwill6392]

most insane guitar collection bro

[@HighZ]

Thank you!

[@avidia_music]

What a wonderful collection of guitars man, I'm so jealous!!

[@HighZ]

Thank you! I figure I can use them to give useful information in addition to making music

[@MarmaladeMaki]

Also these gigantic guitars with cool funky abstract shapes and gigantic fretboards just look great if you are not the smallest person. Which is maybe a weird reason.

[@HighZ]

It always helps when a guitar looks cool because then you'll be motivated to pick it up and play it!

[@marck7270]

very good, honest opinion. thank you

[@connor_gee]

I finally admitted my hands weren't big enough and sold my 7 and 8 string, now I have a 6 string baritone and don't really miss the high notes

[@HighZ]

Always important picking the right too for the job that's comfortable to use!

[@cainen2865]

Love the vid, i just recently got a 9-string and i love it. Its heavy but sounds so sick when i hit that octave B note xD

[@HighZ]

Thanks! Oh man that's gotta sound insane 🤘

[@Consolous]

I'm familiar with the different voice types and one of the male voices is Baritone so I always wondered about Baritone guitars. This is some great info, maybe in the future I'll consider one for heavier stuff and lower tones like Sludge metal. Beautiful guitars by the way and another great review my brother

[@HighZ]

One could be useful! It'll of course always feel different than your 6 string. And thanks!

[@gardengit]

Great and informative video. There is also the 7th string on classical guitars which can be a new color. Thanks so much for sharing👌

[@HighZ]

Thanks! Yep I've seen them in videos. Waiting for the day to see one in person!

[@bane9832]

also a massive thing i wanna comment on, going from a 4 to a 5 sting bass is super easy, but going back to 4 string is so much harder for some reason, i dont know how that translates to guitar its probably even harder

[@HighZ]

Tough to say! I do have a 5 string bass but I'm 100% a guitarist. Maybe its a combination of how a bass is played, how notes are selected, or maybe a combination of even more factors. Don't know which one is more difficult but there's no need to compare. Songs need both guitar and bass to rock!

[@bane9832]

@@HighZ yeah but in my case i sold my first bass, 4st and got a 5st, using it for 2 years at this point and when i play my friends jazz bass its super awkward cus the neck is so much thinner and the strings further appart

[@str11pes]

this is really good bro. subd

[@HighZ]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@Piano-music-with-İuliia]

Excellent video, my friend, - thanks for information !!😊❤🔥

[@HighZ]

Thank you, glad you liked it!

[@SonicDriveStudio]

Cool video man!

[@HighZ]

Thank you!

[@ytudj]

what about 9 strings? (definitely asking for a friend)

[@HighZ]

I don't have one but if I did, I'd probably tell your friend it's like the 8 but more. Wider neck, crazy scale length, so many strings. I get the feeling you'd have to really want to play that kind of guitar to enjoy it

[@alice_piano]

Excellent sharing🙌👍Have a pleasant week :)

[@HighZ]

Thank you and you too!

[@Theloserguy_312]

Amazing explanation tysm

[@HighZ]

Happy it helps!

[@cameronneal4]

This is a very pleasant video.

[@HighZ]

Thank you very much!

[@JoeFiumara]

Great review interesting and informative 👍 Awesome guitars 🎸😎 The only time I owned an eight string guitar was to play final fantasy prelude to get the low octave Never really played it after that.

[@HighZ]

That'll be perfect for that! But yeah I need to really try to use the 8 string. Otherwise the 6 or 7 strings are enough. And thanks!

[@rockerets]

hey brother, maybe out of topic from your current vids. i'm eyeing myself on a cheap used 7 string evertune solar with fishman active on it. The question is, how does it sound compared to a regular or + solar duncan, how does it really cut in the mix? (while in my opinion, all high gain amp and pickups does sound all the same with eq fine tuned and adjusted accordingly) i own a a2.7 with duncan solar +, and actually i'm hunting for a 1.7 series with floyd rose. But man... that 7 string evertune fishman solar really confound me 😅🤣 Have a great day!!!

[@HighZ]

Good question. The regular solar duncans will have a more even frequency response, the + will have a bit more oomph, and the fishmans will high higher output, will be more sensitive to mistakes, and will have a full sound with more top end sheen. You'll need slightly different amp or plugin settings for each but as you noted, under high gain the pickup choice won't matter as much as other factors like being in tune

[@rockerets]

@@HighZ thank you!

[@vonicrimson3619]

I treat my 7 string a little differently, for b standard I can use drop a and drop d which is pretty cool

[@HighZ]

Yep a huge advantage is you can have drop A and/or drop D on the same guitar

[@theiranxican7412]

I really REALLY wanted to utilize my 7 strings as 6 string too but that 7th string just gets the best of me struggling to mute it. So I just down tune some 6 strings to let's say drop A# and just use the drop tune block in helix to go lower. Still not perfect but I just have a better handling of my playing style.

[@HighZ]

That's the thing, extra strings is useful but they add complication. There's always going to be that string there to have to work around. Sounds like you have a good working solution!

[@willkeasling1526]

Anything over a 6 string doesn't work for me cause I dig into my low e string and that extra string changes my style of playing.

[@HighZ]

I hear you on that. The 7th string does take some getting used to every time, and then adding an 8 string starts to get a little ridiculous. 6 strings will always feel just right!

[@rooster140]

Right now I play with one other guitarist. That's it. I do rhythm and vocals. He does lead. I'm looking to add more bass lines into the mix. I heard on this video that these guitars don't sound like basses because they come through guitar amps. What is your opinion on usability for hybrid bass line and rhythm playing? Have you used any 7/8 string guitars that have dual output so you can play the lower strings through a bass amp?

[@HighZ]

Honestly can't name any extended range guitars with dual outputs off the top of my head but I'm sure they exist. I've noticed that with a clean tone, the 8 string will sound much more like a bass

[@HighZ]

Nice! I gotta check him out!

[@brandonwiggins7123]

Is your 8 string in drop E? Or did i misunderstand that part? Also what gauges do you prefer? Great video!

[@HighZ]

Thanks! Every string is a whole step down, so E A D G C f a d. This is because my favorite tuning is drop C on a 6 string, so the first 5 strings are the same, and the last 3 are easy since they're E A D. I use whatever set of 8 string 10s is available, there's only like one choice at the nearby guitar center

[@brandonwiggins7123]

@@HighZ awesome!!! I was hoping I could drop everything because standard is a little too light. Thanks for the reply!

[@HighZ]

That's definitely an option! I think that many strings would be too much for me to handle 😆

[@DarthCalculus]

I wouldn't even mind having five strings... Got to have that low open string to hit

[@HighZ]

The five string bass is really useful! Even if you don't play the 5th string, you can anchor hour thumb on it

[@DarthCalculus]

@@HighZ every once in a while, I think about either getting a baritone or putting a baritone neck on a regular six-string body. I just don't know if it's worth the investment of time and money

[@HighZ]

Up to you! It would be useful and unlock a new world of possibilities. But it would always feel different than your standard 6 string and as you pointed out, it might overlap with your bass notes. Maybe if there's some particular songs you'd like to do?

[@Crispy_Music_2024]

​@DarthCalculus - For a given tuning, the longer scale you have on a guitar, the more overtones it'll create and be more "musical" just like going from a small piano to a grand piano. Short scales make the fundamental frequency the main output. If you play alone there's a significant musicality benefit to longer scales. If you play with a band, the longer scales will just cause more interference and cross-over with the bass guitar. If the bass or guitar plays more percussive notes, then that's not as much of an issue. If the bass and the guitar both play longer notes or drones, then it's more of an issue. I'm building another baritone from a used Squier strat (100) and new Fender Baritone 27" scale conversion neck (which was 269). That's about as cheap as it gets for making a baritone. Buying fully new from Gretsch and Danelectro isn't much more. If you're lucky, you can find a Squier baritone used and it'll likely be cheaper. Is it worth it to have a guitar that is more musical like a grand piano? I think so. Also, you could just use it as a transposing instrument, and tune it to D-standard, C#-standard, C-standard, B-standard and beyond depending what actual scale it is. To me, it's a whole lot of fun using the exact same fingering+fretting and outputting a key-shifted song. Finally, another benefit is physical and mental. Playing a guitar with different fret-spacing due to scale, will exercise your brain which is a good for us all in the long run. That's another reason I have guitars in scales of 24", 25.5", 27", 25.5-27" fanned fret, 30" (guitar and bass), 34" bass, 35" bass (4 and 5 string). Yes, I'm really big on worrying about neuroplasticity while aging.

[@PeterMurder]

Please steer me towards a good seven string. I cant get any good feedback. Im sick of active pickups rn. I dont wana waste a grand and be sad about it.

[@HighZ]

I hear you there. I'm a fan of the solars I've gotten. The neck profile is a somewhat thin C, very comfortable, and the passives sound good on recordings. You just have to buy it sight unseen Ltd KS another choice. They have more of a D shaped profile from my experience but there might be a lot of actives. I don't have too much experience with jackson but have heard good things. Schecter is a possibility but the quality might be hit or miss. And there's ibanez. The neck profile on those is more like a thin C with more shoulder, so almost a D. The fusion edge 7s are a little mushy on the 7th string. Hope this helps!

[@PeterMurder]

@@HighZ ty

[@MnMSounds]

Also, you're not hitting the notes too hard, yes the hardware is the primary thing that is holding you back. Just like how current day consumer electronics are holding a bunch of folks back due to it's limitations and pricing. Be aware of early adapters taxes on innovation.

[@MnMSounds]

Signal chain has to be factored in when you are hitting drop E and beyond. Too many nuances when it comes to extend scale. You need to give it time to understand the differences across the board with the frequency shift (best to listen to albums that have used similar setups as a point of reference), especially if you're feeling discouraged due to the differences. Things will always take time to adapt/adjust, this is what being human is, analyze, assess, corelate, and execute (what's stuck in your head). As linear as we see things, there are too many layers to comprehend all at once to understand the big picture. Gotta do the ole fuck around and find out

[@Kaptainbeer]

Top G

[@HighZ]

🔝

[@jason_odonnell]

No cons to the person clear on why they’re using these instruments.

[@HighZ]

Well said!

[@albodoin]

Wow I didnt know pitch drift was a common thing on lower tuned 7 strings, but am I crazy or bigger gauge strings helps holding tuning?

[@arunkarthikma3121]

Open strings? Tune to Eb or D standard and use a capo lol

[@HighZ]

That might work for drop tunings or standard tunings but not for open chord tunings