The BARITONE Guitar from RETROVERB Musical Instruments, Inc. PROUDLY HAND MADE IN THE USA THIS SALE IS FOR AN ELECTRIC BLUE  GUITAR. Tune Your Sound USA is proud to have been selected as a DEALER for the RETROVERB Musical Instruments (RMI) line of spectacular high quality electric guitars and amplifiers. RMI spent almost two years looking at the vintage and custom guitar market to identify those products that had become “orphaned” in the marketplace due to many reasons such as economic downturns forcing companies to close, lack of mass market sales (what is a failure to the big builders is a success to most small builders), and just plain retirement. The “vibe” at RETROVERB is that musical instruments “possesses its own unique aura simply by its appearance style and its sound” and is capable of providing its own vibe or allowing you, as its player, to provide your own vibe.  And our name implies, we are attempting to “bring the past to the future” by concentrating on products that happily existed in the past and deserve to be offered to current buyers and players. This first RMI product is simply labelled, “The BARITONE Guitar”. Owners, players, collectors, and fans of DANELECTRO vintage guitars and the JERRY JONES brand of “Dano Remakes” will immediately recognize the style and appearance of this iconic guitar.  It was in 1988 that Jerry Jones began building his own recreations of various Danelectro guitars and instruments in Nashville, TN.  That included his first “real baritone” that he sold to Stevie Ray Vaughan.   According to Jerry, Danelectro never “really built a baritone” but rather built a “six string bass”.  Here is what he says in an online guitar forum: “To be clear, the Danelectro Co. never made a baritone guitar. Their only offering was a six-string bass (never referred to as baritone) which was tuned an octave down like a normal bass with added high B and E strings. The Dano's six-string bass was meant to played as a bass and as an alternative to Fender’s bass with the added bonus of two extra strings. Obviously, musicians saw the usefulness of Danelectro’s bass differently and adapted it for single musical lines or adding an attack component when mixed with the upright bass. “ (quote from Jerry Jones taken from public online forum). In recognition of the contribution that the “Baritone/Six string bass” guitars from Danelectro and Jerry Jones have made to the crafting and performing of music, RETROVERB Musical Instruments has undertaken to once again “recreate” the Baritone guitar.  Certainly RMI, as did Jerry Jones, borrowed style components of the original Dano instruments so it looks much like the DANOs and JJ’s that have become almost iconic. But more than that, RMI, through its builder, Kevin Smith of TONESMITH Guitars, has produced an entirely “NEW” Baritone Guitar.   RETROVERB’S Mission for its new model “The BARITONE Guitar”: RETROVERB  is Turning the “Tragically Underused Electric Baritone Guitar” (from the article “Deep 6: A Brief History of the Tragically Underused Electric Baritone Guitar.” as it appeared in Premier Guitar magazine, by Thomas V. Jones, March 04, 2014) into the “Ultra-Cool Must Have Instrument” …..   From this article- Mention the words “electric baritone guitar” to aficionados of the downtuned 6-string, and it instantly conjures a wealth of images—Clint Eastwood’s steely gaze staring out from behind his cigarillo, the misty-mountain montage from Twin Peaks, Duane Eddy playing any number of his hit songs. Though many players associate the baritone with twangy tones—it’s iconic in surf, rockabilly, and country—that’s certainly not all it can do. It’s a staple for many metal and alt-rock guitarists who play in nonstandard tunings, and it’s been featured in recordings by artists as diverse as Dave Matthews, Allan Holdsworth, the B-52’s, Kaki King, System of a Down, Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi), Metallica, and even Britney Spears. But there’s a lot more to a baritone than its tuning—a baritone is not just a standard guitar tuned way down. A baritone has taut low end that’s much more muscular and powerful than a standard-tuned guitar, but also far more articulate and cutting than a bass. That’s why it’s great for everything from fattening up rhythm tracks to playing bass lines, soloing in standard-guitar note ranges, or standing as the sole 6-string in a song. A baritone’s distinctive timbre is about a scale length that facilitates proper intonation and optimal string tension. There is some dispute as to who first mass-produced a guitar that could truly be considered an electric baritone. Some point to Jerry Jones as having led the way with his production models, but others say Danelectro’s 6-string bass design qualifies as the first. During the ’60s, electric baritone guitars were widely used in the studio to create the “tic-tac” bass lines popularized in country music and other genres of the period. (Essentially, the tic-tac sound is created by doubling a bass line with a baritone guitar—or sometimes a guitar tuned down as low as possible. This adds extra depth and richness to low parts without ignoring the higher registers—something like putting beefier strings on a Tele tuned down to B or A.) For many years, Jerry Jones Guitars built guitars, basses, baritones, and other instruments based on ’50s and ’60s Danelectros—though they featured better bridges and tuners, an adjustable truss rod, better electronics, and improved fretwork. Although Jerry Jones Guitars ceased production in 2011, its instruments are still highly sought after on the used market. “The 30"-scale Dano design always had a floppy low-E string,” says Jones. “The idea for the baritone was to simply eliminate that problematic low E, shorten the scale to 28", retune to a fourth or fifth above the 6-string bass, and replace the wound 1st and 2nd strings with plain strings—the way an acoustic guitar is configured. From a player’s perspective, the advantages would be a more chord-friendly instrument with bendable strings. Musically, a baritone lays in the mix a little easier than a 6-string bass, and even when it’s played in the upper register, it has a unique timbre, different from guitar. Many songwriters combine a capo with a baritone to build music around their own vocal ranges. Some guitarists get really crafty and play high parts with a capo on a baritone and use a regular guitar for the low parts.” Because of baritones’ previously mentioned tendency toward muddiness, I’d add that your choice of pickups is of critical importance. I recommend units that provide a clearer response and don’t mask harmonics. This will give you a more defined low end—which is, after all, what the baritone is all about. Another Flavor, or the Main Attraction?
In addition to the previously mentioned perks of baritone guitar—girthy, articulate low end with sparkling mids and highs—there are additional benefits to a baritone. So many, in fact, that once you acquire one you may be tempted to make it your go-to instrument rather than an axe for switching things up once in a while. I like to tell people it’s similar to using a capo on a guitar—except in the opposite direction. If you’re a singer, you’ll also discover very interesting new things about your voice as you apply it to keys you can’t reach with a standard guitar. If you stick with standard-tuning intervals, you don’t have to alter fingerings or relearn anything. Experiment with your library of songs in different keys and listen to how they take on a new life. (It reminds me a bit of how, nearly 300 years ago, Bach wrote The Well-Tempered Clavier with two pieces in each key—and each one had its own mood.) Or, get adventurous with different tunings. Either way, adventurous players are bound to discover new sonic realms that just aren’t possible with a shorter-scale instrument. The timbres and thick, piano-like responsiveness of a baritone will drag you into new musical territory, no matter how you apply it. In fact, that’s why I personally believe the electric baritone is one of the most versatile fretted stringed instruments around. Here are the specifications for the new RETROVERB “Baritone Guitar”:

Body	Hollow body
Body Frame Wood	Aspen
Top/Back	Masonite
Sides	Vinyl
Neck	Maple
Fret Material	Nickel
Fret Size	Medium Jumbo
Frets	23
Fingerboard	Rosewood (Indian)
Neck Radius	Compound 9 to 14”
Inlays	Pearl dot
Scale	28
Nut Width	1. 11/16
Truss rod Adj at heel	Yes Two way Rod
Tuners	Kluson style enclosed six inline.
Bridge	Hard tail Chrome Bridge with adjustable saddles.
Switch	3 way
Wiring	CTS POTS, Orange drop Cap.
Pickups*	Curtis Novak lipstick. Bridge & Neck.
Stringing	Through body
Knobs	Chrome USA
Control Access	Front-under pickguard
Weight	7.5 lbs.
Length (Top-bottom)	42”
Length (Body)	17 7/8
Width (Body)	13.25”
Body thickness	1 ¾”
Finish type	Gloss
String gauges	13p 17p 26w 36 46 62 DAddario

  *CURTIS NOVAK is hand building some of the best “vintage” pickups in the world. His “baritone lipsticks” are amazing. Unlike most replica lipstick Dano pickups, Curtis Novak uses full-size Alnico bar magnets.  That combined with his perfect sense of winding has produced a pickup set that turns the RETROVERB into a multi-tone monster.  They respond immediately to picking with distinct individual tones (great for tic-tac) and the chords are a “Wall of Sound” of their own. Many of these specifications follow those of the original Dano six string bass and the JJ “baritone guitar” but RETROVERB has improved on those features and designs by: 1.            Through body stringing.  Kevin at Tonesmith believes that anchoring the strings into the back of the guitar and passing them through the body and then over a bridge provides the increased tension necessary to get full vibration of the strings without worrying about the tailpiece being over stressed.  And it really does seem to increase the depth of the resonance coming from the hollow body.  2.           Curtis Novak Pickups.  As noted above, these are absolutely the best sounding pickups we could find for a true baritone guitar that wants to be upfront lead, middle rhythm, and deep low backbeat.  3.           Front access cavity.  Not only is this convenient, it seems to add, once again, to the resonance of the body and keeps it quiet. Many times, the screws work out of the back of these Masonites and then door starts flapping and rattling.  Not with this guitar. 4.           In line tuners. The only JJ baritones I have seen in person had the “bottle” headstock shape with 3x3 tuners (but I have seen some catalog photos of a JJ with 6 inline). This six inline is just more efficient and seems to give more “chime” to the high “stretched” strings. 5.           Metal Knobs.  Maybe a small thing to some, but these metal knobs give the player more control over volume and tone simply because they are more pressure touch sensitive than the plastic ones that just seem to go too far and come back too fast. 6.           Neck.  Lots of hand time goes into the carving, molding, and shaping of the RETROVERB neck.  These necks are incredibly comfortable and easy to play. 7.           Quality.  Certainly JJ guitars were a dramatic improvement over the original Dano pieces but the new RETROVERB pushes the quality of a “catalog” guitar into the realms of professional instruments.  It is a professional guitar.   WARRANTY. This guitar is warranted against defects for one year following its delivery to you.  If something happens during that time, we will either repair or replace it.   FINALLY.  The cliché “the sale is never over” is one to be used here.  We want this guitar to mean something to you and the best way to do that is to make sure you are happy with it.   COMES WITH HARD CASE.   COLOR CHOICES ARE: 1. Jetson Red, 2. Electric Blue, and 3. Midnight Rider Black.   Flat shipping charge in the continental USA is $45.00 by USPS.  Buyers outside the continental USA should contact us first for a shipping quote prior to purchase.