NGD - Larrivee BT60 Baritone

ToneControl

I was searching for one of these for years on ebay. One just came up, just a short drive away

This is basically the SD60 larrivee (12 fret slope shouldered dread), which is a often called a tone cannon, but with a longer neck.
Both have 1 7/8 inch nuts, which I like.  
From all my Larrivees, as discussed with @thomasross20 , the SD60 was the one I kept. It's not quite as good my workshop-built, but much more expensive guitars, but for a factory-built guitar it is excellent. Therefore I was also expecting the BT60 to be good.

Larrivee did a cheaper baritone too, but this is the pro-level one really
Rosewood and spruce



It came with normal 16-70 baritone strings on, with the action at the higher end of normal, whereas I like it at the low end of normal.
It sounded good, but with the frequent problem of the strings really being too high a gauge for the scale length. This guitar has a 27 inch scale, so it's just pushing it too far I strongly think to use 16s and tune B-B. This is the same for every electric and acoustic baritone around a 27 inch scale length that I have tried. some of the machine heads were a bit loose-feeling.

I'd thought the neck had very little profile, so assumed I'd need to use the truss rod after my normal trick: put my normal 11s on it, and tuned D-D. Wow, it sounds excellent now, much better. I tightened up the machine heads, they are now fine. Happily, the action settled down to exactly what I like, so no need to take to my guitar doctor.





Well, I am really happy with this guitar. 

AliGorie

nice but TC, I think we've spoken bout the SD60 being a great dread - so - Im looking to hear this growl.
happy pickin.

ToneControl

AliGorie said:

nice but TC, I think we've spoken bout the SD60 being a great dread - so - Im looking to hear this growl.
happy pickin.

It does growl very nicely, although not quite as much as my Avalon cedar top baritone 

Schnozz

Damn that's nice 

ToneControl

As predicted, i drew blood getting the old strings off. They look pretty, but slot head string-changing always catches me out

BigLicks67

Nice, HNGD.

Strangefan

I was offered one of these a few weeks ago for my guild, I was sorely tempted! i bet it sounds epic.

thomasross20

Clips clips clips!
I must say, that looks amazing... hopefully one day I get a shot

AliGorie

ToneControl said:

As predicted, i drew blood getting the old strings off. They look pretty, but slot head string-changing always catches me out

long nosed pointed pliers - I need them even for non slot 6 string these days or I'll puncture myself, never used to bother me.

ToneControl

AliGorie said:

ToneControl said:

As predicted, i drew blood getting the old strings off. They look pretty, but slot head string-changing always catches me out

long nosed pointed pliers - I need them even for non slot 6 string these days or I'll puncture myself, never used to bother me.

yes, I used the long-nosed pliers, but one of the strings sprang back at me