|
|||
 |
Alvarez Yari YB1 Since i usually play solo, i was looking for something different, a bigger sound with more bottom end. Test-drove a baritone guitar at a music shop, and liked the idea, though not that particular model. Saw this one online, took a chance buying without first playing. My friend Walt has a Yari 12-string, which sounds and plays great, and the reviews i could find for the YB1 (Yari baritone...um, "one") were uniformly positive. I was concerned about finding strings for it, since all the baritone gauge strings i could find were phospher bronze, a string alloy of which i am not a fan; i prefer 80/20s for their brighter, rattly, new string sound. But i found a source for 80/20 baritones and so took the plunge. The YB1 has a 27.5" scale—a full 2" longer than most guitars, braced to bear the weight of heavy strings tuned either a fourth (or a fifth) below standard tuning. A little mike's math leads me to think the proposed tension is then roughly equivalent, give or take a few pounds. The model i got is a beauty—the spruce top is all streaky and 3D, with hints of flame, and the back and sides are some of the prettiest Indian rosewood i've seen. Design-wise, it's just what i like: no inlay on the fingerboard save for the Yari diagonal at the 12th fret, a transparent pickguard protects the top without crapping it up, and clean tasteful binding. The mahogany neck is substantial without feeling too beefy. Yari tuners by Grover. It came set up with the heavier baritone strings, and while it sounded great, it quickly became clear that this was a groove guitar; playing chords on it—even simple triads—was like pounding your fist on the west end of a piano keyboard: fat and thick. Forget about extended or altered chords. So for a while i was at a loss as to how to use it—if at all. Fast-forward several set-ups and tunings and a good deal of head-scratching. Now it's set up not with baritone strings, but with readily available 80/20 lights (.012-.52), and tuned just one full step below standard (D to D). This setup allows for complex chords that sound rich and full without getting muddy, plus it plays like a dream. When i finally landed on this setup, i loved it and ended up using it more than any other guitar while tracking we raise up our glasses. With the Seymour Duncan SA-6 mag/mic pickup it ends up being the guitar to take if i'm only taking one. A big voluptuous curvey blonde, and a sound cannon to boot. |
|
|
