New Acquisition: Eastwood Sidejack Baritone

I have a bad case of GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome.  I had my eye on this Eastwood Sidejack Baritone DLX for several weeks, and I knew it would be a perfect fit for my instrumental surf band, The SpeNerds!  I looked over my gear, mostly my ridiculous amount of effects pedals, did some math and eBay research, and realized that I could sell a few unused pieces and quickly acquire the baritone.  So I did!

Breaking in the Eastwood at Anchorage's Festival of Flowers.

The baritone is tuned a 4th belows standard tuning (B-E-A-D-F#-B), and its scale length is only 28".  It doesn't feel much bigger at all, and chord shapes are the same, just transposed (like using a capo).  For example, the first tune I tried was "Squad Car," a classic instrumental in Am.  I simply had to think of it in Dm and I was off and rocking!  I quickly added "Surf Rider," "A Shot in the Dark," "Pipeline," and one of my personal faves, "Mr. Moto."  For each of these numbers, I made it a point to utilize the low notes that make the baritone special, by dropping a phrase or two (at least) into the low register.  The results sound amazing!

The Eastwood plays well, and I was struck by how light it is compared to my AVRI Jaguar.  I have yet had a chance to replace the factory strings (infant, preschooler and house-selling!), so I haven't adjusted the truss rod or action yet.  There is a buzz on a few frets with the factory set-up, particularly on the low B, so I will adjust accordingly once I restring and try to straighten it out.  Also, the trem system knocked it all out of tune, so I haven't been using it, but I will attempt to work that out when I get time as well.

The P90s have a nice growl and I am very happy with the tones.  Biting and bright, it definitely has a bit of Mosrite flavor.  It's a bit hotter than the Jag so I have to keep that in mind when setting levels, especially on my overdrive pedal.  After we move into our new house and I get my pedal building gear set up I imagine myself making a whole new effects box, incorporating what I already use in addition to a passive volume cut control for switching to the bari.  

And it looks cool!

What's next?  Trying to regain my playing chops now that things are slowing down a little before the big move in mid-July.  Watching the video from last weekend's show, I realized that while I still remember the notes without much practice, my rhythm and timing suffers.  I was playing a little hot, and not in a good East Coast Jazz kind of way - mostly slightly ahead of the beat.  I'll have to find that metronome...

One final thing: I've been kicking around the idea for a James Bond Suite for the group for several months, and I'm finally bringing it to fruition.  We already cover "Goldfinger," so that's a start, but here's my plan:

I. The James Bond Theme (a la Ventures)
II. Thunderball (original arrangement in Fm)
III. Goldfinger (a la Blue Stingrays)
IV. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (original arrangement in Fm)
V. Skyfall (original arrangement in Am)
VI. From Russia With Love (original arrangement in Em)
VII. Reprise: The James Bond Theme

So that's it.  Happy Summer!