Baritone or Standard Guitar? How to Choose

The short answer

Baritone or standard guitar? How to choose.

A standard electric guitar has a scale length around 25.5″ and is tuned E to E. A baritone has a longer scale, roughly 27″ and up, and is tuned lower, usually a fourth or fifth down, so the lowest string reaches B or A. The longer scale keeps those low notes tight and defined instead of loose and muddy.

It lives in a deeper register, sitting between a guitar and a bass. Choose standard when you want the classic range you already know. Choose a baritone when you want weight, a darker cinematic low end, heavier riffs, or a voice that sits under a standard guitar without fighting it.

A Bacci Leonardo goes one step further with its dual output: guitar and bass, two independent signals from a single instrument, so one player covers both worlds at once.

25.5″the standard

The scale length of a standard electric guitar, tuned E to E. The range you already know.

27″where it begins

A baritone has a longer scale, roughly 27″ and up, tuned a fourth or fifth down.

0new shapes

You play it exactly like a guitar: same chord shapes, same scales, same picking.

2signals, one instrument

On a Leonardo the dual output sends guitar and bass out separately, from one neck.

The maker

It all begins with one man, and his hands.

Bruno Bacci is a Tuscan luthier with a background in metallurgy, woodworking and design. A guitarist first, he became a builder after a hand injury and trained at the violin-making school of Cremona, where Stradivari had worked three centuries earlier.

He does not begin with a shape. He begins with the sound he wants to hear and builds the instrument around it, testing each piece of wood by hand as though in conversation with it. Every Bacci is made individually and is backed for life by Bruno himself.

His first guitar, a Telecaster he built as a young man, carried no name. He could not write Fender because it was not their instrument. He could not write Bacci because it was not his design either. That is why he began creating instruments that could only be his.

luthier, by hand

∞

lifetime warranty

Live Workshop journal Week of 21 August 2026

On the bench this week: the hollow top of Tosca №06, and a Marlita in Ceruleo being voiced for a player in Tokyo.

Tosca №06 · carving the hollow top
Marlita, Ceruleo · final setup
Officina baritone · Tuscan Red, Velvet

"Today the walnut told me where to stop."Bruno, from the bench

Played by the musicians that players love

They chose Bacci.

Matteo Mancuso / Tim Lefebvre / Munky / Cory Wong / Mark Lettieri / Michael League / Vincen Garcia / Paul Davids / Derek Frank / Matteo Mancuso / Tim Lefebvre / Munky / Cory Wong / Mark Lettieri / Michael League / Vincen Garcia / Paul Davids / Derek Frank /

In their words

What players say.

Put flats on it and it sounds like an old P bass. Put round-wounds on it and there’s a lot of bite.

Michael LeagueSnarky Puppy1.8M views · on the Amrita

The amount of low end and even saturation coming from this bass is insane.

Grigor FrissBass The World18K views · Marlita demo

When I play it, I don’t really miss the bass player.

Matteo MancusoGuitaristBest Guitar Solo 2024

This is a funk machine, it nails the baritone funk rhythm sound.

Mark LettieriSnarky Puppy861K views · ‘Naptime’

The precision bass for the modern era. Everything I love about vintage basses, with all the innovation of a modern one.

Marlita ownerVerified reviewCustom build

I’ve never found anything like this. The shape, the sound, the playability, everything is really in the right place.

Nathaniel MurphyGuitaristPlays Orange Circles & Slalom

Bruno’s baritone guitars are inspiring a whole generation of top players, he’s developing a whole new musical canon.

Jamie GaleStrings expertGlobal strings authority

Put flats on it and it sounds like an old P bass. Put round-wounds on it and there’s a lot of bite.

Michael LeagueSnarky Puppy1.8M views · on the Amrita

The amount of low end and even saturation coming from this bass is insane.

Grigor FrissBass The World18K views · Marlita demo

When I play it, I don’t really miss the bass player.

Matteo MancusoGuitaristBest Guitar Solo 2024

This is a funk machine, it nails the baritone funk rhythm sound.

Mark LettieriSnarky Puppy861K views · ‘Naptime’

The precision bass for the modern era. Everything I love about vintage basses, with all the innovation of a modern one.

Marlita ownerVerified reviewCustom build

I’ve never found anything like this. The shape, the sound, the playability, everything is really in the right place.

Nathaniel MurphyGuitaristPlays Orange Circles & Slalom

Bruno’s baritone guitars are inspiring a whole generation of top players, he’s developing a whole new musical canon.

Jamie GaleStrings expertGlobal strings authority

Where to play one

Authorised
dealers.

A short, hand picked network of shops keeps Bacci on the wall.
Go and play one in person, or start a custom build directly with Bruno in Tuscany.

Austin Guitar House

Chicago Music Exchange

Eddie’s Guitars

Empire Music

Guitars Etc

Heartbreaker Guitars

Lead Music

Music Store Live

Musikhaus André Louis

Pitbull Audio

Good to know

Questions.

Is a baritone harder to play than a standard guitar?

No. The chord shapes and technique are identical, you just work on a slightly longer neck. Most guitarists feel at home within minutes.

How is a Bacci baritone tuned?

Most players tune B to B (a fourth below standard) or A to A. Bacci builds each instrument to your preferred scale and tuning.

Can I play my usual songs on a baritone?

Yes. Everything transposes down with the instrument, so your shapes stay the same and the song simply sounds lower and fuller.

What makes the Bacci baritone different?

The Leonardo dual output gives you two independent outputs, guitar and bass from one neck, a signature that does not exist anywhere else.

Commissions

Crafted for one

Nothing here is in stock, and nothing ever will be.
Every instrument is claimed by one player before the first cut.

01
Reserve

A €1,000 deposit holds your place at the bench and sets the work in motion. It comes off the price in full.
02
Define the sound you need

Woods, pickups, finish, decided one by one, together. The instrument is drawn around you.
03
Play

The balance falls due once the specification is closed. Eight months later, it is in your hands.

Begin your commission Talk to Bruno

Not sure which instrument is yours?
Ask before you commit.

Baritone or standard guitar?
How to choose.