I’m always surprised when I overhear from someone in our shop: “what’s a baritone guitar?” Then I have the pleasure of blowing their minds with the answer: “it’s a completely different sounding guitar but you don’t have to change what you’re doing with either hand!”
In fact, if we didn’t have signs identifying our baritone guitars, most folks would’ve even notice they were different. The shape and the strings look like a standard guitar, but the moment you strum a chord, the deep, resonant growl tells you this instrument is something different. Baritone guitars sit in a unique space between the guitar and the bass, offering a rich tonal palette that can inspire new ideas and techniques.
What Is a Baritone Guitar?
A baritone guitar is tuned lower than a standard guitar—usually by a fourth or a fifth. The most common tuning is B to B, but you’ll also find baritones tuned A to A or even C to C, depending on the scale length, string gauges, and/or player’s preference. The typical scale length for baritones is 27-30” which provides the necessary string tension to keep lower notes from sounding floppy or muddy, while still maintaining playability.
​Baritone guitars are no longer just niche instruments for studio players and film composers. These days you can hear them in metal, country, indie, surf, and even pop and they come in a wide variety of price ranges for both acoustic and electric. 
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Here’s a few we have in stock right now:

When most of us think about guitar top tonewoods mind instantly goes to names like spruce, cedar, and mahogany, with the occasional koa or even maple thrown in for good measure. But there’s another option that’s been gaining popularity amongst the smaller, boutique builders with successful, often stunning, results: redwood!
A (different) Top Choice
Unlike spruce, which has dominated the acoustic guitar world for a few centuries now, redwood isn’t a common soundboard choice. Out here on the west coast, redwood has traditionally been used for structural beams, fencing, & decking, while more figured pieces can be found in cabinetry, interior paneling, or tabletops. Its scarcity in luthiery comes not only from limited availability but also from the challenge of sourcing pieces with the right stiffness, grain, and resonance for a guitar top.
Some of the finest redwood tops are reclaimed from old bridges, barns, or beams, where the wood has aged and seasoned over decades—or even centuries. This gives redwood guitars a sustainability story and a historical connection that’s hard to match.
Redwood Tone
Sonically, redwood sits somewhere between cedar and spruce, blending the crisp attack and warmth of cedar with the dynamic response of spruce. It’s no surprise that many fingerstyle players gravitate towards a redwood topped instrument.
Visually Striking
Beyond the unique tone, redwood tops are always eye-catching. Their deep, reddish-brown hues often display dramatic figuring, with tight grain lines, curly flame, or even bearclaw. And let’s not forget about ‘sinker’ redwood tops. This refers to a particular tree or log sat at the bottom of a river or lake for several decades before being resurrected, properly dried, and cut to thickness. These ‘sinker’ tops usually have very distinct, dark mineral deposits running along the grain which adds character for days.
Who Builds with Redwood?
Because luthier-grade redwood is harder to find and often reclaimed, it’s most commonly found in boutique instruments. Builders such as Santa Cruz Guitar Company, Lowden, Goodall, and numerous independent luthiers have crafted remarkable guitars with redwood tops.
​Check out our Redwood Collection to see what we’ve got in stock currently, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to custom order your dream redwood guitar!