I stopped into Solar Loan, a local pawn shop, and was browsing the guitars and basses when I found this black Fender Squier Telecaster hanging on the wall. Squier is Fender’s budget line for guitars and basses, offering many of Fender’s popular models (Telecaster, Stratocaster, Jaguar, Precision Bass, Jazz Bass, etc.) at prices that students, adult beginners, and multi-instrumentalists can more easily afford. For $119, it seemed like a perfect project guitar.

Fender introduced the Squier brand in 1982 as a budget line to compete with inexpensive Japanese imports, and to increase Fender’s own market share in Japan. (Fender’s parent company CBS had acquired the Squier name when it purchased a string manufacturer in 1965.) Squier’s versions of the Telecaster, Stratocaster, Jaguar, Precision and Jazz Basses, and other popular Fenders have always been targeted to beginners, but have also been a great value for semi-pros or as secondary instruments. Today, most Squiers are built in China, but rival the quality of more expensive Fender-branded models.

I’d seen and heard baritone guitars before: Ricky Wilson’s baritone was part of the early trademark sound of the B-52s (think: Rock Lobster). Locally, Andy Schneider of the band 6240 used to play a bari, and my former Sound System bandmate Phil Hudspeth had a Danelectro that he’d had converted over to a baritone. It seemed to me that a baritone Tele was the way to go.

There are several aftermarket manufacturers for Fender guitar necks, and a few of them offer baritone necks for Teles and Strats. I ordered a Deep 6 baritone Tele neck online. Deep 6 makes two variations of the Telecaster neck: maple (light) and rosewood (dark). I felt that the maple neck would look better on this black guitar: the lighter wood provides better visual contrast.

Unfortunately when it arrived, I saw that it wasn’t pre-drilled for the neck-to-body bolts or for the tuning-head stop pegs (that keep the tuners from rotating out-of-line). I took the guitar and neck to The Lutherie Shop in Des Moines’ Drake neighborhood, so they could use their tools and expertise to do the job right. While they had it, they went ahead and adjusted the action, intonation and truss rod as well.

It’s an extended-scale length neck, built to bolt straight onto a standard Telecaster. Between the extended scale and the thicker strings, I’m able to tune the guitar down a perfect fourth (BEADF#B) from a standard “tenor” guitar (EADGBE). The alternate tuning allows for different chord voicings than would be possible on a standard guitar.

The alternate tuning does mean that I have to pay closer attention when playing with a group: I’m constantly transposing, on the spot, a P4 down from the original key. And bandmates learning a new song (or who forgot the chords) better not be watching me or they’ll be in the wrong key. Ouch!

The bottom string allows for an extended low range when playing leads, but I think my favorite feature is the sound of this guitar when amplified. Put just a touch of distortion on this beauty and it just GROWLS LIKE A BEAR. All those alternative and metal players who tune down a measly whole step: you got nothing on a baritone guitar. This guitar gives the trademark Telecaster tone with a distinctive rumble and crunch.