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Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2024 1:00 pm
by OffYourFace
I know indie rock rules here in OSG but I’ve been digging Mk.gee’s playing. Maybe others on here appreciate it too?
So he uses an AV65 Jaguar setup like a baritone. I think it’s tuned Bb-Bb but not sure. I also think he uses flatwounds. It’s a cool sound but then it occurred to me… how is he using big strings like that on a short scale???
I think I figured it out. D’Addario makes a 7-string set of their Chromes set. So if you omit the high E, you’ve got yourself a baritone set. I wonder if any other companies make a similar set?
Then, how is he getting great intonation? He plays with a capo a lot and plays in the middle of the neck. I think he’s got a mustang style bridge on there too. Whatever he’s doing is working. There’s a lot of effects (chorus/flange, reverb). but it’s in tune. Even live.
Anyway, I think he’s pretty damn good and I like the use of his old 90s Tascam 4-track as his ‘amp’.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2024 1:09 pm
by GreenKnee
Yeah I heard his stuff last week and I'm keeping an eye out for the new album.
I actually did what you describe with the 7 string Chromes set for a Jaguar Baritone - but mine was the actual MIJ Jaguar Baritone
I swapped the plain 1st string (2nd string of the 7 string set) with a flatwound string to have all 6 strings wound. It was a beast!
With Mk.gee I assumed he was using some pitch shifting from a modeller of some sort. These younguns do what they want, tradition be damned!
The strings don't look too thick:
Edit: just saw the album dropped Friday, that's going to be played in my office tomorrow.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2024 1:39 pm
by OffYourFace
No pitch shifter. Yeah the pics are deceiving but there’s other videos where they look bigger. A .065 isn’t going to look huge tho.
There’s a great rig rundown type video during a tour with Dijon and you can hear the guitar perfectly. Let me see if I can find it. Yes. He’s the last one but it’s all worth watching. His pedal board is simple. No pitch shifter.
YT
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:22 pm
by countertext
I’m digging his shit. There’s a part of my listening history that I didn’t share much with my many bandmates over the years, mid- to late-‘80s pop, that I hear in Mk.Gee. Late Police and early Sting. Peter Gabriel. Stuff like that.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 2:00 am
by OffYourFace
countertext wrote: ↑Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:22 pm
I’m digging his shit. There’s a part of my listening history that I didn’t share much with my many bandmates over the years, mid- to late-‘80s pop, that I hear in Mk.Gee. Late Police and early Sting. Peter Gabriel. Stuff like that.
Yup and some Prince, some Lindsey Buckingham, etc. I want to try this baritone setup on my Jaguar and see how it goes. I never got on with the Bass VI. These days I really prefer the 24" scale....
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 8:08 am
by countertext
I can hear some Prince in there, now that you’ve mentioned it.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:41 am
by Jaguar018
Watched the YT link and that guy (that I am too lazy to look up) with the guitar plugged into the Eurorack... and that shit just makes me some variety of jealous.
Jealous of his ability to figure all that out, jealous the fact that he has the TIME to figure it all out, and that he has the personal drive and a group of people around him that can help turn his eurorack guitar noise into a viable musical product/project.
I could go out today and drop some $$$ to get some basic setup like that, but I'd still be stuck alone in my basement with no real direction.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2024 8:33 am
by OffYourFace
It’s not as difficult as you think but it’ll take more than a week to learn. But there’s lots of stuff to learn and discover. You just need to approach it openly. Most of that little rig is just effects and samplers/loopers. The difference is that it’s extremely tweak-able .
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2024 6:47 pm
by BlixaFan
i completely randomly stumbled across his stuff, and his work with Dijon today, and my mind is blown.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2024 12:06 am
by OffYourFace
BlixaFan wrote: ↑Sun Apr 07, 2024 6:47 pm
i completely randomly stumbled across his stuff, and his work with Dijon today, and my mind is blown.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2024 5:16 am
by andy_tchp
Yeah, this guy is amazing.
It sounds so familiar yet completely unlike anything else. I can't really describe it any other way.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2024 8:42 am
by javier-san
Just stumbled onto this and was introduced to a new artist. Really digging it! Ty y'all
Also, using a jaguar for a baritone is wild (to me).
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2024 11:09 am
by OffYourFace
javier-san wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 8:42 am
Also, using a jaguar for a baritone is wild (to me).
Yeah the intonation is probably not the greatest but he makes it work. I can hear that he's out of tune sometimes but it's mainly when he hits hard. He's def using the D'Addario ECG24-7 7-String Chromes set.
andy_tchp wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 5:16 am
It sounds so familiar yet completely unlike anything else. I can't really describe it any other way.
The younger fans go nuts for him. It's a lot like how a lot of us offset fans would get super deep into MBV or SY with the gear. Even that YT guy Rhett Shull did a video on him... which kind of bummed me out tbh haha.
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2024 8:28 am
by BlixaFan
OffYourFace wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 11:09 am
javier-san wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 8:42 am
Also, using a jaguar for a baritone is wild (to me).
Yeah the intonation is probably not the greatest but he makes it work. I can hear that he's out of tune sometimes but it's mainly when he hits hard. He's def using the D'Addario ECG24-7 7-String Chromes set.
andy_tchp wrote: ↑Fri Apr 12, 2024 5:16 am
It sounds so familiar yet completely unlike anything else. I can't really describe it any other way.
The younger fans go nuts for him. It's a lot like how a lot of us offset fans would get super deep into MBV or SY with the gear. Even that YT guy Rhett Shull did a video on him... which kind of bummed me out tbh haha.
lol why did Rhett Shull bum you out? i saw that video the other day. he seems to genuinely find Mk.gee unique and fresh?
Re: Mk.gee and making a short scale baritone
Posted: Sat Apr 13, 2024 3:36 pm
by OffYourFace
BlixaFan wrote: ↑Sat Apr 13, 2024 8:28 am
lol why did Rhett Shull bum you out? i saw that video the other day. he seems to genuinely find Mk.gee unique and fresh?
I have nothing against him. It's just weird how influencers like him who have no real accomplishments under their belt have a large following and dish out advice. He's a commercial for gear.
I just worry for Mk.gee cuz so much hype at such speed can be detrimental. But I do think he'll be fine.