Full Description
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Baritone range, familiar guitar feel
The Drifter Baritone gets around one of the usual compromises of a baritone guitar: the extra length. By setting the bridge further back into the body than on a conventional electric, the Drifter spreads its scale length across more of the body, allowing it to achieve a 28-inch scale while retaining a regular guitar-length neck. Combined with the compact 18-fret layout, the result feels much closer to a regular electric guitar in the hands, while still giving you the string tension, note definition, and lower register expected from a true baritone.
Lightweight, modern playability
Hartwood have also looked to alleviate the cumbersome feel that can come with the larger format of a baritone guitar. By basing the Drifter Baritone around a chambered basswood body, internal mass is reduced to keep the guitar lighter and easier to handle without compromising its full-sized body shape. The result is a baritone that weighs just 3.2kg (7.05lb), making it comfortable for longer playing sessions and gigs.
Moving up the guitar, the satin-finished roasted maple neck offers a silky smooth playing surface, while the laurel fingerboard and compact 18-fret layout keep things familiar under your fretting hand. A heavier 13-62 string set complements the longer 28-inch scale, providing the tension and control needed for its lower B-to-B tuning.
Pickups suited to the lower register
Twin gold-foil-covered humbuckers give the Drifter plenty of scope across its extended range. The neck position captures a fuller, rounder response, while the bridge position emphasises more attack and definition. The three-way selector gives you either pickup individually or both together, with master volume and tone controls keeping adjustments immediate. That makes it easy to move between broad chord voicings, defined low-register lines and more spacious clean textures without an overcomplicated control layout.
Hardware built for baritone
The Drifter Baritone’s hardware has been chosen with its longer scale and lower tuning in mind. Its three-saddle bridge utilises premium brass saddles to provide a solid more contact point for the strings, with easy adjustments for setting intonation across the 28-inch scale. At the headstock, two string trees maintain a consistent break angle over the nut, helping keep the strings seated securely as they travel towards the tuners. Combined with the heavier 13-62 string set, it’s a straightforward, proven hardware arrangement that gives the Drifter the stable foundation needed for B-to-B tuning.
Specifications
- Body Material: Basswood
- Body Finish: Black
- Body Binding: Aged Cream, Double Bound
- Pickguard: 3-Ply, Off White
- Strings: 0.013 - 0.062
Neck
- Neck Material: Roasted Maple
- Neck Finish: Satin
- Neck Shape: C
- Scale Length: 28”
- Fretboard Material: Laurel
- Fretboard Radius: 16” / 406mm
- Frets: 18, Medium
- Nut Material: ABS
- Nut Width: 42mm
- Inlays: White Pearloid
- Neck Plate: 4-Bolt, Chrome
Hardware
- Bridge: 3-Saddle Bridge, Brass Saddles
- Tuning Machines: Chrome Die Cast Tuners
- Hardware Finish: Chrome
Electronics
- Controls: 1 x Volume / 1 x Tone
- Pickups: 2 x Gold Foil Covered Humbuckers
- Pickup Switching: 3-Way Selector
Dimensions
- Length: 1000mm
- Body Length: 465mm
- Upper Bout: 265mm
- Lower Bout: 340mm
- Depth: 41mm
- Weight: 3.20kg
Hartwood's carefully developed range of electric and acoustic instruments offers exceptional quality and sound. Honing in on the finest components, tonewoods and construction techniques, each Hartwood model has been designed to evolve with you and your music. With both classic and contemporary designs, Hartwood guitars are suitable for all musicians, no matter your style.
