Micro-Frets Baritone/6 String Bass, Formerly owned by Walter Becker of Steely Dan Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar , c. 1972
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Item # 9058
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Micro-Frets Baritone/6 String Bass, Formerly owned by Walter Becker of Steely Dan Model Semi-Hollow Body Electric Guitar, c. 1972, made in Fredrick, Maryland, serial # 2733, brown stain finish, maple body, maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, black hard shell case.
Some of the most unique and original American guitars of the late 1960s and early 1970s came out of Frederick, Maryland, where the small Micro-Frets company built their beautifully engineered if slightly oddball fretted offerings. This particular instrument is one of the rarest built by the company; a 6-string bass/Baritone guitar. This model was built only in miniscule numbers to order, and while all Micro-Frets instruments are fairly rare, this instrument is in a whole other category.
The headstock is simply labeled "Baritone" under the company logo, and the instrument is laid out similar to a standard 6-string guitar but with a 29 1/2" scale neck. This is similar to 1950s-'60s Danelectro practice, but this is a far more solidly built instrument than the earlier Dannos. The thin semi-hollow body is routed out of the solid maple halves which are joined at the center of the rim. The is one of the company's more conventional-looking instruments, with symmetrical double cutaway body finished in a rather sedate brown stain with all frets easily accessible. The maple neck is finished in natural lacquer with a thick unbound dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard and Fender-style truss rod adjusting at the heel end.
The Baritone model carries many of the firm's trademark guitar elements. The white plastic-encased pickups were made by Micro-frets and have a very hi-fi sound. One of the company's strangest creations is the patented Micro-Nut which allows harmonic compensation at the headstock, paired with a fully-adjustable bridge unit. The controls are tone, volume, pickup select, and an extra tone modification switch carried on the bi-level top-mounted pickguard. The sculpted space-age headstock carries the brand logo and deluxe Grover tuners with pearloid buttons.
This is the only one of these we have ever seen, and all evidence we have indicates only a handful of this model were ever built. It is a an extremely well-made and fine playing instrument with a very slim, comfortable neck and wide-range responsive pickups. The sound ranges from crisp and hi-fi to a surprising depth; the tonal range is impressive. This is absolutely one of the easiest-handling, best-playing and sounding long-scale instruments of this type we have encountered.
A number of country artists endorsed Micro-Frets in the late 1960s; this Baritone model (in custom-made form) was featured regularly by Buddy Merrill on the Lawrence Welk show in the early '70s. Mike Rutherford of Genesis also had one, reportedly used on "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" and "A Trick Of The Tail". He adapted it for stage use by attaching a Rickenbacker 12-string to the top of the body, creating a unique double neck for touring purposes! Other than these sightings, this is a most obscure instrument.
This one was in the collection of Steely Dan founder Walter Becker for many years; we do not know if it made its way onto any recordings, but Walter was a lifetime connoisseur of unique sounds and we'd imagine he had fun with the wide tonal palette the Baritone offers. We have left it set up in the B-B baritone tuning he had it set up for. Truly a unique piece and absolutely one of the finest instruments of its type we have encountered.
Overall length is 45 in. (114.3 cm.), 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 29 1/2 in. (749 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This instrument is all original and in excellent-playing condition with some light finish wear but no repairs or alterations. The finish shows dings and dents to the back and edges but no major loss. All hardware is original and fully intact, and the instrument plays extremely well and sounds fantastic. It is accompanied by an unfortunately musty early '70s Gibson bass case that has much of the lining rotted out; we will happily include an alternate gig bag if desired but as the case has some period stickers and the studio storage markings intact, we feel it should remain with the instrument. Excellent + Condition.
Some of the most unique and original American guitars of the late 1960s and early 1970s came out of Frederick, Maryland, where the small Micro-Frets company built their beautifully engineered if slightly oddball fretted offerings. This particular instrument is one of the rarest built by the company; a 6-string bass/Baritone guitar. This model was built only in miniscule numbers to order, and while all Micro-Frets instruments are fairly rare, this instrument is in a whole other category.
The headstock is simply labeled "Baritone" under the company logo, and the instrument is laid out similar to a standard 6-string guitar but with a 29 1/2" scale neck. This is similar to 1950s-'60s Danelectro practice, but this is a far more solidly built instrument than the earlier Dannos. The thin semi-hollow body is routed out of the solid maple halves which are joined at the center of the rim. The is one of the company's more conventional-looking instruments, with symmetrical double cutaway body finished in a rather sedate brown stain with all frets easily accessible. The maple neck is finished in natural lacquer with a thick unbound dot-inlaid rosewood fingerboard and Fender-style truss rod adjusting at the heel end.
The Baritone model carries many of the firm's trademark guitar elements. The white plastic-encased pickups were made by Micro-frets and have a very hi-fi sound. One of the company's strangest creations is the patented Micro-Nut which allows harmonic compensation at the headstock, paired with a fully-adjustable bridge unit. The controls are tone, volume, pickup select, and an extra tone modification switch carried on the bi-level top-mounted pickguard. The sculpted space-age headstock carries the brand logo and deluxe Grover tuners with pearloid buttons.
This is the only one of these we have ever seen, and all evidence we have indicates only a handful of this model were ever built. It is a an extremely well-made and fine playing instrument with a very slim, comfortable neck and wide-range responsive pickups. The sound ranges from crisp and hi-fi to a surprising depth; the tonal range is impressive. This is absolutely one of the easiest-handling, best-playing and sounding long-scale instruments of this type we have encountered.
A number of country artists endorsed Micro-Frets in the late 1960s; this Baritone model (in custom-made form) was featured regularly by Buddy Merrill on the Lawrence Welk show in the early '70s. Mike Rutherford of Genesis also had one, reportedly used on "Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" and "A Trick Of The Tail". He adapted it for stage use by attaching a Rickenbacker 12-string to the top of the body, creating a unique double neck for touring purposes! Other than these sightings, this is a most obscure instrument.
This one was in the collection of Steely Dan founder Walter Becker for many years; we do not know if it made its way onto any recordings, but Walter was a lifetime connoisseur of unique sounds and we'd imagine he had fun with the wide tonal palette the Baritone offers. We have left it set up in the B-B baritone tuning he had it set up for. Truly a unique piece and absolutely one of the finest instruments of its type we have encountered.
Overall length is 45 in. (114.3 cm.), 14 1/2 in. (36.8 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) in depth, measured at side of rim. Scale length is 29 1/2 in. (749 mm.). Width of nut is 1 5/8 in. (41 mm.).
This instrument is all original and in excellent-playing condition with some light finish wear but no repairs or alterations. The finish shows dings and dents to the back and edges but no major loss. All hardware is original and fully intact, and the instrument plays extremely well and sounds fantastic. It is accompanied by an unfortunately musty early '70s Gibson bass case that has much of the lining rotted out; we will happily include an alternate gig bag if desired but as the case has some period stickers and the studio storage markings intact, we feel it should remain with the instrument. Excellent + Condition.