Bajo Sexto - does anyone play?

Subject: RE: Bajo Sexto - does anyone play?
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Nov 10 - 02:26 PM

Tim Doesn't really play anywhere near the traditional style-he spent years developing his own style of vocal accompaniment on it, uses his own tunings, and I imagine you would be hard pressed to find anyone else who plays like that. What little I've heard of traditional Bajo sexto is a lot more actual chords and a choppier style.

But I agree, it's amazing to listen to. I live in Oregon, and saw him in a little pub, and between his voice and the instrument he had no trouble filling the room.

Larkinthemorning.com has one, but it's a bit expensive. I just picked one up the other day at a local shop for $225, and it plays fine. So there are certainly cheap ones out there, but I couldn't say for sure where to find them.

Subject: RE: Bajo Sexto - does anyone play?
From: GUEST,punkfolrocker
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 07:48 AM

I've seen them regularly on ebay..

But even though they often look reasonably priced bargains worth taking a risk,
I'm put off by recent increasingly extortionate shipping fees
and the punishing UK VAT/import surcharge.

I used to buy a lot of gear from the US up until about 4 or 5 years ago..
but for my limited budget its now become far too expensive.

Subject: Bajo Sexto - does anyone play?
From: Scabby Douglas
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 05:58 AM

First off, I'm in Glasgow, Scotland.
I was at Partick Folk Club last week, and heard Tim Eriksen   (http://timeriksenmusic.com/ ) He's an exponent of what his website describes as"hardcore Americana". There's a combination of old-time songs and tunes, shape-note singing, and his own compositions. During the performance, he played what I at first thought was a beautiful looking 12-string guitar, but he explained was a bajo sexto. A bit of research later, I find that there's a whole family of instruments, broadly speaking in the guitar family, which belong to the mariachi and norteno music traditions. These include the bajo sexto, bajo quinto, tiple, guitarron and others - any and all of which I may have misspelled.

Anyone ever have any experience of playing the bajo sexto?   I really like the sound and the arrangement of the tuning intervals seems logical.

I would love the chance to try the bajo sexto or the bajo quinto, but if I can't source one here at a reasonable price, I may just order one from the States or even Mexico, if I had something to go on. Not quite in a position to buy *right now*, but I'm window shopping, and looking for ideas.

Thanks


Steven