What piece of equipment do you have to show us today?
This is the baritone guitar I used to write and record ‘Backsliding’. It’s a Gretsch Electromatic Jet Baritone with a Bigsby.
How did you come across this particular item?
It was loaned to me several years ago and I really should return it to its owner and buy my own…
What is it that you like about it so much?
I think there’s something about playing the baritone that makes me feel powerful (maybe I should have been a bass player, haha). It feels really nice to sing over the low end and the range of the instrument allows you to be a bass player and guitarist all at once. I play it through my little solid state Vox Pathfinder and it drives really nicely. Sometimes I’ll use my Hotcake pedal if I want a grittier sound. The Bigsby is also fun!
How do you use it and how has it shaped the way you write music?
I actually only started writing with it last year. ‘Backsliding’ was the second song I wrote on it. I was feeling a bit stuck in my ways on the electric and acoustic so I decided on a whim to pick up the baritone. The fun thing with baritone is that you can treat it like a bass guitar and that’s definitely the approach I used for ‘Backsliding’.
Tell us a bit about what you have coming up?
Well, for the foreseeable I’m just riding out this whole ‘rona situation like everyone else. I had planned to record my next album in the middle of this year but that will probably be pushed back a bit now. I’m just going to keep writing and practicing in the hope that once we’re allowed to record and play shows again I can hit the ground running!
Hannah Cameron’s new single ‘Backsliding’ is out now.
