Bajo Sexto

The Lucida Bajo Sexto is made with the same reverence for heritage as the traditional Mexican music for which it is used. Primarily providing bass and chordal accompaniment in a conjunto group, this guitar's lowered tuning gives it a very rich and resonant sound.

The Lucida Bajo Sexto is carefully crafted with an all-spruce top for superb resonance and brilliant sustain. The back and sides are built strong with mahogany. The fretboard is made from rosewood. These excellent tonewoods combine to produce an instrument that is sonorous and dependable. The Lucida Bajo Sexto also features a decorative rosette and authentic bajo sexto strings.

This is terrific instrument for guitarists seeking new textures and south-of-the-border musical seasoning.

Traditionally, the bajo sexto is a part of the instrumentation of conjunto groups in Northern Mexico. Its role is to provide the bass and chord accompaniment to the band's lead instrument--the button accordian. Powerful bass tones are produced by playing string pairs. In traditional use, the top 2 strings are not played and in some cases they are removed creating what's referred to as a bajo quinto. The next 4 top strings play the basslines while the lower six provide the chords.

Small conjunto groups also usually incorporate a guitar and drum kit. Unlike mariachi bands who rarely perform at dances, conjunto groups provide the 2-step basis for many Mexican dances. Conjunto in its modern form has evolved into what is now referred to as Tejano music.

Tuning the Bajo Sexto

1. Starting at position one (same as the first string or high E on a guitar, the first 2 strings are tuned in unison, to the note of F. The pitch is equivalent to the F note which occurs on the 3rd fret of the 4th string on a guitar.

2. At position 2, the next set of strings moving upward, both strings are tuned in unison to the note of C, the same as the C occuring at the 3rd fret of the 5th string on a guitar.

3. At position 3, the next 2 strings are tuned in unison to the note of G, the same as the G note which occurs at the 3rd fret of the sixth string of a guitar.

4. At position 4, there are 2 strings of different sizes. The smaller string is tuned to the note of D, the same as the the open 4th string of a guitar. The larger string is tuned also to the note of D, one octave below the other string, which can be found on a bass tuner or tuned by ear, one octave below the smaller string.

5. At position 5, tune the smaller string to the note of A, the same as to the open 5th string of a guitar, which is also found on a guitar tuner. The larger string is tuned one octave below as found on a bass guitar tuner.

6. At position 6, tune the smaller string to the note of E, the same as the open sixth string of a guitar. The larger string is tuned to E, one octave below or with a bass tuner.