Tenor Guitar Tuning for more Contemporary Music?

[subby]

I just lucked into a Fender Tenor Tele as a six-string player. I'd like to diversify into fifths but the learning curve has been a little sharp. Transposing guitar tabs to fifths tuning is especially painful. I'm thinking of tuning down the more standard tenor Irish/Fiddle tuning of GDAE to EBF#C#, which would make it a lot easier to run guitar tab power chords and others off the familiar E string.

I've also considered Open E. I'm just tired of being one of what feels like a million six string players in my area. I know a few people do octave bass (EADG) but that doesn't really give any distinct sound other than removing the high pitched B and E strings.

I see tenor guitar players talk a lot about songs in the key of [A/B/C etc] and certain tunings being best for certain music. I play a lot of pop punk, grunge, and alternative music as the main guitar player in a band and want to still be able to carry those familiar tunes in fifths or open tuning. I do want to diversify further into Mandolin and tenor banjo once I've got the tenor more down, but playing as the main [tenor] guitar player and vocalist in a three-piece is the priority, so I'm thinking open E may be the move. Is that tuning overly limiting for playing lead lines etc?

Any advice is appreciated.

[TobyB]

I have tenors tuned in 5ths, but to CGDA for melodic playing and CGDG for chordal rhythm stuff... it sits between guitars and mandolin/fiddle in the mix

[PapaDafoe]

I’ve come to like 1 5 1 3 tunings on my tenor guitars.

Open G = G D G B
Open A = A E A C#

Justin Johnson likes these on his 4 string cigar box guitars.