Tenor Guitar - Your Thoughts

[merlin666]

Originally Posted by fingerguy

Unless I am not understanding you right, Soprano, Concert, and Tenor are all designed with the same open tuning of GCEA. The Baritone is opened to the first 4 strings of a guitar. So strung like a Tenor doesn't make sense. Help me understand.

Sorry for the confusion I referred to a tenor guitar. The uke is strung with the Aquila 31U set that has two thick wound strings for CGDA tuning so it is more like a tiny tenor guitar/banjo or viola/mandola.

[Picking Dick]

Hi, I’m a new ol’ guy here, so thought I’d add my two cents.

I have a Kala tenor guitar tuned Lo C GBD. I’m using it to learn plectrum banjo music. Later, if I succeed, I’ll get a plectrum banjo.

I was a clawhammer banjo player, but my finger nails got old and weak and cracky. Now I use picks for everything except two finger.

[bretterb]

Hi Dick. I just got a tenor guitar and currently have it tuned DGBE (Chicago Tuning) like the highest four strings of a regular six-string guitar.

I'd been playing baritone ukulele (same tuning) for about a year, and am finding the 23" scale on my tenor to be a challenge/stretch, although it's admittedly significantly shorter than most six-string guitar scales.

It sounds really nice tho!

-Brett

Originally Posted by Picking Dick

Hi, I’m a new ol’ guy here, so thought I’d add my two cents.

I have a Kala tenor guitar tuned Lo C GBD. I’m using it to learn plectrum banjo music. Later, if I succeed, I’ll get a plectrum banjo.

I was a clawhammer banjo player, but my finger nails got old and weak and cracky. Now I use picks for everything except two finger.

[tdq]

I have an old Stella tenor which I tune to GDGD. It's really not a very good instrument but it's fun to noodle, I don't play it seriously. The tuning is the same as I use for my cigar box guitar builds.
Interesting thread, it has rekindled my interest. I might try the aforementioned GCEA tuning, that looks it could work for me.
I remember quite liking some Blueridge tenors that I tried a while back - I'd give those a look.
But as for your original question, yes I've seen some amazing players soloing (on yuotube) it can totally work as a solo instrument.

[varmonter]

I hae and use a gibson tg-50.
For me it works as a 4 string octave mandolin. GDAE. I have lots if fun
with it doing songs like "Just what i needed" by the cars.
The tg-50 is an archtop tenor.

[TobyB]

I mainly play 8-string mando family - though only 4 on my banjo. I picked up a cheap modern resonator mandolin. It sounded ... "OK" ... but I wondered if a better (Delta) cone might improve its tone. This opened a whole can of worms ... it wouldn't setup or tune ... so I took it to Phil Davidson who has made me a number of great instruments. Careful look, the neck is set wrong, all sorts... its a cheap'n'cheerful product. He was going to make a new neck.
A week later and a text - "what do you think about a tenor guitar? " I didn't have an opinion - but Phil thought reso-mando's never sound good and the 12" cone could sound better an octave down.
So - a tenor resonator guitar is born out of an indifferent mandolin - and it's a very lovely sounding thing. Tuned GDAE, it has a tone that cuts through a mix without the brashness of a banjo, and has sustain to give much more legato sounds for slower tunes. Similar but distinctly different from my tenor mandola.
It's so much fun, and a welcome change, that he's making me an acoustic one with Martin 000 body ... Steve Knightley, Phil Beer and Martyn Joseph songs beckon ... and Fender have just released (in the UK) a tenor Tele to go electric on ...

[neilca]

Originally Posted by philjs

I play an 8-string tenor, configured as a bouzar (a bouzouki in a tenor guitar body, 23" scale), tuned GDGC (same intervals as DADG), in my trio. We recently recorded, then had a video done, of our take on a Stan Rogers tune, called "The Giant". I may be -- probably am -- the first to play slap harmonics on one but there was a good reason for it...since the song is about a mythical giant associated with Bras d'Or (the inland sea in the middle of Cape Breton Island) the harmonics were intended to sound like the bell on a buoy on the foggy lake.



Also, check out local Halifax, NS artist Joel Plaskett. He often accompanies his original songs on tenor guitar. Try a simple Google or Youtube search for "Joel Plaskett tenor guitar"...I think you'll be impressed (I know I am!)

Phil

Thanks for posting this Phil. I am a huge Stan Rodgers fan. Fantastic trio all very talented.

[martinedwards]

I built my own.

because my brian just wont stretch, I tune it as an octave mando.

played it in church as a solo leading like a regular guitar......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObX-j6_TtWA&t=185s

Mahogany back and sides, spruce top, fanned frets, double cutaway and soundholes on the top edge.

[PhilUSAFRet]

Uker here. I Just got a new, highly regarded, Recording King 000 Dirty Thirties tenor for Christmas. Got a custom set of gCEA strings from String joy that give it a full, rich, deep guitar sound as opposed to the higher register that is usually heard on tenors. I am still getting used to the longer scale and fingering positions and the metal strings. I bypassed the baritone uke. Just wanted to play a real 'guitar' even if it only has 4 strings. I have several gCEA recommended string set lists for this instrument. Has a full, rich guitar sound. I am looking forward to playing more jazz, blues, and some gospel bluegrass.