Tenor block...

It's odd. I love this instrument so much, in its many iterations. I've owned numerous sopranos, concerts, baritones, banjo ukes, and resonator ukes over the years. (Still hope to try a taropatch someday.)

But in my 16-17 years of uking, I've only owned 3 or 4 tenors, and I never keep them.

I know this isn't a real problem, and understand why tenors are some people's preferred scale, but for some reason it is the only size uke that doesn't grab me.

Typically I find at least a little something to love about any uke, but for some reason no tenor I've ever owned or played--and I've played some nice ones--really grabs me.

I end up with a "meh" feeling, like I miss the smaller soprano and concert scales, but also feel like "why am I not just playing a baritone?"

I'm certainly not a hater! Don't mean this to be an anti-tenor uke thread. As I say, I understand why the tenor is the uke of choice for some, or in regular rotation in their uke stable.

I just find it odd that something about that particular size uke leaves me flat.

I couldn't get on with this body size either, it cuts into my fore arm, but I have found that I like the scale.

So I now have an Ohana CK35L tenor scale solid mahogany concert body & an Ohana SK30L tenor scale solid mahogany soprano body, plus a RISA tenor Uke Ellie electric.

Tenor ukuleles end up having the highest string tension of any of them because nowadays its considered "normal" to tune a tenor gCEA like a Concert or Soprano.

I don't like tenors tuned gCEA. Tenors are my main size but none of them are tuned gCEA. I tune most often EAC#F# and sometimes FA#DG and funnily enough the instrument finds its voice at these lower tensions.

All of a sudden you get a bit of WOW happening.

This isn't all that unusual because historically Tenor ukuleles were tuned lower than Concert or Soprano ukuleles.

Basically the effort to keep things simple has not been kind to the Tenor ukulele.

Anthony

I like Tenors, the size is easier for me to hold, when tuned dGBE, the sting tension is delightful and the tone much better for my singing. However my Concerts really helped me learn to play better. In the last year I've learned to play baritone and like it's tone, but it isn't as handy as a tenor. I tune my bari dGBE as it sounds like a Uke that way, with a low D I found it sounding like a castrated Guitar.

I believe Tenors should be tuned dGBE to make the the most versatile. gCEA is just too high for me.

That's what I've found with the tenor size too. I love the soprano and concert size and the tone of a baritone. But there's always been something about tenors that didn't do it for me and I ended up re-homing the uke.

According to Ukulele Handbook by Axel Richter, (Mel Bay 2004).
Tenor ukes should be tuned to either A-tuning (e A C# F#) or Bb-tuning (f Bb D G).
The only uke that should be tuned to C (g C E A) is the concert.
The soprano should be D-tuning (a D F# B) or Eb-tuning (b E G C).

Personally, I quite like a tenor in G-tuning, (like a baritone), but have reverted to low G on most of mine.

P.S. I use concert low G strings on mine, makes for a bit less tension.

I understand exactly how you feel and I have a theory on why.
Audibly I like the sound of a mahogany soprano best. I like the chunky, plunky sound.
Tenor stings have a little more tension and sound a little brighter then I like.
I know we're talking about nylon strings, but many people feel uncomfortable with the extra tension on a tenor strings.
That being said, I still play a tenor the most because the longer scale is most comfortable for my finger style playing.

I currently have tenors in C6, Bb, and A6 tuning as well as in FIFTHS tuning of CGDA like a mandola/viola/tenor guitar.

Why different keys and tunings?

It is dependent upon the song for my lower vocal register if I am singing, for I have a baritone voice, and much easier and comfortable to sing to an A6 tuned uke, but still using C6 chord shapes rather than having to transpose DOWN a major third and play chords that tie your fingers in knots, or capo up on the 7th fret and have a cripplingly shorter scale length.

Having said the above, I also play sopranos in C6, D6 and fifths tuning GDAE like a mandolin as well as concerts in C6 and CGDA like a mandola, and baritones in G6 and fifths tuning GDAE like an octave mandolin (thats down to a G2 for the lowest open string).

Tenor is actually my preference, but I hop around, like for on days when my hand problems are acting up, it's easier to play on a soprano than a tenor, and others, only the baritone will do....

I'm a newbie to the ukelele world, having had my first ukulele only since Monday evening. It's a Kala Butterfly Bocote tenor. I have been playing lots of other instruments for many years, including violin, mandolin, and guitar. I repair woodwind and brasswind and also teach private music lessons on woodwinds, brasswinds and guitar. I only mention all that so you'll have some idea of my background when I explain why I like the tenor uke. I repair instruments for a music store which has a wide variety of ukes, from cheap laminate painted ukes through solid wood ukes, and I find all the soprano ukes a bit too thin tone-wise for my taste. That's why I chose the tenor. I do re-entrant C6 tuning and basically feel that it's a soprano uke with much fuller tone. I hope I'm not spouting blasphemy by saying that.

I might feel quite differently if I could play the top-line ukes in the thousand dollars and up price range, but given my budget I got what I liked the sound of best.

I find the tenor the most ergonomic and most comfortable to fret. The soprano is the most un ergonomic and difficult to fret to achieve a sweet fingerpicking tone. The challenge intrigues me and it drives me to be a student of it.

I agree.
I always compare my need for multiple ukes to tools. You are always gonna need more then one screwdriver.