Tenors

mineymole

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So I am searching for a Tenor that feels as comfortable to play as my Kiwaya KTS4 or my Vintage Martin 0... hah! Is there such a thing?

What I love about both of those Sopranos is that the action is so low and it is so easy to glide across the fretboard.

I have a Mainland Tenor that is okay - but not super comfortable for me.

Any advice appreciated. I am trying to teach myself fingering rather than just strumming now so I am really wanting to try a good tenor.
 
Good advice given above. Neck depth is a big determining factor in fretting comfort. Your two ukes have a slim shallow neck, Loprinzis are like that. String tension is another issue, as Keith said you can restring a tenor with concert gauge strings for a lower tension feel. Last is to buy from Uke Republic, Mims or HMS, all do great set ups, ask for a low action and it will play easy
 
How about a superconcert? I love them.
 
Try to determine what it is exactly that you find uncomfortable: Is it high string tension, as others mentioned above? Is it the profile of the neck, i.e. is the neck too slim and/or flat, or too round and/or fat, or too wide to grip around? Is it about high or fat fret wires that make it harder too slide up and down?

If the latter is the case: Kanilea has the slimmest and lowest fret wires I have ever come across.

If it has to do with the neck profile: Kanilea has a broad, but very shallow neck, whereas Pono, for instance, has a very round profile that many here consider "fat".

If it has to do with string tension being uncomfortably high for you, then try the above, or tune down your tenor half a step or a full step to F Bb D G. This will give you a more relaxed feeling.
 
As folks have suggested, have the action lowered when you buy. The trade off is the occasional buzz from the strings hitting the frets.

I find my KoAloha easy to play.

You might really like the Shelly D. Park, Gypsy Jazz tenor. The neck is shallow and narrower and I find it very easy to play. Unconventional styling but a great sound.
 
Lowering the action may help. I dropped the tuning on my Kanilea to B Flat and sometimes A. That may also help. I also have a Kamaka and I keep that one on C tuning.
 
Obviously what is considered a fast and easy playing neck will vary from person to person, but the tenor necks I like best are shallow and wide... like 1.5" nut width.

Of my three I like the neck on my Cordoba 24T best.. very silky smooth and fast playing tenor. Next is my Kanilea Islander MST -4... and I understand from otherswith both that the neck on the Islander is similar to the higher end Kanilea's in carve and width. Least favorite is the neck on my Pono..which to me feels like a baseball bat.

I wish makers would show neck profiles in their websites.. I know what I like and dislike but with nothing more than vague descriptions from other owners, there's not much information about neck profiles available, yet it's one of the most important factors for me when considering ukes.
 
Obviously what is considered a fast and easy playing neck will vary from person to person, but the tenor necks I like best are shallow and wide... like 1.5" nut width.

Of my three I like the neck on my Cordoba 24T best.. very silky smooth and fast playing tenor. Next is my Kanilea Islander MST -4... and I understand from otherswith both that the neck on the Islander is similar to the higher end Kanilea's in carve and width. Least favorite is the neck on my Pono..which to me feels like a baseball bat.

I wish makers would show neck profiles in their websites.. I know what I like and dislike but with nothing more than vague descriptions from other owners, there's not much information about neck profiles available, yet it's one of the most important factors for me when considering ukes.

This is interesting. I have been looking at mostly Ponos because I love the wood combinations of cedar & spruce which very few other mid range uke makers use. I have looked at the Kala Elites too because of the neck width but no spruce or cedar. I have looked at the Cordoba 35TS, but wasn't sure of the quality since Ponos are available for not much more.
 
The build quality on my Pono is excellent and it has a beautiful voice, though a bit quiet for my taste. But I don't like the neck... too thick front to back and too thin from side to side. Not to mention the fact that it weighs a solid 12 ounces more than my Cordoba... mostly because of the truss rod, I imagine.
 
I am trying to teach myself fingering rather than just strumming now so I am really wanting to try a good tenor.
If you want a new tenor, that’s cool and I’m all for it! But I’m having a difficult time understanding your reasoning. If anything, for pure finger style is where I think sopranos shine the most. No need to hold down full chords and shorter span between frets. Faster playing, just like a violin is faster than a viola and a viola faster than a cello.

Of course I only play sopranos for all styles of playing and music so I am biased, but I think you might be disappointed if you believe finger style will be easier on a tenor.

But again though, if you want a new tenor just for a different sound or just because it’s fun with a new uke, I totally get that.
 
This is interesting. I have been looking at mostly Ponos because I love the wood combinations of cedar & spruce which very few other mid range uke makers use. I have looked at the Kala Elites too because of the neck width but no spruce or cedar. I have looked at the Cordoba 35TS, but wasn't sure of the quality since Ponos are available for not much more.

Like you I really like a spruce or cedar top. I bought a Pono MTD-SP and a Cordoba 35TS. Sold the Pono. The Cordoba has a wider nut that I prefer and I thought it was a touch more responsive / resonant. The Cordoba joins the body at the 12th fret, the Pono at the 14th. There really wasn't a lot to choose between them, I went back and forth repeatedly before settling on the Cordoba just because I slightly preferred the sound. But it was only slightly - both are great ukes.
 
I find the build of my Tiny Tenor, including the neck, the lightness, and the fit and finish, to be similar to my Kiwayas. Also, because of the size, it is more comfortable for me to play than any other tenor. It's the only tenor I can imagine playing, actually, for those reasons. But it's still not as comfortable as a Kiwaya soprano--because it's a tenor! It's also spruce topped and sounds amazing. A Pono isn't anything like a Kiwaya. Neither is a Cordoba. I haven't played a Kala Elite.
 
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