Tuning a tenor like a baritone experiment

Captain Simian

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Not the least bit insane. It's perfectly fine if:

1. the string tension is appropriate for the instrument and

2. you like the sound.

Enjoy!
 
My husband and I tune all of our tenors dGBE. Most of them currently have the Southcoast heavy gauge strings. :)
 
I think, from my experience in tuning many instruments down a step or two, is that at first it sounds okay, but as a few days pass, I relaize that it's too flabby and I tune back up.
 
I have a Tenor with Aquila baritone strings on it at the moment. I find that its happy tuned D#,G#,C,F or E,A,C#,F#. Going up to F,A#,D,G is a little tight. D,G,B,E works too but is a little loose.

Anthony
 
Aquila makes DGBE or dGBE strings for a tenor. A wonderful tuning variation from it, is to turn #4 strin down one whole step . #3 stays the same #2 goes up a half step. #1 stays the same. On a DGBE instrument it becomes cgce. A regular GCEA becomes FCFA
 
Today, I put Dirks new Heavy guage on my baritone for A tuning. Had Ko'olau Golds on before. Didn't like the Golds that much, not much sustain and sounded muddy. So far the A tuning sounds okay. A bit different. I like a wound string and so far Southcoast seems to be a good all around string selection.

I have Dunop T2's on a vintage Favilla baritone tuned to G. It really brought out that deep smokey bluesy sound. I'm finding my vintage baris,esp. the mahogany ones, seem to like a nylon string while the Webber bari,Koa with Englemann Spruce top, sounds best with flurocarbon. On my '63 Martin Bari I've got Worth Brown 1&2 with Hilo wound 3&4. Sounds pretty good. I must have 5 or 6 sets of baritone strings to try out. Seems like a continual search for the right string. I think I have the right tenor string, Southcoast mediums for C and Bbtuning.

I agree about different tunings. I find for closed jazz chords a Bb tuning sounds really good. The A tuning should be good for blues chords. I tried the Aquila Reds for a while but they didn't bring out the sound I wanted; no matter what tuning.
 
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