Practise Tenor

sam13

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Hi All,

I am looking to buy a practise Tenor (new or used) to take with me when I go out to jam at ukulele circles.

One that is great quality (solid wood or at least solid top) that I won't be stressed out if it gets bumped or a small scratch. And also I can leave it and use the bathroom and it will be there when I bet back.

I have been looking at the Gretsch Tenor 9120 SM. any feed back on it? Or the cutaway? Both come in around $200 which is pretty fair for the quality.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.
 
Aaron at HMS has said the Cordoba 20TM is the best tenor under $200, and they carry a lot of tenors under $200. Solid top, laminated B&S. Good build, and very good volume and tone. It also comes with a very high quality gig bag.

Is this something you're going to leave in the bathroom at work? You must trust your coworkers to wash their hands...LOL!
 
Take a look at Butler Music eBay store, they sell Lanikai blems for about $150 which usually sell for $250-350, that are good quality and some have almost indiscernible cosmetic flaws. I like the quilted ash solid spruce top. I bought a solid monkey pod and spruce/mahogany blems from them.
 
Kala has some all solid mahogany lites for about the same price.
 
All great suggestions. Thank you.

Um. Was t going to take the Uke into the bathroom with me, would leave it behind.

That was funny though.
 
I have Gretsch G9120 SM and it's amazing. To me it has better sound than my Pono ATD. The best $200 I've ever spent.

It has thicker neck and it might be a problem for some people.
 
Last edited:
EQT2010

Interesting comparison between the Pono ATD and the 9120 SM.

I was considering buying an ATD for the travel Uke. But saw that HMS had a great deal in them.

What strings do you use for the 9120? Do you have the Cut Away Tenor with pick up?

Thanks.
 
I just saw the Mainland Uke site and the Red Cedar/Rosewood Tenor is beautiful.

Anyone have one? Where did you get it? Was thinking a dealer like Uke Republic might have a better set up and toss in a bag? Any thoughts on them?

HMS does not sell Mainland product.
 
EQT2010

Interesting comparison between the Pono ATD and the 9120 SM.

I was considering buying an ATD for the travel Uke. But saw that HMS had a great deal in them.

What strings do you use for the 9120? Do you have the Cut Away Tenor with pick up?

Thanks.

I use Worth Brown for G9120 and Ko'olau Gold for ATD.

Mine is G9120 SM(all solid mahogany), not G9121 you mentioned. HMS is selling G9120 SM for $219 plus shipping now and I think it's a steal price.

BTW, I also have Mainland mahogany tenor and it's wonderful. You can't go wrong with any of these ukes.
 
My husband plays the Gretsch tenor deluxe, the G9120-SM, and it is a very nice instrument. Love the sound, the feel and the look. Just enough bling for him without being too blingy. I especially love the sweet sound. His came in a nice tan/gold gig bag. Wonderful intonation as well.

Butler's on Ebay is also a good place to look. You can find some amazing deals. I've ordered two ukuleles from them and blems were so small I couldn't find the marks when they arrived at my house.
 
EQT2010

Interesting comparison between the Pono ATD and the 9120 SM.

I was considering buying an ATD for the travel Uke. But saw that HMS had a great deal in them.

What strings do you use for the 9120? Do you have the Cut Away Tenor with pick up?

Thanks.

When I bought my Pono ATD, I had the opportunity to play the 9120 SM alongside it. After about an hour of eliminating various models, I settled on the Pono. The Gretsch fell by the wayside fairly early in the process; it sounded generally thin. Both ukes had the same strings.
 
When I bought my Pono ATD, I had the opportunity to play the 9120 SM alongside it. After about an hour of eliminating various models, I settled on the Pono. The Gretsch fell by the wayside fairly early in the process; it sounded generally thin. Both ukes had the same strings.

I agree Pono ATD has deeper/fuller sound but G9120SM sounds more "musical" to me. It's kind of subjective thing so YMMV.
 
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