Tenor Guitars

Timbuck

Timbuck

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I've noticed over the last year that Tenor guitars are becoming more popular than they've ever been before...Could it be that a lot of ukulele players are now moving on to a more fuller sounding 4 string instrument. ?
 
Timbuck said:
I've noticed over the last year that Tenor guitars are becoming more popular than they've ever been before...Could it be that a lot of ukulele players are now moving on to a more fuller sounding 4 string instrument. ?
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I got one for exactly that reason, Ken. Since I didn't come to the uke from a guitar background, it's nice to have a larger, lower-tuned, steel-stringed instrument. That said, I don't play it nearly as much as my soprano (or baritone).
 
Hmm possibly. Tenor guitar was actually gaining popularity in recent years even from the mandolin communities. The fifth tuning transitions pretty easily from mandolin family to tenor guitar. There's even a separate tenor guitar section on mandolincafe.com.

In my case, I was intially into mandolins, then MAS hits and I went on to an octave mandolins, tenor guitar and even tried a little baritone uke. I've rekindled my interest in ukes because mandolins, tenor guitar and baritone ukes are not easily available in China and I need something to strum.
 
I heard of tenor guitars about a year ago and wanted to give one a try. Nobody around here had one so I built one based on the old Regal tenor. It came out well and is very different than the tenor uke that I play most of the time. The 21" scale and steel strings make playing more work as well the different chords. I like the sound and will keep it to play with. One person wants me to make them one when I get the time and I don't think I will sell this one, it is a keeper.

Bill
 
After 50 years of playing my stiff old hands finally gave up on trying to handle six strings. However, the four-string tenor filled my guitar needs by requiring a little less agility (at least to me) and keeping the basic sound. Thanks to the tenor guitar my granddaughter has early-inherited all my six-string stuff - a winner for both of us.
 
It may be old guitarists like myself want the old steel string sound without the added length of a TG or guitar; hence the search for steel strung tenor and baritone ukes.
 
Does that mean we need to start building them? I'm just catching on to ukuleles.
 
Im starting a tassy blackwood and sinker redwood top tenor guitar in a few weeks to match a tenor uke :) .

Looking forward to this build :)
 
Beau Hannam Ukuleles said:
Im starting a tassy blackwood and sinker redwood top tenor guitar in a few weeks to match a tenor uke :) .

Looking forward to this build :)
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Me too. :) :)

I bought my first tenor guitar (a Blueridge), tuned "Chicago" tuning (DGBE) precisely to get a sound closer to that of a steel string guitar than I could get with a nylon string baritone, but without the hassle or unwieldliness of a six string guitar (I have a beautiful six string steel string dreadnaught, but I kind of dread playing it). I asked for it to be tuned DGBE so I wouldn't have to learn new chord shapes, although that may make me something of a parriah in the tenor guitar community, which has only recently begun to warm up to Chicago tuning. I like the lower voice of the tenor guitar and I really enjoy the different sound produced by steel strings. Since then, I have become the proud owner of a Compass Rose steel string DGBE baritone ("don't call em a tenor guitar; being tuned DGBE makes me an ukulele!") ukulele and a Sexauer steel string CGEA tenor ukulele. I am excitedly awaiting my first custom built tenor guitar from the amazing Beau Hannam.
 
Tuning is a personal choice thing, and whatever works for the musician is all that matters.

I go back-and-forth with my tenor (a Blueridge) as far as tuning (CGDA to GDAE). Earlier today took off the steel-string CGDA and went to nylon GDAE. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?
 
Timbuck said:
Just as I suspected....time to start looking for Tenor Guitar plans:uhoh::uhoh:
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In case you're looking for unsolicited advice: I spent a fair amount of time hunting for a TG with a wider nut; the traditional banjo-esque 1.25" -- or even 1"! -- felt too narrow. So if you're thinking of marketing to the uke crowd, maybe consider a 1 3/8" nut.
 
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UMMM, plenty of tenor guitars around Tim. How bout making baritones with steel strings. I'm sure many of the guys who bought TG's would rather have a baritone with ss but went TG to get that steels string sound back.
 
Timbuck said:
Just as I suspected....time to start looking for Tenor Guitar plans:uhoh::uhoh:
Click to expand...

Get the pencil and paper out. I start with the scale length and bridge position. Decide the fret No./body join - of course the bridge position is a result of both these factors.
Then it's just a matter of bridge position in relation to the widest point of the lower bout. Decide Body length, lower bout, waist, upper bout width. then it's a fairly simple matter of playing around with the parameters and using the eye, drawing a 'fair curve' (although you don't have to!) Anything can be changed at any time, bout widths etc. although it's probably not a bad idea to stay with a string length as a constant. The rest is very straightforward.
58 cm string length is in the region of some Terz Guitars. Doing a 4 string version of a Terz would result in a Tenor Guitar and a perfectly valid one.
 
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I have a very cool tenor Dobro resonator guitar from the 1930's. But I need to straighten the neck. I was looking for those fat tang fretwires but Rick Turner told me to stop and just pop off the fretboard and add a trussrod. So I'll do that when I've worked up the courage. Any year now...
 
As Michael N says, it is perfectly possible to design the shape and size for a tenor guitar, but someone used to making ukuleles would have to take account of the higher string tension from the steel strings, and build accordingly. Then there is the matter of the wide variety of different bracing patterns used in guitars.

I think Ken would be wise to do some research into these areas.

John Colter.
 
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