# Tenor Guitars??



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Anyone here own a Tenor Guitar, acoustic, electric or resonator? Just curious.


----------



## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

No, but I've wanted one since I discovered Joel Plaskett writes with one, and records with one on many of his tunes. Eastwood is one of the few contemporary sources of them.


----------



## mister.zed (Jun 8, 2011)

This kid is a Joel Plaskett deciple:


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I have a Kala, solid spruce top, laminated rosewood back and sides, slot head, bone nut and saddle. It's a shorter scale length than some. I tune it (low to high) CGDA, like a mandola. Mostly use it for the same stuff I play on mandolin and octave mandolin, celtic and folkie stuff, plus my own stuff. I have a couple of students who play either tenor guitar or tenor banjo in the same tuning so it's kind of handy for those lessons too.


----------



## Kerry Brown (Mar 31, 2014)

Played in a jam a couple of weeks ago where one of the players played a tenor for a few songs. I was intrigued. He said it was tuned like a mandolin. It cut through the mix very well, sounded great when he played lead. I’ve been wanting to try one ever since but I’m afraid I’d like it and have to acquire one.


----------



## Gavz (Feb 27, 2016)

I have a tenor ukulele..lol. But seriously, I have always wanted to play a tenor electric. Eastwood makes some cool ones.

Warren Ellis Signature Tenor 2P

Would like to hear more about them as well.


----------



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I've noticed they can also be tuned in standard (also called Chicago tuning) DGBE besides like an octave mandolin CGDA 

This Eastwood model is interesting. Wonder how it would sound through a tweed champ?


----------



## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

I have a Norman B20 Folk that I string five frets up - ADGCEA.

Not exactly the same thing, but it kind of fills the same role for me.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

When I had lunch with George Gruhn in 2009, I expressed puzzlement about tenor guitars, particularly the comfort of the necks, and usability. Gruhn rushed to their defense, noting that they were very popular in the 30's and 40's and were more comfortable than you'd expect. The current issue of _Vintage Guita_r has a feature on Tiny Grimes, the majority of whose recorded work was performed on a tenor guitar. Personally, I've never tried one, though I imagine that a neck that feels too narrow for 6 strings might provide decent string-to-string spacing for 4.


----------



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I have been a bit curious myself but don't own one. Maybe sometime in the future, one will find it's way to my house. 

MF had a real nice Alvarez on sale a few times in the last month and a few over at AGF said they bought one and were very impressed by it. I think it was going for $299.00 USD.


----------



## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

I've been curious about them for a while as well.


----------



## PHJim (May 23, 2012)

Robert1950 said:


> I've noticed they can also be tuned in standard (also called Chicago tuning) DGBE besides like an octave mandolin CGDA



I don't mean to be picky Robert1950, but standard tuning for a tenor guitar is CGDA. DGBE is not standard tuning, but, as you did say, Chicago tuning.
This is the tuning used by Tiny Grimes in Mhammer's video. 
It is also the tuning that Nick Reynolds of The Kingston Trio used. Nick had been a ukulele player, so he is most often seen with the capo at the fifth fret, making his Chicago tuning GCEA without the re-entrant G.


----------



## PHJim (May 23, 2012)

Octave mandolin tuning is GDAE, and octave below the violin or mandolin.
A mando-thing tuned CGDA is a mandola, tuned the same as a viola.


----------



## rollingdam (May 11, 2006)

I used to own a vintage Gibson that had been wrecked and rebuilt, The top was paper thin however the sound was great. I just could not get used to the neck-it was U shaped and very thick and narrow


----------



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

That's a Kala tenor on the left, which I tune CGDA.


----------



## Ronbeast (Nov 11, 2008)

I saw Joel Plaskett and Bill Plaskett last year during their tour for “Solidarity”. Absolutely phenomenal show, both are truly amazing musicians and really down to earth guys. They interacted with the crowd so much, and even invited people to join them for drinks at the bar down the road after the show, I bought two vinyl there that night and both are excellent albums.

I was blown away by how full sounding the tenor guitar that Joel plays is. Really amazing show, and I’ll be going to see them again; they never stay away from Newfoundland for very long. I threw in an extra pic of the hollobody Joel plays; he’s no slouch on electric either.


----------

