Thoughts on tenor guitars?

[prm1]

I've been toying with the idea of trying to learn tenor guitar. I play six string rhythm guitar (in a self taught and mediocre sort of way) and used to play mandolin a little. I sing and play in a Celtic group and an old time string band. My questions about tenor guitars are:
1. will the harmony/gibson/epiphone flat top tenors cut through a mix with dreadnoughts, fiddles, whistles, etc without an amp?
2. Are the new inexpensive tenors like Blueridge any good? I would want at least a solid top.
3. I have arthritis in my hands and am looking for easy playability for chords and some picking. Would a tenor offer this? (I'm already playing a guitar with low action and light strings)
4. anyone have general advice on whether this is a reasonable thing to try, and/or advice on what good low cost tenor guitars I should consider?

Thanks in advance!

[grampa]

I too am on the prowl for a tenor. I once had a Harmony but sold it to my brother who was a touring folk musician. I don't know if his widow still has it. It was pretty nice for the price. I've seen archtop versions that really attract me and Nico Case has a Gibson one based on the SG model.
I don't have any real answers for your questions but good luck on your search.

[mstuartev]

Originally Posted by prm1

I've been toying with the idea of trying to learn tenor guitar. I play six string rhythm guitar (in a self taught and mediocre sort of way) and used to play mandolin a little. I sing and play in a Celtic group and an old time string band. My questions about tenor guitars are:
1. will the harmony/gibson/epiphone flat top tenors cut through a mix with dreadnoughts, fiddles, whistles, etc without an amp?
2. Are the new inexpensive tenors like Blueridge any good? I would want at least a solid top.
3. I have arthritis in my hands and am looking for easy playability for chords and some picking. Would a tenor offer this? (I'm already playing a guitar with low action and light strings)
4. anyone have general advice on whether this is a reasonable thing to try, and/or advice on what good low cost tenor guitars I should consider?

Thanks in advance!

I owned and played a Tenor guitar years ago and had a blast. My father, who learned guitar in the 30's, told me his teacher was a tenor player and spoke about how, when guitar became in vogue for jazz bands (vs. banjos) they put tenors in the hands of banjo rhythm players and they adapted. They were tuned the same.

I had a Gibson T-GO from the 50's and it was a good instrument and plenty loud. I played a Harmony from that era - it was a nicer looking instr. (spruce/hog vs all hog) but didn't quite bark like the Gibson. I think I have played one Martin (0-17T?) that was nice but they want way too much $$ for them (I think). I think I paid 200 dollars for the Gibson and the Harmony was about the same price. They are not heavily sought after so these pop up from time to time for pretty easy money.

I played it in the correct tuning CGDA although the Kingston Trio popularized the use of standard as if on the top 4 strings of a normal guitar. Personally,I think it's worth learning the fingering for the correct tuning as the sound was really wonderful and different. Plus it is sort of 'open' like playing a banjo - with single or two finger chords possible. The sound is bright and does cut pretty well.

Tenor Guitar Website is a great resource. Hey, that headstock is the actual Gibson I once owned (sent them some pics of mine and they used it!)

[Gypsyblue]

How are Tenor Guitars tuned? I always thought they for banjo players who didn't want to learn the fretboard of a guitar. You know, guys from the 1920's.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by Gypsyblue

How are Tenor Guitars tuned? I always thought they for banjo players who didn't want to learn the fretboard of a guitar. You know, guys from the 1920's.

Mstuartev just wrote about that. What he's referred to as "correct" tuning for a tenor guitar is a fifth interval tuning: C G D A. This is identical to the tenor banjo tuning used by jazz players in the 1920's, and is also the same as the tuning used on viola and mandola. You can use the same chord forms as on a mandolin, though a G formation will give you a C natural, a C formation will give you an F natural, and so forth.

But many tenor guitar players tune their instruments like the first four strings of a standard guitar: D G B E. The advantage that this offers is that you can transfer what you know from standard guitar over to the tenor. But having worked with both tunings myself, I agree with Mstuartev that the fifth interval tuning offers more musical possibilities and overall flexibility, so it's the tuning I happen to prefer.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by prm1

2. Are the new inexpensive tenors like Blueridge any good? I would want at least a solid top.

Yes, the Blueridge tenors are of good quality, and will probably function more effectively for you in a group setting than most of the old Harmony and other lowball brand tenors I've seen.

Originally Posted by prm1

3. I have arthritis in my hands and am looking for easy playability for chords and some picking. Would a tenor offer this? (I'm already playing a guitar with low action and light strings)

It should. There's less to have to deal with on a tenor.

Originally Posted by prm1

4. anyone have general advice on whether this is a reasonable thing to try, and/or advice on what good low cost tenor guitars I should consider?

It's certainly a reasonable thing to try, and it might be the perfect choice for you. You won't know that until you get your hands on a tenor and try working with it, of course. But it's got the potential to work well for you.

Having dealt in Blueridge guitars and Kentucky mandolins in the past, I would strongly recommend that you get the instrument inspected and set up by a competent local repair tech once it's been in your house for a week or so. The factory action and string height at the nut on those can sometimes be a bit high, and the instrument can (and probably will) shift around a little bit as it adapts to your local climate.

Its overall playability can be dramatically affected by the setup, and since your arthritis is one of the reasons you're looking into this in the first place, I would definitely recommend you get the instrument optimized once you get it. But give it a couple of weeks to do whatever it's going to do before taking it in to your guitar tech. No point in paying for a setup immediately upon arrival only to have the guitar shift around some more a few days later.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[tdq]

I don't actually have a Tenor Guitar but it's on my GAS list - I tried the Blueridge's out - 60T and 40T I think the models were. I liked them alot - actually preferred the cheaper 40T to the 60T. As for cutting through, I couldn't say, I was in a guitar store and didn't feel comfortable pushing it against the insane flamenco guitarist on the other side of the room - They also had a Republic resonator tenor tuned to DGBD which was fun, but probably not what you are after. As well as the tenor site posted, have look on youtube - heaps of great tenor guitar stuff there.

@Gypsyblue: They are usually tuned in fifths, often CGDA, sometimes GDAE, but like guitars, can be tuned to whatever you like. I like to play them using GDGD.

[HHP]

These seem pretty adequate. Larger bodies, OM size

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvksC6RU_zI

[prm1]

Thanks for the great responses and info! I'll be continuing on my pursuit.

Those Breedloves are sweet, but way more money that I'm willing to let go of!