Tenor Guitar ~
The tenor guitar is the instrument that links guitars, ukuleles and banjos to each other and through this versatility the tenor guitar will feel familiar to players of all these instruments.
Each Tenor guitar I build is custom designed according to the owners musical style and each top is individually voiced according to the owners preferences in most often used tuning and string gauge. I also offer nut and string spacing to suit players whose first instrument is ukulele, guitar or banjo for more comfortable playing and accurate muscle memory for hitting chord shapes correctly. I can also add strings to give string courses like a bouzouki or mandolin.
All my usual options, add ons and up grades are available for the tenor guitar and can be viewed under Options
Base price for a Tenor guitar includes all my usual standard appointments with everything bound, with mitered purflings etc
Whether tuned as a standard guitar, Baritone ukulele, or in fifths which makes it an excellent accompaniment to violins and mandolins (think bluegrass and Irish music), the tenor guitar is suitable to both rhythm and lead playing, fingerstyle and slide guitar. With this , the tenor guitar finds itself as a unique and very adaptable instrument that can be used in any musical genre from Jazz, Jugband, Gypsy jazz, folk and blues, to Irish, bluegrass and Hawaiian music, pop, rock and even punk music (as used by Warren Ellis with Nick Cave).
Common tunings used with the tenor guitar are :
Standard tuning in fifths
~ CGDA: Tuned in Fifths, this is the 'original' tuning that was paired with tenor banjos or used instead by banjo players.
~ GDAE - Octave mandolin tuning. Great for accompanying violins and mandolins in Irish and bluegrass music.
Guitar, Ukulele & Bouzouki tunings
~ DGBE: aka 'Chicago tuning' or 'Guitar tuning'. Same tuning as the 4 high strings of a guitar and a baritone ukulele.
~ GCEA: Ukulele tuning. Same tuning as soprano, concert and tenor ukuleles.
~ GDAD- Irish Bouzouki tuning
~ CFAD: Greek Bouzouki tuning (Same as de tuning the 4 high strings of a guitar one whole step)
Slide and Open tunings
~ DADA- Slide tuning
~ CGCG- Slide tuning
~ DGBD- Open G tuning
~ D F# AD- Open D tuning
Pictured below is a Sinker Redwood top with Tasmanian Blackwood back/sides and Cocobolo bindings.
This tenor guitar features a side sound port, Brazilian rosewood bridge, custom mosaic rosette, end
~ Tenor Guitar Dimensions ~
Body length: 17"
Upper Bout width: 9"
Waist: 7"
Lower Bout width: 13"
Body Depth at Neck: 3"
Body Depth at End: 4"
The following elements are standard but all are customizable at no charge
Scale: 23" (or custom)
Body Join: 14th fret (or custom)
20 frets total.
Nut width: choice of :
~ Traditional Tenor Guitar: 1 1/4" (32mm)
~ Ukulele : 1 3/8" (36mm)
~ Custom
Saddle string spacing: Choice of-
~ Traditional Tenor Guitar: 1 3/8" (36mm)
~ Ukulele: 1 3/4" (44mm)
~ Custom
~ A pamphlet from 1924 describing the Tenor Guitar as a "Guitar-Uke" and "Uke-I-Tar" ~