Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 29 Aug 15 - 11:34 AM

DonnaJean, if you google guitaro and follow the links, you will see two things:

1. Elderly Instruments sells guitaro strings for $75 a set. (They are out of stock right now.)

2. There is a discussion of gitaros at banjohangout, including drawbacks to the instrument. They may affect whether you wish to spend the $75 on this instrument.

For example, you could find that you've spent $75 and a lot of time, but it doesn't stay in tune.

You might start a new thread, asking for advice on how to tell if an instrument is worth restoring.

3. Evidently there is a band called Guitaro, and when you do a search, you get a mix of websites about the instrument and websites about the band.

4. Ebay claims to have lots of guitaros. See if anybody has a guitaro book for sale.

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: GUEST,DonnaJean
Date: 28 Aug 15 - 12:11 PM

I just asked the question about where to get the strings but didn't give you my email, in case you would contact me with your reply. My email address is: [e-mail]    Thanx!

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: GUEST,DonnaJean
Date: 28 Aug 15 - 12:00 AM

What about strings? Have you been able to find a new set? I have a guitaro and I am anxious to learn it but the strings need replaced. Any suggestions?

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: PHJim
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 06:26 PM

Sarah Carter playing Guitaro
Here's Sara Carter playing the guitaro and Maybelle playing the guitar. Sorry I added the "h" to Sara's name in the link.

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: PHJim
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 06:21 PM

Looking at the photo of the Guitaro on page 158 of Becky's book, the labels next to the tuning pegs seem to read from bass to treble: FGCDEFF#GAA#BCC#DD#EFF#GG#AA#BC I hope this helps.

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: PHJim
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 06:04 PM

I'll take a look in Becky Blackley's Autoharp Book tonight and see if the tuning is mentioned.

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 11 - 02:41 AM

Thanks, all. Yes, I do have a chromatic tuner, but my old 'harp is sort of... customized? I rebuilt it and rearranged the chord bars my way.

Determining what that lowest string *should* be is the problem, and yes it is waaaay out of tune.

I had no idea that Sears likely sold it, so I shall give them an e-mail. I e-mailed the Oscar Schmidt company over a month ago, and they have graced me with... nothing. Not even an acknowledgement of my e-mail.

I'll struggle on. Again, thank you all!

Wolf
http://www.secondwindgrass.com

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: GUEST,beardedbruce
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 10:57 AM

http://www.fretlesszithers.com/autoharp.html#guitaro

Info on tuning was on a card slid under strings. Suspect same tuning as a partial autoharp ( IE, a segment of the strings of a full autoharp)

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 10:14 AM

Hi, Guest

Your Silvertone instrument was probably sold by Sears. Why don't you contact Sears and see if they have a manual in their archives?

Google "Silvertone brand" for info on the connection.

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: s&r
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 06:12 AM

24 Strings would cover two chromatic scales.

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: s&r
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 06:07 AM

My understanding of these items is that the strings are tuned chromatically. If this is the case then once you identify the lowest string it's a simple matter with a tuner to tune the rest, a semitone a time for each string.

It's possible that some notes in the chromatic scale are omitted. A way of checking the notes that are necessary is to write down the notes on the chord bars on a music staff to see if any are never used, eg if there were three chords C G and F then the required notes would be C E G for the C chord F A C for the F chord and G B and D for the G chord. so for those three chords you would need no sharps or flats.

Stu

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: Les in Chorlton
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 04:20 AM

I guess people will pop up on here with suggestions of which strings should play which notes but an essential tool is a quality eletronic tuner

L in C#

Subject: RE: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: Leadfingers
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 04:16 AM

I am NOT any kind of expert - Whistle is my best instrument - but I would have thought all you need is a tuner , and a basic theory of music , then tune each string in ascendig or descending order to match to information on the chord buttons .
Or am I being too simplistic ?

Subject: Tech: Need help tuning a Guitaro
From: GUEST
Date: 02 Jun 11 - 02:51 AM

I am restoring a Silvertone Guitaro (Oscar Schmidt, circa 196?), but can find no guide on tuning the instrument. There are 24 strings, 15 chord buttons, but no note guide, nor does there seem to be a tuning guide online for a 24-string model.

Can I reverse-engineer this project by tuning my autoharp, striking a G chord, then matching the string tuning and proceed from there string by string? That seems like it *should* work, with a great deal of hassle and time, if no other options come available.