MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar

Subject: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 11 May 04 - 10:56 AM

I've just purchased a 1954 Stella Tenor Guitar from e-bay for a ridiculouly low price. Will take it home this evening and play with it proper but it does sound good.

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: breezy
Date: 11 May 04 - 11:07 AM

please enlighten me

what do the strings tune to?

I tune 4 semitones up from standard, my top string tunes to G# and is 007-009 depending .

The bottom string I tune down to a dropped f#

But the guitar is a standard Tamar by Brook

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 11 May 04 - 11:11 AM

Recommended tunibg is C G D A   Guauges 036,024,016,010 (or) 008 although you cn put heavier guage strings and do G D A E. Try looking at tenorguitar.com

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Red and White Rabbit
Date: 11 May 04 - 02:29 PM

that means if you do double drop D it will be DGDD - could be interesting!!

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Mark Ross
Date: 11 May 04 - 02:44 PM

You can also tune it like the top for strings of a regular guitar

D G B E

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: oombanjo
Date: 11 May 04 - 05:56 PM

I ALWAYS KNEW YOU WERE A CHEAPSKATE, WHAT KIND OF A GUITAR CAN YOU GET FOR A TENNER.

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Les from Hull
Date: 11 May 04 - 06:25 PM

Well done Jim. 4 strings good, 6 strings bad! My bouzouki is tuned GDAD and it looks like you might get that tuning. There's a good chord chart here. And we'll still be right for the 'key of 3'.

Hans bouzouki page

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: John P
Date: 11 May 04 - 09:05 PM

I tune my old Martin CGCG. I've been using it mostly for playing the blues.

JP

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: DonMeixner
Date: 11 May 04 - 11:10 PM

MC,

What is the scale length on it?

Don

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: breezy
Date: 12 May 04 - 05:40 AM

so its the top 4 strings on a standard tuning

so all guitars play tenor

so the range is the same as standard


therefore as I'm 2 tones higher than standard can I be a more all round tenor please as I've got 5 strings in the tenor range going higher plus the Bass so I'm playing a baritone/tenor guitar

wow, I've impressed myself this morning

from the bass I tune with the following guages
G# 45
C# 36
G#   26
B    017
D#    013
F#   009 -007

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: breezy
Date: 12 May 04 - 05:42 AM

no I dont

its F#
    C#
    F#
    B
    D#
    G#

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 13 May 04 - 04:13 AM

Had it's first outing last night and two strings broke (boo hoo)

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: breezy
Date: 13 May 04 - 05:34 AM

ha ha

sorry shouldnt laff

ha ha

a snappy performance eh?

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 13 May 04 - 06:22 AM

Extremely snappy performance

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Cluin
Date: 13 May 04 - 11:38 AM

Maybe it's a string-breaker. Maybe that's why it was going so cheap on the `Bay?

Maybe take it to a good guitar tech or luthier for and assessment/advice/repair...

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 14 May 04 - 04:33 AM

Good point though it is from a dealer called Chickn bone john. It seems alittle tight in the CGDA so I may invstigate other tunings it does sound sweet.

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 14 May 04 - 04:41 AM

Les from Hull .......... what do you mean four strings good, I thought your little baby had eight

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 14 May 04 - 05:26 AM

Jim - on the question of strings breaking, what is the length of the neck / scale length.
I used to tune a fairly long necked tenor banjo to correct CGDA tenor tuning, but found that strings were stretched so close to their breaking point that it didn't take much extra force to snap them.
The two solutions were to either find lighter gauge strings, which will stretch further becoming unstable, or to tune down to the low GDAE tuning as used by "Irish" tenor banjo.
Eventually I made a new shorter neck for the instrument, so I could play it the way I wanted.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 14 May 04 - 05:35 AM

CORRECTION to above - Plese replace
"which will stretch further becoming unstable" with
"which will stretch further BEFORE becoming unstable"
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat
Date: 14 May 04 - 06:08 AM

Thanks Geoff I didn't know there was a Irish tenor banjo tuning may try that as I'm not happy with the strings being that tight

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 14 May 04 - 06:20 AM

They tune an octave lower than mandoline/fiddle so that the same fingerings (chords etc.) as those instruments can be used. The tenor banjo CGDA tuning is equivalent to viola tuning.
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 14 May 04 - 06:36 AM

I've posted a link on the "comes out" thread for a good chord book.
Quack!
Geoff.

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Les from Hull
Date: 14 May 04 - 08:06 AM

Jim - as I said before my bouzouki is GDAD, which is a really easy tuning for chord and accompaniment work. You can regard it as a dropped D tuning from Irish tenor banjo/octave mandola. I thought the words 'dropped D' and 'easy' would appeal to you!

Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 14 May 04 - 08:27 AM

Les - try saying "Pint" and "I'm Paying" if you want to see something appeal....
Quack!
Geoff.