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MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar

11 May 04 - 10:56 AM (#1182866)
Subject: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat

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.


11 May 04 - 11:07 AM (#1182876)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: breezy

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


11 May 04 - 11:11 AM (#1182880)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat

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


11 May 04 - 02:29 PM (#1183071)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Red and White Rabbit

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


11 May 04 - 02:44 PM (#1183085)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Mark Ross

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

D G B E

Mark Ross


11 May 04 - 05:56 PM (#1183229)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: oombanjo

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


11 May 04 - 06:25 PM (#1183253)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Les from Hull

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


11 May 04 - 09:05 PM (#1183362)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: John P

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

JP


11 May 04 - 11:10 PM (#1183440)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: DonMeixner

MC,

What is the scale length on it?

Don


12 May 04 - 05:40 AM (#1183597)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: breezy

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


12 May 04 - 05:42 AM (#1183599)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: breezy

no I dont

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


13 May 04 - 04:13 AM (#1184504)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat

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


13 May 04 - 05:34 AM (#1184544)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: breezy

ha ha

sorry shouldnt laff

ha ha

a snappy performance eh?


13 May 04 - 06:22 AM (#1184567)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat

Extremely snappy performance


13 May 04 - 11:38 AM (#1184795)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Cluin

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...


14 May 04 - 04:33 AM (#1185429)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat

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.


14 May 04 - 04:41 AM (#1185433)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,Raggytash

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


14 May 04 - 05:26 AM (#1185454)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck

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.


14 May 04 - 05:35 AM (#1185458)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck

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


14 May 04 - 06:08 AM (#1185476)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: GUEST,MC Fat

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


14 May 04 - 06:20 AM (#1185486)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck

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.


14 May 04 - 06:36 AM (#1185493)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck

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


14 May 04 - 08:06 AM (#1185564)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Les from Hull

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!


14 May 04 - 08:27 AM (#1185594)
Subject: RE: MC Fat buys Tenor Guitar
From: Geoff the Duck

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