View Full Version : Tenor guitars
Sellars
Apr-27-2005, 6:16am
Hi All,
I'm a huge fan of tenor guitars. Scattered around the forum are some nice pictures of tenors, so I was thinking, wouldn't it be nice to collect some in the same thread?
To start off: this is a tenor that Rob Dick (our very own Mastersound on the forum) is making for me (Rob: I hope you don't mind that I allready show it here?).
who follows?
JimRichter
Apr-27-2005, 9:00am
Here's my recently acquired '30 Martin 0-18T. I bought this through Leo Coulson (Intermountain Guitar and Banjo), who told me he got it from David Grisman in a trade. It's currently out for a neck reset and fret dressing.
Jim
JimRichter
Apr-27-2005, 9:02am
One more of the Martin
Darryl Wolfe
Apr-27-2005, 9:46am
Here's my '60 O-15T
Eric F.
Apr-27-2005, 11:27am
Old Harmony, young Sam:
lucho
Apr-27-2005, 11:49am
I also have a 1930 Martin OT-18 I use in my ceilid band
http://mx.geocities.com/nimloth_celtica/tenornimloth.html
Jim Garber
Apr-27-2005, 5:25pm
My Earnest Maccaferri-style koa B&S Selma model.
Jim
Jim Garber
Apr-27-2005, 5:27pm
Here's the koa back, nice and figured. Sweet sounding, too.
Jim
mandoryan
Apr-28-2005, 11:02am
Wow jgarber,
That's one cool tenor guitar right there! Your collection of instruments makes me extremely jealous. Old ones, new ones, etc, etc.
Hah, this is the best no-mando-content thread on the Cafe ever! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
jefflester
Apr-28-2005, 5:50pm
Speaking of electric resonator tenor guitars...
Ebay sale (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=47064&item=7318842581&rd=1)
Bob DeVellis
Apr-29-2005, 10:01pm
Just to round out the Martin series, here's a 1945 0-17T. It was in incredible shape when I got it. the previous owner had used it as a baritone ukulele with nylon strings, so the frets were in superb condition.
I saw what was described as a 1928 National tricone tenor the other day in a local shop that usually has nothing particularly interesting in it. It had sold the day before. Looked sweet.
Here's my current one (the front), a chanticleer, and behind it the 1930 national that I sold to buy it.
I wrote up a review of the chanticleer here some many months ago.. I guess I liked it pretty well then too. More of a raw honk to it than the national.. I use it tuned GDAE or GDGD in Irish Jams. It's more of a single-strung bouzouki in feel, lots of sustain and not-quite-guitar tone.
Charles E.
Feb-21-2008, 5:23pm
Here are the two tenors I currently have. The one on the left is one that I built in 1996 and is based on a Martin style 1. The other is a 1931 National Tyrolian.
Charley
JeffD
Feb-22-2008, 12:08am
Hah, this is the best no-mando-content thread on the Cafe ever! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Strictly speaking you are right, but I think a lot of the mandolin community also plays tenor guitar, and it is tuned in fifths, and it is certainly an underserved community of players.
I think we can adopt the tenor guitar as an honorary member of the family, sort of like that crazy uncle I have who is invited to every Thanksgiving, but nobody can tell me how he is related to us.
violmando
Feb-22-2008, 8:18am
I have an Kent that I have tuned to CGDA like my mandocello and tenor banjo. Sorry, no picture yet--it's pretty rough. Yvonne
thistle3585
Feb-22-2008, 8:38am
Wow, glad to see so many resonator tenors. I just bought a resonator body from a fellow who acquired it when the National plant moved. What scale are on those resonators? Would you think a different scale would be better?
ninevah
Feb-22-2008, 1:01pm
1937 Martin 018-T, rare shaded top.
mandolooter
Feb-22-2008, 1:10pm
sweet martin! My 30's Bacon tenor is modeled after one of those it would appear, X braced top same size/shape for the most part. Its a great sounding tenor, currently tuned GDAE which really brought it alive soundwise!
acousticphd
Feb-22-2008, 3:17pm
Here is my Harmony archtop, presumably from the '60s, converted to an octave mandolin. #I also have a small 1941 Harmony tenor flattop.
acousticphd
Feb-22-2008, 3:21pm
My image must have been too large (?) - here again is the Harmony tenor.
Mark Seale
Apr-14-2008, 4:11pm
Here's my '27 Martin. I don't know the exact model. But it is a boomer.
Mark Seale
Apr-14-2008, 4:14pm
one of the back
Mark Seale
Apr-14-2008, 4:15pm
one of the rosette
Mark Seale
Apr-14-2008, 4:18pm
the original case.
Michael Wolf
Apr-15-2008, 5:09pm
Here's one more Chanticleer:
Michael Wolf
Apr-15-2008, 5:09pm
The back:
Michael Wolf
Apr-15-2008, 5:10pm
The scale lenth is 59cm.
Charles E.
Apr-15-2008, 6:58pm
Sweet!
Charley
mandolooter
Apr-16-2008, 9:14am
My 30's Bacon tenor guitar...
Bill Snyder
Apr-16-2008, 11:13am
Looks like that photo ws saved at 256 colors. Do you have a better shot?
Ken Sager
Apr-16-2008, 2:44pm
Stella tenor peghead
Ken Sager
Apr-16-2008, 2:45pm
Body
Ken Sager
Apr-16-2008, 2:47pm
Back
Ken Sager
Apr-16-2008, 2:48pm
D18 by comparison
Ken Sager
Apr-16-2008, 2:49pm
Oh, and it's from 1939 with a new top, back, peghead and fingerboard done in 2006.
Enjoy,
KS
mandolooter
Apr-16-2008, 11:02pm
ok this one is better...kinda
mandolooter
Apr-16-2008, 11:03pm
sweet looking Stella Ken!
Ken Sager
Apr-18-2008, 12:01am
Yeah, those old 30's tenors are really something. I love your Bacon, too.
Bill Snyder
Apr-19-2008, 3:25pm
Oh, and it's from 1939 with a new top, back, peghead and fingerboard done in 2006.
Enjoy,
KS
So it is not quite all original. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif
Ken Sager
Apr-20-2008, 2:37pm
Oh, and it's from 1939 with a new top, back, peghead and fingerboard done in 2006.
Enjoy,
KS
So it is not quite all original. # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif
Not even close and I'd never pretend it was. Not even on a dare.
mrkrgr
Apr-21-2008, 2:52pm
Here's a picture of my 73 Martin O18-T. The top cracked under the pickguard. It has Grover open gear tuners and it sounds and plays great.
mrkrgr
Apr-21-2008, 2:55pm
And here's the back.
mrkrgr
Apr-21-2008, 2:59pm
I meant to post this picture of the back.
My galvanised Donmo tenor guitar. Or Baritone uke ... ?
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/uploads/post-5-57667-Donmo_Tenor.jpg
So far, it's a one-off
Galvo tenor aka "chookshed guitar" - already posted in the "Celtic" section
Lovely mellow tone - still gets a bit lost in a really big session - not as much "cut" as a banjo but much nicer tone. Doesn't get as tonally lost in a session as a CBOM tends to
mandolooter
May-03-2008, 10:01am
Currently tuned CGDA, this is my Regal tenor from around the 20's - 30's I think from what I've gathered online. One of my "keepers" that I won't be letting go. Fiddleback mahogany back and sides, bearclaw in the spruce top back before bearclaw was a desirable feature. Bound top and back with black dyed wood, Im guessing holly or maple and the banjo tail piece. Little guitar, BIG sound! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Here's my '27 Martin. #I don't know the exact model. #But it is a boomer.
That is a gem.
Aesthetically I like a tenor like that, narrow in the waste and the pegs coming off the back like that.
Lovely.
Currently tuned CGDA, this is my Regal tenor from around the 20's - 30's I think from what I've gathered online. One of my "keepers" that I won't be letting go. Fiddleback mahogany back and sides, bearclaw in the spruce top back before bearclaw was a desirable feature. Bound top and back with black dyed wood, Im guessing holly or maple and the banjo tail piece. Little guitar, BIG sound!
There we go, thats what I'm talking about.
Wow.
Eddie Sheehy
May-17-2008, 4:40pm
Soares' y Goodwill special...
mandolooter
May-23-2008, 9:43am
sa'mo sa'mo Bacon
My new one from Lark in the Morning. They say its a replica of a 1930s Lyons&Healey.
Martin Jonas
Jun-05-2008, 9:33am
Not my tenor guitars, but maybe worth having a look at:
I threw a bid at this (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&&item=300228156537) small-bodied Regal at Ebay UK. Didn't get it -- pity, would have been a fun player, I think.
Rather more exotic, here is a truly rare beast, a celebrity-endorsed signature tenor: a 1959 Framus Peter Kraus model, red sunburst, archtop, f-holes, looks to be in great condition. In 1959, Peter Kraus was a huge star in Germany, being groomed as the "German Elvis" (the "German Cliff Richard" would probably be the better description), complete with chart topping singles and a never-ending string of starring roles in forgettable movies. Only two problems: he couldn't sing and he couldn't play guitar -- just as with the real Elvis, his guitar was just a prop. One would think that makes him a strange choice for a signature model by Framus...
Remarkably enough, there is even a (very brief) 1950s clip of him playing (or miming) that exact model of tenor guitar on Youtube here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOx1YcWLKEo), starting at 0:14. The rest of that clip is a 2006 TV appearance lip-synching to "Johnny B Goode" and demonstrating that he still can't sing and can't play guitar.
Martin
Martin Jonas
Jun-06-2008, 4:09am
Rather more exotic, here is a truly rare beast, a celebrity-endorsed signature tenor: a 1959 Framus Peter Kraus model, red sunburst, archtop, f-holes, looks to be in great condition.
Oops, I forgot the link to the Framus signature model. Here it is:
Link (http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230259446486)
Martin
delsbrother
Jun-06-2008, 4:46am
Fellow Selmer-EFS fan Ted Gottsegen sent me this link to a site filled with great tenor guitar photos. (http://www.banjoworld.de/Tgindex.htm) Enjoy!
Martin Jonas
Jun-06-2008, 5:12am
Thanks to delsbrother for pointing out the Framus Museum website (http://www.framus-vintage.de/modules/news/NewsList.php?typ=NEWS_VINTAGE&katID=4986#) over in the info on mandolins forum. This has an English page about Kraus and his signature tenor here (http://www.framus-vintage.de/modules/infos/info.php?katID=4681&cl=EN). If there was a tutorial published to tie in with the Kraus tenor guitar, then this would suggest that a fairly substantial number of these instruments were sold. Kraus sold 12 million records in Germany, so his endorsement could well have shifted large quantities.
Martin
beenpickin
Jun-11-2008, 2:09pm
Such nice guitars! Here is a Mar-Tone from my fathers estate. Solid mahogany with painted binding and purfling. I've never played it as it needs a serious neck reset.
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/pickin/ten.JPG
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/pickin/ten2.JPG
http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/pickin/ten3.JPG
Larry S Sherman
Jun-20-2008, 6:43am
Here's my recently acquired Gibson TG-50. It's from somewhere between 1949-1955.
mandolooter
Jun-20-2008, 9:02am
very nice larry! I used to have one of those a few years back but sold it to get a old Gibson A.
Hmm, I searched to see if I'd posted this already but couldn't find it. Aologies if it's a repeat
2008 Chanticleer 5-string 21" scale (gdaea) reso-zook-tenor-whatever
mandolooter
Jun-27-2008, 8:58am
wow Dan, I love it...darn, not another TGAS flare up... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif
Martin Jonas
Jul-09-2008, 6:58pm
Not mine, sadly, but I'm rather intrigued by the existence of Selmer tenors. There are some really nice pictures of a 1933 Eddie Freeman Special here (http://www.myjazzhome.com/33_EFSelmer.shtml). That's a dealer's web site, but the Selmer is already sold. I see that Joel Eckhaus (http://www.earnestinstruments.com/selma.html) builds copies of these Selmers -- they look good enough to eat (as they should, at nearly $3k).
Martin
Martin Jonas
Nov-07-2008, 4:40pm
I've posted about my new Ozark tenor here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45170) and I now have got around to taking some photos. I'm putting them here, to keep the picture thread going.
The flash may make it look lighter than it is, but this is a solid top (there's some confusion in the online specs whether it's cedar or spruce) with a matt antiqued finish and maple binding to the top, back and fretboard. Really quite dark. All-wooden bridge pins. The back and sides are veneered, not solid, but there's some nice rosewood figure in the veneer. Solid, close-fitting case included in the price.
It's a pretty small-bodied guitar, as one may see from the photo with my other two guitar-shaped thingies: that's a 19.5" baritone uke converted to nylon-strung tenor guitar and a 15" archtop mandola, made in Germany circa 1950. By a nice coincidence, the mandola and the Ozark have the same unusual headstock shape!
I've now settled on a set of strings for GDAE tuning, and I'm pretty happy. The Ozark has a strong tone with lots of character and does manage to convey a lot of vintage quirk for a brand-new instrument. Great buy at that price. Also a great contrast to the uke conversion. Same tuning but completely different feel and sound.
Martin
Charles E.
Nov-23-2008, 3:08pm
Here are my tenors.
From the left, the first instrument I built, 1931 National Triolian, Maccafarri tenor conversion, one of mine from1996, 1963 Gibson TGO ( just got it yesterday at a local guitar shop!)
Mike Herlihy
Nov-27-2008, 9:32pm
Here's my '27 Martin. I don't know the exact model. But it is a boomer.
Looks like a 5-21T
the_terrible_greek
Nov-29-2008, 1:43pm
I've now settled on a set of strings for GDAE tuning, and I'm pretty happy. The Ozark has a strong tone with lots of character and does manage to convey a lot of vintage quirk for a brand-new instrument. Great buy at that price. Also a great contrast to the uke conversion. Same tuning but completely different feel and sound.
Martin
Hello Martin,
I've also got a little Ozark and have been wondering about GDAE tuning.
What weight strings did you go with in the end?
Thanks, Nick
Martin Jonas
Dec-01-2008, 4:39am
Nick: I'm currently using 15-24-34-47, in phosphor bronze d'Addario singles ordered from highlystrung.com. The D and A are absolutely spot on. I'm thinking of dropping the E down to .013 -- the 15 seems a touch overstrung. The G I think is as good as it can be with the 47; it'll always be slightly weak given the small body. Overall, though, I think it works fine with GDAE. Very different character than in CGDA, but you get powerful chords when strummed and strong well-defined notes when playing melody, plus it's just short enough for me to use mandolin fingering and reach the 7th fret with my pinky (I have big hands).
Martin
jsmandolin
Dec-01-2008, 11:45pm
Hi there, Muscians. I am looking for a short scale tenor guitar, say 19-20" scale length. Do you know of any out there or of a luthier who might create one? The reason I want the short scale is that my left index finger isshortened to just above the top joint, and it is difficult to stop both strings (same course) when playing chords on my octave mandolin. The shorter scale length also makes playing chords easier than tenors that have scale lengths 23+ inches.
Martin Jonas
Dec-02-2008, 4:55am
Two ready choices, and I have tried both: the shortest-scale production model I'm aware of is the Ozark which you can see five posts above yours in this thread. It has a 21.25" scale and a small body. Ozark are the house brand of the major UK wholesaler Stentor Music, and the only sellers I'm aware of are in the UK. No idea if there's a US importer -- it's quite a different instrument from the Lark In The Morning tenors and any others I've seen on US web sites. It's very reasonably priced in the UK, but you'd have additional international shipping and possibly customs charges (on the other hand, the Pound has fallen against the dollar a lot lately).
If that's still too long for you, you can get a baritone ukulele and restring it for GDAE using classical guitar strings. Typical scale length for baritone ukes is 19.5". They are so cheap that it's fairly risk-free to try it.
Martin
jsmandolin: I'm currently having a 21" tenor guitar built for me by Fletcher Instruments of Ithaca New York. Web site: http://www.fletcherinstruments.com/
Should be here in a couple weeks I hope. Meant to be tuned GDAE. I saw and played one locally before I decided to go for it and put in the order. The fit and finish looked great. Note that there is also one for sale at Elderly.com with mahogany top and sides. The one I ordered is having a spruce top.
I'll post more after I get it in hand...
*-- Asha