Tenor Scale Length for GDAE Tuning and Playability.

[mandrian]

Hi,

Doing some research prior to buying a tenor.

1. If you want to always play it in GDAE tuning does that oblige you to make sure that it has a 23" rather than 21" scale or with the right choice of strings could you go with this tuning on either scale?

2. Is the fret spacing on the 21" scale narrower than the 23" scale or does it simply have fewer frets?

I'm asking the questions since I'm suspecting that someone that's only ever played mandolin would find the 21" scale with CDAE tuning to be the easiest transition.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Regards,

[Mandocarver]

With thicker gauge strings, you can get GDAE tuning on a shorter scale instrument, although I personally find 21" to be the shortest feasible scale for that. I made a 20" TG and found that it sounded a lot better tuned a full step up to AEBF#.
The highly regarded Fletcher Tenortone instruments are GDAE with a 21" scale. i'm sure you're right that this shorter scale is easier to play for a mandolinist.
1. If you're thinking of using the same guitar and tuning either way, you would almost certainly have to change out the nut and saddle due to the thicker strings required for the GDAE set.
2. There is less distance between each fret on the 21" scale.
Hope this helps & good luck with your search.

Dean

[John Kelly]

The tenor I am playing at the moment, one of my own builds, has a 540mm scale (21.25 inches approx). I have it fitted with D'Addario octave strings and have found that it plays and sounds fine to me. Here is a link to it playing 2 Scottish pipe marches, comparing it to my octave - octave first tune then tenor guitar second tune: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy0IF...yer_detailpage

As Dean says, the fret spacing on a 21" scale is narrower than on a 23" scale. Coming from mandolin to the tenor you may find that you are more likely to use you pinky as well to finger many tunes, rahter than the standard mandolin 2 frets per finger method.

[mandrian]

Hi John,

Great tunes and nice instruments and playing too. Thanks for the advice.

Regards,

[1-2-many]

I 'll echo what Mandocarver said "With thicker gauge strings, you can get GDAE tuning on a shorter scale instrument". The shorter the scale the heavier the string. Similar to the differences of Irish tenor banjo 17 vs 19 frets and scale. I have an inexpensive GoldTone tenor and a 17 fret Banjo both in GDAE, both strung w/ D'addario octave mando strings.

[Martin Jonas]

Indeed, the considerations are the same as in tenor banjos: Irish tenor banjos are usually tuned GDAE, but have the shorter 21" scale length for better playability on picked fiddle tunes. The trade-off is that the G string tends to be a bit flabby even if you use a thick gauge. It's the same with tenor guitars: 21" gives better playability for single-note picking, but a flabbier G string.

For what it's worth, both of my tenors have the short 21" scale and are tuned GDAE. No particular problems -- I think I use a 47 gauge string for the G on the acoustic tenor and slightly lighter on the resonator tenor.

Here is a clip of the acoustic shortscale in GDAE, on a fairly low-pitched tune: Link

And the reso tenor shortscale: Link

Martin