Gold tone tenor guitar as octave instrument?

[scgc.om]

I'm looking at a fairly reasonable Gold Tone tenor. Of course, it's made to be tuned CGDA. However, I'd like to turn it into a "4 single courses" Octave Mandolin.

My question: Is this possible??? I'm thinking it would involve restringing with different gauge strings. Of course, I want to AVOID over-tensioning the guitar!

Thanks for all help.

[Mike Herlihy]

GDAE --.040w--.030w--.020w--.012p, like an octave mandolin GDAE tuning. Tension wont be an issue, I figured it out a while back

[mandolooter]

yea its possible and actually just a tenor guitar not a "octave mandolin" Mandolins have 8 strings unless your going electric. Embrace the tenor guit, you won't be sorry! (ok ya might be, I wasn't)

[MDW]

I've got a Gold Tone TG-18 which I retuned to octave tuning. I wasn't about the string gauges so I started with .40, .30, .20, and .10. That proved too light. Now I'm using 4 strings from a 6 string set of John Pearse 650 Acoustic Phosphor Bronze. The E string .012, the G string .024, the D .035, and the A .045. Obviously the E stays the same, the G tunes up to A, the D stays the same, and the A tunes down to G. Overall, this set has really improved the tone and sustain of the Goldtone (which I like very much).

Mark

[mandolooter]

yea the string gauges are very important to get that right sound...I just switched my kids tenor to GDAE tuning using .045, .032, .024, .012 and its sounding really sweet. i had to do something to get her rocking behind off my T-guit. She sez the CGDA sounds "whimpy"! I agree and like the deeper fatter tone of the lower register way better. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Griffis]

I am having this same problem in reverse!

As others have said, GDAE is actually quite common for tenor guitars and banjos, especially in ITM and Celtic music.

My trouble is I have been learning on the tenor guitar and banjo in CGDA for a few weeks now, but have recently come down with a serious mandolin jones. I already play a couple of other string instruments and I don't want to keep having to re-learn chord shapes.

I realize CGDA and GDAE are the same as far as intervals go, but I'm wondering now if I should either:

A) Scrap learning tenor guitar and banjo in CGDA and start again with GDAE

OR

B) Stick with CGDA and try to acquire a mandola instead of a mandolin (though mandolas seem harder to find and quite pricey)--mandolas also being tuned CGDA

It's really a quandary for me. There are some things that run me in favor of GDAE, such as the ease of finding a mandolin rather than a mandola and the fact that the 'A' string, in CGDA tuning, is notorious for breaking on tenor guitars...on the other hand, I am already getting familiar with the CGDA tuning...

Hmmm...

[EdSherry]

Griffis -- If you've only been at it for a few weeks, I'd strongly recommend switching to GDAE, at least if you want to play Celtic, etc. #(If you want to play Dixieland-style tenor banjo, I'd suggest staying with CGDA.) #

All of your fingering, chords, etc., will be the same; it's just that they'll be in a different key. #The chord that you're probably currently playing as a "C" chord in CGDA tuning (0023) is a "G" chord in GDAE tuning. #So it's not a matter of learning "different chord shapes"; all of the shapes you've already learned will carry over.

I double on mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin, and mandocello (and others). The mando and OM are tuned GDAE; the 'dola and 'cello are tuned CGDA. Every once in a while I have to think about which chord shapes to play in what keys, but it comes pretty naturally after a short while.

[Griffis]

Griffis -- If you've only been at it for a few weeks, I'd strongly recommend switching to GDAE, at least if you want to play Celtic, etc. (If you want to play Dixieland-style tenor banjo, I'd suggest staying with CGDA.)

All of your fingering, chords, etc., will be the same; it's just that they'll be in a different key. The chord that you're probably currently playing as a "C" chord in CGDA tuning (0023) is a "G" chord in GDAE tuning. So it's not a matter of learning "different chord shapes"; all of the shapes you've already learned will carry over.

I double on mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin, and mandocello (and others). The mando and OM are tuned GDAE; the 'dola and 'cello are tuned CGDA. Every once in a while I have to think about which chord shapes to play in what keys, but it comes pretty naturally after a short while.
Well, that's kind of another problem. I AM very fond of early hot jazz (not Dixieland so much necessarily) and tenor players like Harry Reser and Banjo Ikey Robinson.

However, I'm also very into old stringband country (pre-bluegrass stuff), rural blues, ragtime music, etc.

I know the mandolin was very popular in those genres (even black country blues)...so I'm curious as to whether the tenor banjo would be more adaptable in GDAE.

If I may ask: I have heard tenor banjos with 17 fret necks tend to work better in GDAE. Mine's a 19 fret. If I decided to go with GDAE, would that work okay? If so, do you have any suggestions for string gauges?

[EdSherry]

I use a 19-fret Lange tenor banjo tuned GDAE for Celtic. The 17-frets are fine, but in my experience they are a bit "out of favor" among ITM tenor players these days, at least among the better players I know. But YMMV.

In my experience, GDAE is better for single-string lead work, which is what you'd be playing in Celtic tenor banjo. Reser, etc., were playing a lot of chord melodies, which (in my limited experience) are easier on a CGDA-tuned instrument.

I'd have to check my string gauges, but something along the lines of 12-22-32-42 is pretty close to what I remember using.

[catmandu2]

Grifis-

I am sympathetic to your problem, but I offer no solutions. #My own approach was to acquire several banjos, mandos, a 'dola and an OM to assuage my ADHD. #Changing between CGDA and GDAE isn't a problem...that is, once I figure out which instrument I'm playing; this sometimes requires staring vacantly at the fretboard for some moments while my brain catches up, but my associates usually understand.

My real issues stem from trying to remember 5-string banjo tunings, and ukulele fingerings--my latest habit. #I picked up an oud, but I'm not seriously pursuing it at the moment.

Really, the diverse incarnations of the mando family are a bane for the person who never met a stringed (or other) instrument they weren't compelled by. #Maybe they were invented by an ADHD sufferer http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif ..

PS- I completely concur with Ed's second paragraph.

[Griffis]

Grifis-

I am sympathetic to your problem, but I offer no solutions. My own approach was to acquire several banjos, mandos, a 'dola and an OM to assuage my ADHD. Changing between CGDA and GDAE isn't a problem...that is, once I figure out which instrument I'm playing; this sometimes requires staring vacantly at the fretboard for some moments while my brain catches up, but my associates usually understand.

My real issues stem from trying to remember 5-string banjo tunings, and ukulele fingerings--my latest habit. I picked up an oud, but I'm not seriously pursuing it at the moment.

Really, the diverse incarnations of the mando family are a bane for the person who never met a stringed (or other) instrument they weren't compelled by. Maybe they were invented by an ADHD sufferer http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif ..

PS- I completely concur with Ed's second paragraph.
ADHD? Oh man, that's ANOTHER new tuning to learn. Argh.

(Just kidding.)

Yeah, I play guitar and ukulele also, and have dabbled in fiddle and 5-string banjo. I even tried my hand at mandolin for awhile.

I guess I'll try the GDAE tuning, just to see what works better for the kind of "old time music stew" I purvey. I really would like to pick up a mandolin (perhaps a banjo-mandolin) and while a mandola is CGDA, I just don't know--they are hard to find. Maybe I can get comfortable enough to transpose between the two, or just learn to sing everything in a different key!

PS-- what kind of ukulele do you sport? I'm mainly a soprano man, though my wife has a baritone (DGBE) that I play on sometimes. With my soprano I play the re-entrant gCEA. I've played uke for about 5 years now and love it.

But I am really falling for the fifths tunings.

[catmandu2]

Quite -- 5ths are great...and addictive.

I'm into concerts: I have a couple of standard woody's, a Johnson resonator w/ Nat. cone in low G, a Liberty resonator banjo-uke, a soprano Gretsch clarophone banjo-uke, and a tenor.#

But that's another forum...or, we could rename this CBOM...U #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

FYI-
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Morgan-Monroe-Rocky-Top-Mandola-w-Case-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ160183127459QQihZ006QQcategoryZ




623QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Morgan-....iewItem</a>

[stevebenn]

Grifis: You could use one of Gerry O'Conner's tricks ... in CGDA tuning put your capo on the 2nd fret to get DAEB ...voila, bottom 3 strings are the same as top three of mando/octave mando, Do you know how many Irish fiddle tunes you can play without using your G string .... tons! And ... the high B note issue, stretch or shift, vanishes!

SteveB

[MDW]

I just put my string gauges (see message above) into a string tension calculator and come up with 99.65 lbs of tension for this setup. Standard CGDA set is about 81 lbs. It looks like a standard 6 string set runs about 135 lbs.

[Griffis]

Quite -- 5ths are great...and addictive.

I'm into concerts: I have a couple of standard woody's, a Johnson resonator w/ Nat. cone in low G, a Liberty resonator banjo-uke, a soprano Gretsch clarophone banjo-uke, and a tenor.#

But that's another forum...or, we could rename this CBOM...U #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

FYI-
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Morgan-Monroe-Rocky-Top-Mandola-w-Case-No-Reserve_W0QQitemZ160183127459QQihZ006QQcategoryZ






623QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.com/Morgan-....iewItem</a>
I have that same Johnson concert-scale resonator uke. I know it's not a National, but I like it a lot. Keep mine in high-G though. I need to swap out the strings. Been happy with it though.

[catmandu2]

Yeah, I like the growliness of resos, amd the low G tuning accentuates this. I've got Aquilas on all of them--it's a great string.

[Mike Herlihy]

I know at one time, Gold Tone made a resonator tenor guitar. Anyone know why they stopped&gt;

[catmandu2]

Too bad they stopped--I'd like one of those..

[Griffis]

I know at one time, Gold Tone made a resonator tenor guitar. Anyone know why they stopped&gt;
There is apparently a company called Amistar that makes metal and wood bodied resonator tenor guitars (among other things.)

I believe their factory is based in Czechoslovakia. I looked up US dealers for that brand once and only found one in Nashville.

It's been a while since I looked into it. Maybe someone could Google it up.

Incidentally, I did not know Gold Tone made a resonator tenor guitar. Has anyone tried the Johnson resonator mandos? Those pear-shaped ones?

[mandolooter]

[/QUOTE]All of your fingering, chords, etc., will be the same; it's just that they'll be in a different key. The chord that you're probably currently playing as a "C" chord in CGDA tuning (0023) is a "G" chord in GDAE tuning. So it's not a matter of learning "different chord shapes"; all of the shapes you've already learned will carry over.

Instead of 0230 for your C try 5530 in the GDAE tuning and you'll notice a huge tonal difference.
In CGDA that'd b a sweet F

[kmmando]

Amistar are in the Czech republic. This is a separate state from Slovakia, actually.

Like Canada and America.

[Griffis]

I can't believe I made the Czechoslovakia mistake. I was actually in the Czech Republic and Slovakia back in late 2003. Sorry for the error. Old habits....

[Griffis]

Also, I realize I totally hijacked this thread. Apologies.