Electric guitar as electric irish tenor?

[Roger Kunkel]

I'd like to try a solid body electric tenor - now that I'm more of a mandolin player than a guitar player. Before spending money, is it practical to capo up my electric guitar and tune it in fifths? If you've had success with this, what string gauges would you recommend?

Thanks

[Chadmills]

I've done this with an acoustic guitar, refitting four strings into the middle four "slots" leaving the outer ones vacant in order to keep the neck "balanced." #It was quite useful as a no-cost tryout. #I just followed the normal tuning as near as possible, ie removed E, A tuned downed to G, D left as is. A choice with the next, I think I removed the G, lowered the B to A so as to keep tensions more consistent, and moved the E over one slot.

Following the experiment I was quite keen to build myself a tenor, but, "so many projects, so little time!"
Tom

[groveland]

I am using the so-called "New Standard Tuning" on electric guitar, which I decided on after experimenting with other fifths variations with varying degrees of success. New Standard tuning is: CGDAEG. #What you get is your tenor on the middle four strings, plus the added bonus of the C on the bottom, which is essentially fifths tuning for a cittern. #The high G is because... well I'm guessing Fripp had an extra string and had to do something with it... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

I'm currently using
.008
.010
.017
.030w
.040w
.052w

[Roger Kunkel]

Thanks Groveland,

I hadn't heard of the "new tuning" even though I used to listen to Robert Fripp. I might try just the middle four strings at first.