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Thread: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

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    Okay, I'm with you fellas tburcham's Avatar
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    Default New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Folks, I've recently made a trade for a new Breedlove OM Tenor guitar. Tuned GDAE like a mandolin. I decided to retread my mandolin skills in a guitar format and add a different sound to our bluegrass/old time group. I think the "Good Lord" programed me in 5ths. While this was a "left field" move for me, I have been "tickled" with this acquisition. When I take the tenor to our local jam, I don't get to play it much...because everybody wants to play it!

    The OM tenor guitar is in their Revival series, so its a beautifully crafted instrument and it sounds wonderful! In talking with Jayson Bowerman at Breedlove (master builder of this particular guitar), he indicated that they have been fairly popular since their introduction.

    Anybody else in Cafe' land experienced the Breedlove OM Tenor?
    Tim Burcham
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    Registered User Oggy's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Congrats!

    Did you get the mahogany or the rosewood tenor?

    Those of us who hang out a lot at the tenor guitar section of this forum would surely appreciate some more comments about sound, playability and all that. Maybe some pictures or a sound clip?

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    Registered User dulcillini's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    I am very interested in comments on this product. I think this would be a good addition to my herd. I am leaning this way instead of an octave mandolin
    Michael A. Harris
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    Okay, I'm with you fellas tburcham's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Quote Originally Posted by Oggy View Post
    Congrats!

    Did you get the mahogany or the rosewood tenor?

    Those of us who hang out a lot at the tenor guitar section of this forum would surely appreciate some more comments about sound, playability and all that. Maybe some pictures or a sound clip?
    Mine is mahogany. Sound and playability are top draw. The sound is very rich and I have no problem cutting through in our jams (and our jams are though to cut through). I'll try to get a sound clip up with one of friends who can really get after it with this tenor.
    Tim Burcham
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    Okay, I'm with you fellas tburcham's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Quote Originally Posted by dulcillini View Post
    I am very interested in comments on this product. I think this would be a good addition to my herd. I am leaning this way instead of an octave mandolin
    Hey Ducillini,

    I think you would be very happy if you added this to your herd. Its really a lot of fun to play and has a very rich sound. I cut loose on a fast fingered version of Old Joe Clark with it during our Monday night jam and one of my friends literally stopped playing and started clapping in joy and excitement.

    Don't think of this tenor as a celtic sounding instrument...think of it as a sweet sounding guitar that plays like a mandolin...which is why I purchased it...I just do better with fifths !
    Tim Burcham
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    Registered User Ptarmi's Avatar
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    Question Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    I really fancy getting on of these, but how about the extra S-T-R-E-T-C-H coming up from a Mandolin to a huge Guitar neck?

    Is it no more of a stretch than say a Tenor Banjo?

    How about keeping it in standard CGDA tuning & using a Capo to get GDAE, wouldn't that mean a smaller stretch?

    Also, anyone know anything about their availability over here in the UK & Ireland?

    .... By the way, did you ever post that sound clip?

    Cheers
    Dick

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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    My friend Mike Simpson has one, but I'm not certain where he got it. I think it might have been from Elderley.

    I've only had a quick go on it, but it seemed a very nice instrument to me. A bit more of a stretch than my banjo, but certainly comparable with my octave mandolin.

    Mike tends to buy and sell instruments fairly often, but I would say I preferred it to various other OMs I've seen him with, including a Foley and a Fylde.
    David A. Gordon

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    Registered User hubrad's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Hmm, this sounds interesting; I'll have to see if we can get one into the shop. We have a smattering of tenor guitars, just haven't seen the Breedlove chap for a while.
    Drop me a line Ptarmi, and I'll talk you through what we have at the mo - Yorkshire based.
    Scale-wise, I'd say most are similar to tenor banjo - we currently have from 21" (between a 17 and 19 fret short-scale tenor) to 22 1/2" (standard 19 fret)
    Last edited by hubrad; Apr-29-2010 at 5:36am. Reason: comment on scale lngth
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    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Quote Originally Posted by Ptarmi View Post
    I really fancy getting on of these, but how about the extra S-T-R-E-T-C-H coming up from a Mandolin to a huge Guitar neck?

    Is it no more of a stretch than say a Tenor Banjo?

    How about keeping it in standard CGDA tuning & using a Capo to get GDAE, wouldn't that mean a smaller stretch?

    Also, anyone know anything about their availability over here in the UK & Ireland?

    .... By the way, did you ever post that sound clip?

    Cheers
    Dick
    I'm hoping to add a Fletcher Tenortone tenor guitar to my herd at some stage - I'm not sure how they compare to the Breedloves re: neck width and profile, but I found the Tenortones to have nice slim necks, more banjo-like vs. guitar-like. The stretch on it was for me similar to my short scale tenor banjo. Angelina Carberry plays one.

    http://www.fletcherinstruments.com/

    Cheers,
    Jill
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    Registered User Steve Perry's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Clips as requested...



    Steve Perry
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    Registered User arrowmandolin's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Hey Tim,
    I like the vibe and sound of the Breedlove, but the scale at 24-1/16" is kind of hard to get around on.
    If you are finding this to be true for yourself, here's something I've done on a few of them......change out the string gauges[a bit heavier] and tune down to F-C-G-D ,then thwart the bluegrass police and capo at the second fret.
    It's an elegant solution that makes it a lot easier at the first position while adding a bit MORE string tension that will drive that bigger[for a tenor]body harder giving you even more power.
    It works great for the GDAE tuning, but not so well for the "C" tuning.

    By the way, saw Jason Boweran last weekend at a show, he's not with Breedlove anymore, he was showing a GREAT guitar and many of us are happy he's joined the custom luthier cult.
    Paul Lestock
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    Okay, I'm with you fellas tburcham's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Paul,

    Thanks for the info. The stretch is a bit long for me, but it really forces you to use your pinky which is good for my mandolin playing skills as well. Your solution sounds like a great way to reduce the stretch and get good power as well.

    Thanks,

    Tim Burcham
    Tim Burcham
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    Oscar Stern s11141827's Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    Quote Originally Posted by dulcillini View Post
    I am very interested in comments on this product. I think this would be a good addition to my herd. I am leaning this way instead of an octave mandolin
    Yes basically a Guitar bodied 4 string Octave Mandolin or a Tenor Banjo neck on a Guitar body. Super cool. It's also great for playing Jazz cause it's a much deeper & mellower sound than the C tuning. CGDA Tuning would be too high for the 24 1/16 in scale length unless you had one of those octave4plus High A4 strings designed for a 25.5 in scale

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    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: New Breedlove Tenor Guitar (-:

    These Breedlove "tenor guitars" were never tenor guitars at all. They were plectrum guitars tuned GDAE.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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