Tenor guitars are some of the most fun, creativity-inspiring instruments out there. But for a lot of folks, tenor guitars are a little bit of a mystery. What are they for? How do you tune them? Who uses them? We get questions like this every day, so we've put together this little FAQ to address some of the most common questions we hear. Whether you're a curious newcomer, someone who's been eyeing a tenor for a while, or a longtime fan, we hope this clears things up and gets you excited about exploring the four-string world.

Hey... isn't that a bass?

A photo of a tenor may look like a bass guitar at first glance, but it is a decidedly different instrument. Tenors have much lighter strings and smaller necks than bass guitars. Bass guitar string gauges are typically around 0.045 to 0.105 inches thick, while tenor strings are less than half that: 0.011 to 0.042 inches on a standard set.

Sometimes folks looking for a small bass are interested in using a tenor guitar as a bass, but we do not recommend this with the tenors we sell. Tenor guitars have significantly shorter necks than basses, for starters, and putting bass strings on them would feel almost unplayably floppy. They would also need serious (and likely expensive) modification to accommodate bass strings including new tuners with larger holes in the posts, a new bridge, and a new nut.

TL:DR; no, it is not a bass.

From left to right: the Rivolta Duocata Tenor, the Rivolta Duocata Tenor Baritone, and the Rivolta Duocata Bass

What is the difference between a tenor guitar and a regular guitar?

The most obvious difference between tenor guitar and regular guitar is that tenor guitars have four strings, where regular guitars have six. While at first blush this may seem like a limiting characteristic, we love the way having just four strings allows you to shake up your sound and experiment with tunings and chord shapes. More on that later!

An important dimension to consider with all guitars is scale length: the distance from the nut to the bridge. Scale length can determine all kinds of important things about a guitar including the spacing between the frets, how tensile the strings feel, and the range of pitches that are possible. Many of our tenor guitars have a 23-inch scale length, shorter than most guitars, which tend to measure between 24 and 26 inches.

Top: MRG Tenor, Bottom: MRG Electric Guitar

The shorter scale length of tenor guitars means less tension across the strings, and as a result many tenor guitar players report finding them easier to play than regular guitars. In addition, the shorter scale length tends to mean tenor guitars are lighter and smaller than regular guitars. We think this all adds up to an instrument that is just plain fun to play!

Are tenor guitars easier to play?

The answer to this question may depend on what you mean by "easier!"

There are many ways in which the technical and mechanical hurdles on tenor guitar are lower than standard guitar. Since tenor guitars have four strings, you can form a whole lot of chords using just two fingers. Chords that may seem intimidating on a six-string guitar, such as barre chords, are a comparative snap on a four-string tenor guitar. And having four strings means fewer opportunities to forget where your fingers go! Beginners will get up and running quickly on a tenor, often playing along to a song after just one lesson. That kind of accessible achievement keeps beginners engaged and excited to explore.

Customer Eric using his Classic Tenor to teach ukulele (also available left-handed!)

However, if you are a guitar player who is used to guitar tuning and you transition to tenor guitar tuned in fifths, you may find it to be a unique challenge. As a guitar player, one can get very used to certain patterns and chord shapes that repeat up and down the neck. The landscape of a fifths tuning is different, but it's also rewarding. Many players eventually find the tuning to work better for melodies, and the increased intervals between the notes make for wide, pleasing chords.

How is a tenor guitar tuned?

Our standard tenor guitars ship tuned G-D-A-E low to high. Eagle-eyed readers may notice this tuning is structured in fifths, unlike regular guitar tuning which is structured in fourths. This has all kinds of ramifications for folks coming from standard six-string guitar—you've got new chord shapes, new scale patterns, and a different set of open strings to contend with. But folks coming from violin or mandolin will have immediate familiarity with the geography of the fingerboard.

Another common (and arguably more traditional) tenor guitar tuning is C-G-D-A low to high, one fourth above G-D-A-E. We also have instruments we call "tenor baritones" or "electric cello guitars," which feature this tuning one octave down. Cellists of the world, prepare to rock!

Guitar players looking for an easy transition to tenor playing might enjoy what is sometimes called "Chicago" tuning: D-G-B-E low to high. This tuning is the same as the highest four strings of a guitar, and will feature the same fingerboard patterns as standard guitar, as well as ukulele.

Speaking of ukulele, we are often asked if you can tune your tenor guitar like a ukulele. The answer is an unequivocal "yes!" Depending on what type of ukulele you play, the tuning may be an octave lower than you are used to and the chords may have different names, but the chord shapes will be the same.

No discussion about tenor guitar tunings is complete without a mention of open tunings. There are an astounding variety of open tunings available to a tenor guitar player. Tunings like open G (D-G-B-D low to high) will be familiar to 5-string banjo players. Open D (D-A-D-F# low to high) gives you a solid fifth on the lowest strings and allows you to drone the low strings while you noodle around on the high strings. There are tunings that give you a DADGAD-like sound (G-D-A-D low to high) and endless amounts of unusual tunings. ("Oops, all Es," anyone?) Fewer strings means fewer notes to keep track of, and experimenting with open tunings on tenor guitars is both easy and rewarding.

To experiment with all these different tunings, you may need to change the strings of your tenor guitar. This is because not every string gauge can accommodate all the different tensions needed to achieve these pitches. It may all seem a little confusing at first, so we put together an Alternate Tunings and String Guide. Enter your email address below and we'll send it your way:

Check it out, pick up some strings, and get to experimenting!

What is tenor guitar used for?

While we think tenor guitars can be used in any musical genre, historically, tenor guitars are most common in jazz. This is due to the history of tenor guitars, which were popularized as a way for big band banjo players to easily transition to the new electrified sound of swing rhythm sections. Tenor guitars are also common among the Irish/Celtic music crowd, who use them as melody instruments. The tenor guitar has a prominent place in folk music as well, owing largely to the popularity of The Kingston Trio in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Nick Reynolds of The Kingston Trio, pictured on the right with his Martin tenor guitar

Speaking of The Kingston Trio, we find that tenor guitars are an excellent fit for vocal accompaniment. Since the intervals between the strings are larger than standard guitar, many chords feature "open voicings" as opposed to "closed voicings" that are easier to achieve on guitar. Think of it this way: the chord C major contains the notes C, E, and G. On a standard guitar C chord in first position, those notes are repeated in order. This gives the chord a "solid" or "tight" sound. It is physically impossible to play the notes in order on a tenor guitar, so the same chord has a "wide" or "spread" sound. If you're a singer who's looking for your accompaniment to take up a little more musical space, a tenor guitar could be the perfect prescription.

This phenomenon also makes tenor guitars an excellent fit in the studio, or for home recording. Got a rhythm track that needs a little more sparkle? Layer a tenor guitar on top of it and watch how quickly it makes the part pop out of the mix. Like we discussed in the tuning question above, tenor guitars make alternate tunings a snap. So if you're working on a recording and you realize it would benefit from the open tuning sound, tenor guitars allow you to skip the headache of fully retuning your six-string.

Finally, tenor guitars are a perfect canvas for recreating music written for other instruments. Solo violin music (try the Bach Sonatas and Partitas!) sounds beautiful on tenor guitar. Classic fiddle tunes and old time songs are also natural pairings. We highly encourage the more intrepid among you to dive down the rabbit hole of ragtime banjo music that has entered the public domain in the last few years—it's a rich well. No matter how old the music is, if it was written for an instrument tuned in fifths, it's going to be fun as heck to get it up and running on a tenor guitar. (You could become the first person to play Telemann's Fantasias through a ring modulator!)

Who uses tenor guitars?

Like we mentioned under "Are tenor guitars are easier to play," a not-insignificant number of folks who purchase tenors from us are total musical beginners, but the majority of our customers are six-string guitar players. They may be looking for a fresh sound or new musical challenge, and tenor guitars definitely deliver. If you're a regular guitar player and you've felt stuck in a rut with your playing, a tenor guitar can spark new creativity and get you back in touch with what drew you to music in the first place.

We also have a fair amount of ukulele enthusiasts as well as violin, cello, and mandolin players who are looking to electrify their sound. If someone comes from a traditional violin playing background, they may never have been given a chance to explore improvisation or effects such as distortion—experiences that are de rigueur for guitar players. Electric tenor guitars give these musicians permission to explore, take up space, and get loud.

Guitar players who have a disability may also find tenor guitars rewarding. We see it in our product reviews every day, and we'll let these folks speak for themselves. Eric writes, "Playing a six-string guitar is very difficult for me because of the limits my fretting hand creates. The tenor is the perfect accommodation for me." Another customer named Chris reports, "I started out playing regular six-string guitar but a youth spent playing sports and breaking and dislocating fingers left me with really compromised manual dexterity, so I switched to four strings." Suffice it to say, there's little better than knowing a tenor guitar gave the gift of music back to someone.

Amanda Shires performing with a vintage Gibson tenor guitar

Besides our customers, many prominent musicians claim tenor guitar as their instrument. We love Warren Ellis (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, The Dirty Three, Grinderman) so much, we have a whole series of instruments that bear his name. (Fun fact: Warren is the reason Eastwood Guitars started making tenors!) Genre-defying songwriter Neko Case has been a key figure in reviving the tenor guitar for modern audiences, and can often be seen performing with her vintage Gibson tenor, which was the inspiration for the Eastwood Astrojet Tenor NK DLX. And just in case you thought these players weren't brutal enough, check out Wes Borland of the band Limp Bizkit. He's known for inventive riffs and killer technique, and you better believe he pulls it all off on a four-string tenor.

Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit performing with his unique four-string guitar

How do I choose a tenor guitar?

For starters, you're in the right place. Here at tenor-guitars.com, we have the world's largest selection of tenor guitars, all on one site.

Your first consideration is likely price and we've got tenors at all price points, from the Eastwood Tenorcaster to the Rivolta Duocata Tenor. Every tenor we sell receives a comprehensive setup by our talented technicians and is thoroughly inspected by a quality control specialist, so you can be sure to receive an instrument that meets the highest standards of quality and playability.

If you're looking for simplicity of operation, you might enjoy the Warren Ellis Signature Tenor. With just one pickup and single volume and tone controls, there's not a lot to keep track of besides where you put your fingers! And the wide string spacing and 1 5/16" nut width makes it easier to place your fingers without interrupting other strings.

Perhaps you're coming from an instrument like mandolin or banjo and you prefer a narrow nut width, or maybe you have small hands and prefer a small neck. The Eastwood Astrojet Tenor and the Bigsby vibrato-equipped Eastwood Astrojet Tenor NK DLX feature a 1 1/8" nut width that will make anyone used to more traditional tenor banjo specs feel right at home.

Eastwood's Astrojet Tenor NK DLX

Speaking of traditionalists, they'll likely appreciate the vintage stylings of the Eastwood TG-150 archtop tenor guitar. And on the other side of the spectrum, it's impossible to lose sight of the non-traditionalists taking the stage with an Eastwood Adventurer or the Eastwood "TV" Tenor! It's important to pick a tenor with a look you enjoy; it's a critical part of making you want to pick it up and play.

Guitar players who are used to Strat-style guitars may enjoy the Eastwood Model S Tenor, which features a classic S-style electronics setup. There's a reason Strats are so popular, and we love the tonal versatility this model affords tenor players.

Looking for something a little more unusual? We've got you covered there, too. We've got tenors in the baritone range (like the Warren Ellis Tenor 2P Baritone), tenors with metal resonators (Eastwood MRG Tenor Resonator), and even fretless tenors (Eastwood MRG Cello Guitar). We also have a fine selection of left-handed tenors, for all you southpaws out there.

Okay, I Believe You: Four IS More!

We hope this FAQ has demystified tenor guitars and sparked your curiosity. Whether you're drawn to the small size, the creative tunings, or just the joy of trying something new, we're sure there's a tenor guitar out there for you. And if you've still got questions we didn't cover, don't hesitate to reach out! We're always happy to talk tenors. Head over to tenor-guitars.com to browse our full lineup, and get ready to discover why we can't stop saying "Four IS More!"