Beansprout Tenor Guitar VS Baritone Ukulele

[sporter]

I love my new tenor guitar from Aaron. The sound is much louder than I imagined and I am heard across the room in a jam session which surprised me and others. With a shoulder replacement I am able to reach across the lower bout which I cannot do with my Martin and Harmony tenors. I am a bass player who, during medical difficulties, was replaced in jams and a band. Totally bereft, I got Aaron to build me a tenor guitar and I am so happy he helped me find a way to enjoy music again! Thanks, Aaron. Love the vintage look and celebration of the Regal heritage.

[aw]

Little story here. I was Born in American Samoa in 1961. My dad was a hard working telephone lineman during the week, and a Pentecostal preacher nights and weekends. In the 1950's, after his stint in the Korean Conflict, he was a young dad with a growing family. I always said that "you knew he was an honest preacher, because he spent all his money preaching".

Well, he wanted to learn to play, so he hit pawn shops and found an old Martin tenor for very little money. It had, at one point in time, an electric pickup installed, and when the original owner discarded it, that pickup was just torn out of there. My dad told me later that he paid more for the used case than the guitar.

Anyway, that tenor guitar, and my Dad's Baritone voice in harmony with my mom's high, clear voice is part and parcel of my youth.

As a teen, I asked my dad why he didn't play a 6 string like everyone else, and he'd hold up his hand and say, "I only got four fingers." He explained that in the 20's, Banjo players were having trouble finding work, and they could pick up a tenor and go straight to work. Never did know if he was pulling my leg.

But the music...OH the music.... He was the kind if preacher (he called himself a teacher) that used that guitar as a second mouthpiece. As he talked about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you could could hear the soldiers marching, their feet drumming on the guitar in unison, you could hear their descending slide into the pit of fire on the strings...too late I realized how rare that talent was.

My parents had four of us, and we all had to learn two instruments. Big Sis played piano and flute, big brother French Horn and Trumpet, me next with trombone and Baritone, and little sis, organ and reed. I'm glad, because I love what playing does, but I wanted to learn the guitar. What my parents wanted was a full orchestra 😂. We all became very good players in school and band because we HAD to play on the weekends, lol. We couldn't skip practice. But we learned to play by ear, switch keys in the middle of a song, and how to harmonize.

As an adult, I wanted some of that island sound from my childhood, and I bought some ukes. I settled on the baritone, and bought a few, starting cheaply, and moving up a little. I wasn't good, not even a bit, but sitting on the porch and picking tunes is EXACTLY what a ukulele was made for. But I missed that sound of Dad's guitar. I didn't "make" my kids play, they didn't love it. But I did give them the opportunity to take lessons.

My daughter had a little bow back Crafter guitar, medium quality, but not expensive. She had left it in her room, and the sunlight and neglect caused a little crack in the spruce top. It had new strings in the case, and I went to my shop and found some micarta. I built a new nut and strung and tuned it Like a baritone uke....man. it took me back. I started picking out some of the old church songs, and it took me home.

Music is magic.

It's not my dad's tenor, but it drags up the same feelings.

[Kurganic]

Just get one of each, that's what I did.

[JonathanAcierto]

Thanks for explaining. I got a baritone uke last year and really love it. Knew there was a such thing as a tenor guitar with only 4 strings, but didn't know how it was different from the baritone uke.

[mikek]

Thanks Aaron, what is similar to both, is they are stunning to look at and sound sublime. Am sure people will find their instrument, that said I believe you can’t have too many. But my wife disagrees 😄. She always comes round in the end though.

[MakeIndieFolkMusic]

Gorgeous! I have an old baritone uke, and yours sounds just magical here

[davidholt]

Thanks for that. I bought a tenor guitar during lockdown, and later a baritone uke. I never worried about the differences and your video confirms I was right not to. In a blindfold test, you'd never mistake one for the other.

[JBDazen]

I like it when two completely different instruments grow towards each other like that (and still stay quite different).

[brian]

I wish you had said that the _traditional_ tuning of the tenor guitar is all fifths. Not that it's bad or wrong to tune it another way, of course, but this historical fact may help to prevent confusion between the two instruments.

[fredvanvactor]

Good video and helpful information! Wonderful instrument(s)!

[dougsmith]

That Baritone is so rich and warm. Oh my ! The Tenor sound seems to jump off the body. I really like what you have done with the Tenor’s neck at the nut. The frets seem closer together than other Tenors I’ve seen which would make chording easier for those with smaller hands. Two amazing instruments, well done.

[trishbattersby]

I still like the baratone Uke sound. Thanks for your comparison 😊

[AlisonHeyer]

I was just wondering about this! Thanks for the video!

[paulwethington]

Great job
You explained it clearly and simply!

[johnhanover]

I have both, they have their own flavors. The Tenor Guitar is the same tuning as a Tenor Banjo.

[JohnESmith-twbr]

Yep, this clears up a lot of my questions. One thing you touched on that I’ve always wondered about the tenor guitar is the narrow nut. You say that steel strings and the taper of the fretboard lend themselves to the 1 5/16 spacing on the nut. Why is that?

[coreywallace]

Thanks for the video I have a baritone uke I want something a little bigger so I guess the transition will be easy

[ukeplayalongs]

I’m curious how the tenor guitar strings attach to the instrument!

[JasonGreen-ekbd]

I skipped em both over and went with vihuela! Lol great builds man

[james]

Very nice, does the tenor guitar have a truss rod ? Is it possible to make one without a truss rod ?