Having a very distinctive style of its own, the tenor guitar is one of the most versatile types of instruments as it can fit into a wide variety of playing scenarios and musical styles. Tenor guitars feature in country music, swing, jazz, contemporary folk, and pop music. The tenor guitar was first developed in the mid to late 1920s by the famous Gibson Guitar Company and also by C. F. Martin & Company. Tenor guitars allow players of the four-string tenor banjo and mandolin to double as guitar players without having to learn the six-string or “conventional guitar.”
Also, it can be a great instrument for beginners who wish to learn to play a string instrument but find the conventional guitar somewhat hard to play. Whatever your reason is for wanting to get a tenor guitar, just know that you are making an excellent decision. In this article, I will bring to you the five best tenor guitars that I can comfortably recommend to any aspiring or even pro tenor guitar player. Here is a quick summary:
 | 1. Best beginner tenor guitar: Gold Tone TG-10 Made of laminated wood, affordable, easy neck adjustments, good sound projection | Buy on Amazon |
 | 2. Best intermediate tenor guitar: Ibanez PFT2NT Mini Dreadnought Tenor Guitar Great sound and resonance given the body size, affordable | Buy on Amazon |
 | 3. Best professional tenor guitars: Blueridge BR-40T Tenor Guitar Clean beautiful and crisp tone, Santos rosewood fingerboard | Buy on Amazon |
 | 4. Best tenor guitar for ukulele players: Kmise Tenor Guitar Very affordable and the overall finish beats the price. Also comes with gig bag and picks | Buy on Amazon |
 | 5. Best vintage tenor guitar: Ibanez AVT1NT Artwood Vintage Tenor Has a vintage vibe, ergonomically constructed, sounds amazing and projects well | Buy on Amazon |
5 Best Tenor Guitars Reviewed
Best tenor guitar for beginner players: Gold Tone TG-10
If you are just starting out with tenor guitars or recently switching from a banjo, mandolin, or ukulele and do not want to spend so much on your first tenor guitar, then the Gold Tone TG-10 might be the right guitar for you. It is an amazing beginner and student model guitar that pro and intermediate players can also use.
The first remarkable thing about the TG-10 is its price. This is a very affordable tenor guitar. The body of the TG-10 is made of laminated wood and it features a bolt on the neck for easy neck adjustments should there ever be a need for that after many years of play. This guitar is set up exactly like its big brother which is the TG-18. It also comes in a heavily padded gig bag. Ideally, it is tuned to DGBE or CGDA. It features a unique body design that is particular to Gold Tone; it is slightly bigger than the vintage Martin and a little smaller than the vintage Gibson. The sound and projection are quite penetrating and loud. You should not worry about it being buried or overshadowed in an acoustic jam session.
The Gold Tone tenor guitar, although being an entry level-guitar, it is made of surprisingly high-quality materials. The overall build is quite remarkable considering the price. This one guitar I can always comfortably recommend to beginner tenor guitar players who want a very decent instrument to kick-start their tenor guitar playing journey.
Pros:
- Quite affordable
- Comes in a well-padded gig bag for easy transportation and protection
- Despite being a small guitar, the sound is quite big
- Although an entry-level guitar, it still works perfectly in some advanced playing scenarios
- The finish is amazing for a guitar at this price range
- Great intonation
Cons:
- A luthier might need to set the action upon arrival
- Might experience some buzzing till after it is being set up
- Not exactly the kind of guitar for advanced players
Best intermediate tenor guitar: Ibanez PFT2NT Mini Dreadnought
Let’s say you want a tenor guitar that’s still quite amazing but not so pricey and also still comes from a reputable brand. Then that tenor guitar might be none other than the PFT2NT. Every guitar player knows that Ibanez is not just a popular brand but also they are popular for the right reason which is making amazing quality guitars. The PFT2NT is not an exception as they are just a continuity of these lines of quality guitars from Ibanez.
This Ibanez guitar features a beautiful spruce top, mahogany back and sides that create a perfect resonance when played. Like a typical tenor guitar, the neck of this Ibanez is perfectly narrow. One amazing thing about this Ibanez is that it gives you a much bigger sound than its body size – and price tag. You can be sure of that fat sound typical of bigger guitars from this tenor guitar.
It features a mini dreadnought body and the Ibanez advantage bridge pins. This tenor guitar, although top-quality, comes in at a pretty affordable price considering the overall quality. If you need a quality tenor guitar but can’t afford the Blueridge tenor guitar which we mentioned above, then this Ibanez can be a good alternative. This will not only play nice, but it will also last pretty long.
Pros:
- Quite a versatile instrument as it fits well into many styles and genres
- Amazing price when considering the quality
- Good for players of all levels
- Considering the size, it has a really fat sound
Cons:
- Won’t strike as exactly top-quality when compared to a brand like the Blueridge BR-40T or BR-60T
- Might require some minor adjustments before playing well (not in all cases)
Best professional tenor guitar: Blueridge BR-40T
If you want something that plays like a Martin but can’t afford to spend on a Martin, then this might be the guitar for you. The Blueridge BR-40T is an amazing tenor guitar that sounds quite awesome and projects perfectly. This tenor guitar has a very clean, beautiful, and crisp tone.
The BR-40T features a solid Sitka spruce top and also scalloped braces. It has a narrow fretboard fitted on a thick and deep neck to give that perfect feel of a tenor guitar. This is an excellent copy of the much-coveted Martin guitars out there. The BR-40T also features a mahogany back and sides that help give the guitar some resonance. The playability of this instrument is quite amazing because of the Santos rosewood fingerboard. Also, it has perfect and nice action and it wouldn’t basically require much setup from a luthier before playing.
Although a bit on the high side, the overall make, and performance of the guitar are worth every cent of the money you’ll pay. Also, because this is a perfect replica of a Martin, you can’t just think twice about spending that much on this beauty. Also worthy of consideration is the Blueridge BR-60T, the bigger brother of the BR-40T.
Pros:
- Perfect for players of all levels
- You can jam with it right out of the box as it needs no set up from a luthier
- Gives you the feel and sound of a Martin at a much cheaper price
- Fits a wide variety of genres, from jazz to folk to bluegrass and blues
Cons:
- Not exactly affordable
Best tenor guitar for ukulele players: Kmise Tenor Guitar
This might not be the most popular tenor guitar out there or from one of the top guitar brands, but that does not change the fact that it is an amazing tenor guitar. As akffordable as it could be, this tenor guitar features a spruce top, Ibanez-type advantage bridge pins, and a mini dreadnought body that looks just perfect. This, however, might not be the most well-constructed tenor guitar in the market, but I can say that it is quite hard to find a tenor guitar of this quality in this price range.
It features an 18: 1 Sealed Tuning Machine head. Remember that the higher the gear ratio, the easier it is for the guitar to be tuned precisely. The 18:1 gear ratio keeps the guitar in tune better than let’s say, 15: 1 gear tuning pegs. On this guitar, tuning stability is assured. It comes equipped with advanced guitar strings and it is flexible in tuning as it can tune to “ADGC” “DGBE” “GDAE” “GCEA.” This means you can tune it like a guitar, mandolin, or ukulele. The guitar is already worked by pro-luthiers as the action is being lowered before shipping. This is to ensure easier playability.
It comes with the original Allen key that allows you to adjust the action in case you are not satisfied with the setup it comes with. It is more like an all-in-one package as it comes with a fashion strap, one spanner, five picks, and a gig bag. The top-quality and well-padded gig bag helps you not only with transporting the guitar, but it also protects the guitar from accidental falls and accidents.
Pros:
- The intonation and tuning stability are great considering the price
- The overall finish beats the price as it looks pretty amazing
- For the price, the gig bag is super amazing
- The action height is perfect as it will require very little or no adjustment
- Flexible tuning
Cons:
- Might experience some buzzing sound
- The fret ends might need some minor smoothening and polishing by a luthier
- Not exactly a tenor guitar for pro-level usage
Best vintage tenor guitar: Ibanez AVT1NT Artwood Vintage Tenor
If you are looking for that vintage vibe in a tenor guitar but do not want to spend a fortune and also do not want to go for the cheapest and lowest, then this might be just the perfect tenor guitar for you. Again on this list, we have the Ibanez. The reputable guitar company describes Artwood as a “modern approach to acoustic guitar tradition.” With this 22.8-inch scale AVT1NT Artwood Vintage Tenor Acoustic Guitar, Ibanez once again delivers nothing short of top-notch acoustic guitar construction.
Designed to fit players of all levels and styles, the AVT1NT although best suited for traditional genres like bluegrass, folk, blues, etc, also pretty shines and cuts through the contemporary styles and genres like pop. It comes with a bone nut that helps deliver a well-balanced sound and a bone saddle that sits on a uniquely crafted rosewood bridge. A perfect fit for strummers and touring musicians; this smaller-bodied tenor guitar gives plenty of tone and projection despite its smaller size. It features a combination of solid Sitka spruce top, mahogany neck, back and sides, and rosewood fingerboard. Also, it features a black and white multi-rosette and open-gear tuners with pearl buttons.
Pros:
- The overall feel and touch of the guitar is just perfect and professional
- Ergonomically constructed
- Sounds amazing and projects perfectly well
- Intonation and tuning stability is top-notch
- Fun to play
- Has a vintage vibe
Cons:
- The action will need some adjustment as it may be too high for some people
- For the price, the bag is still sold separately
Best Tenor Guitars Buying Guide
Is Tenor Guitar the Same as Ukulele?
Tenor Guitar is the not the same as ukulele. The first difference is that the tenor guitar uses steel strings while the ukulele uses nylon strings. Another difference is in tuning. Concert ukuleles are tuned to GCEA, while tenor guitars are often tuned to CGDA. They are variations for both instrument’s tuning, but we can never tune them the same.
Which Genres and Styles Does Tenor Guitar Fit Perfectly?
Although being a kind of unusual instrument, the tenor guitar can be used and is always used in country, folk, pop, western swing, and jazz music.
Should You Get a Full-Sized Or Mini Tenor Guitar?
A full-sized tenor guitar will enable you to feel the full effect of playing a tenor guitar. In terms of the scale length, the minimum for a traditional tenor guitar is 21 3/4 – inch. The most common ones are usually 22-inch or 22.5-inch. If a tenor guitar has a scale length that is below 21-inch, then it is a mini tenor guitar.
How are Tenor Guitars Tuned?
Tenor guitars are tuned in fifths. “In fifths” means they are tuned like CGDA just like the tenor banjo, mandola, or viola.
Tuning the tenor guitar in fifths is embraced by a lot of musicians because that way, easy versions of moveable chords can be created. Also, more elaborate (open and more spread out) chord voicings are easier to create than on a typical six-string guitar. For players who use the tenor guitar to play traditional jazz, Ragtime, Dixieland, and similar genres, this tuning remains the most acceptable and most popular.
But there are still some tenor guitar players who would tune it like the highest four strings of a conventional six-string guitar. That means they tune it like EBGD. This tuning is sometimes referred to as “Chicago tuning.” An example of a major player of the tenor guitar who used guitar tuning is Tiny Grimes. Grimes had recorded with bands like the Cats and The Fiddle, and greats like Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and many others. Grimes used the EBGD tuning on all his tenor guitars. He deviated from the typical CGDA tenor tuning.
A few players also tune their tenors like the old Plectrum banjos, which is a type of banjo that was used before the invention of tenor banjos. These groups tune their tenors to something like DBGD or DBGC. But one thing remains, the intervals are in fifths.
How Much Should You Spend on a Tenor Guitar?
For a beginner or student-level tenor guitar, you budget about $100 – $300. For a more advanced level tenor guitar, something between $500 – $700 should work perfectly well.
Conclusion and Winner
Having put a lot of factors into consideration, I have chosen my best among all five listed here. My number one tenor guitar is none other than the Blueridge BR-40T Tenor Guitar. This is an amazing tenor guitar right out of the box. If you want the feel and sound of the much-coveted Martin guitar but can’t afford that, the BR-40T will give you just that dream sound. This guitar works well in Jazz, ragtime, Dixieland, blues, and even pop. It might not be exactly the cheapest guitar on this list, but trust me, it is worth the price.For players who can’t afford to get the BR-40T, don’t give up just yet because I included another amazing tenor guitar on this list. My next tenor guitar of choice is none other than the Ibanez AVT1NT Artwood Vintage Tenor. This is another beautiful and amazing tenor guitar. This guitar sounds just as beautiful as it looks. It is ergonomically constructed and has that perfect vintage vibe. As a matter of fact, I believe this is one tenor guitar every tenor guitar player should have safely kept somewhere. Lastly, know that every tenor guitar on this list is amazing in its own right. All the guitars here are amazingly made guitars that you can choose from. But, the selected two are my favorite and my recommendation.
Last update on 2023-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
