G’day all,
Concerning the Guitar in the above post (Removing Scratches etc.) …I’m having trouble with string breakages ..
I believe it is a Suzuki Tenor Guitar ( Kiso Suzuki model #3220,looks to be about 20 years old ) …well, thats what the Ebay listing said it was anyway !!
I bought a set of D’Adario Tenor Guitar strings 032,022,014 and 010 gauge and I want to tune it to C G D A ,which is Standard Tenor Guitar tuning. When I’m trying to bring the A string up to pitch, it breaks (3 times now .. 
)
There’s no burrs or sharp bits anywhere the string could be catching on, and its got me beat..
So…I’m thinking that maybe its NOT a Tenor after all, and should be tuned to something else…It’s a Guitar shaped body,factory made and not a modified 6 stringer and the length from the Nut to the Saddle is 650 mm (25 5/8 ")…
I’m not at all worried if its not a Tenor Guitar…I’d just like to be able to play it…Maybe it should be tuned G D A E ??
Would you have any opinions on my dilemma please ??
Thanks and best wishes…Charlie…
Baritone uke?
http://www.tenorguitar.com/glance.html
Your scale length seems to be the longer scale as for a 6-string. You’ll have to tune to G D A E.
See a discussion on http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54359
There are some suggestions on string gauges, including a special set of strings that might let you bring it to C G D A
Kevin Krell
I believe the longer scale tenors were originally known as ‘plectrum’ banjos, guitars, etc. Conceptually, it’s a five string banjo without the fifth string, so it could be played with a flatpick. The player could keep all the fingerings & chord shapes that he already knew while bashing out chords with a dixieland-style strum. Before electric amplification, this was loud enough to get heard over a whack of other instruments.
Yep, I believe that’s it. Scale length around 26 inches. Standard tuning would be CGBD or DGBD, like 5-string banjo. Or Chicago tuning DGBE, which is just the top 4 of standard guitar. For any of those, the top 4 strings from a light gauge acoustic guitar set should work fine (e.g. .012 .016 .024 .032) to start. The top D and bottom C strings will be a bit flabby in the standard tunings.
For GDAE that Kevin suggests, you could try the 5th, 4th, 3rd, and 1st strings of the light gauge set. The bottom string will be a bit flabby, and the A (2nd string) prone to breakage, but OK to start.
If you want to experiment with different pitch-gauge-tension scenarios for customizing sets, the D’Addario String Tension Guide (PDF) data and several helpful online string calculators let you do that:
http://www.daddario.com/upload/tension_chart_13934.pdf
http://wahiduddin.net/dance/guitar_string_calc.htm
http://www.bangzero.org/stringtension/
Check the Mandolin Cafe link I posted above. There are already specific recommendations for string gauges for the GDAE tuning, and an alternative solution to allow weedie to use the tuning he wants.
Yes, I saw that, Kevin. Interesting stuff. Those Octave4plus strings are obviously made of Kryptonite … and priced accordingly!
It can also be handy and cheap to experiment with adapting a readily available standard string set, instead of customizing singles. Hence my suggestion, too. Any of the tunings we mentioned above - except CGDA - involve retuning standard strings by a whole step at most, so a standard set is a convenient starting point.
Here’s an option:
I have a plectrum banjo which I tune to B, for all of those B sessions we have here in the Greater Triangle Metropolitan Urea (still waiting for the first, actually…). The cool thing is, put a capo (Shubb banjo model) on the third fret, and it’s in standard tenor tuning. Soon enough I will have a clip of this banjo being played with the capo on, as it found its way onto the Craicdown record.
I think it’s okay to use standard tenor string gauges for this trick, assuming you’ve got enough length. Of string.
Rob
Thanks a lot men,well done,as usual 
…
So,its not a Tenor Guitar but a Plectrum Guitar !..I’m not too fussed about that.It seems as though it’s a well made Instrument and I suppose its pretty cool to have something a bit different..
What I’ve decided to do for the time being is to tune it the same as my Irish Bouzouki…G D A D with string gauges 47,32,20 and 15 …see how that goes for a while..
Regards from Oz…weedie…
I did something similar to my 6-string (strung it to GDAD and ignored the other 2 slots), and it was great fun. I’m still messing around with it as I wait for my own octave mandolin to finish being made. Those zouk chords can be really powerful coming out of a guitar body.
Those zouk chords can be really powerful coming out of a guitar body.
You’re right there Thomaston…I’ve just stung it up,used 45,32,17 and 14 thou. string gauges…tuned it to GDAD and it sounds GREAT 
…
I’d never heard of such a thing as a Plectrum Guitar before I posted the questions and now I own one ! you little beauty !
E-Bay Bashing is a popular pastime for some ,but I think it’s a great thing..this Guitar cost me Aussie$175.00 posted, and all from the comfort of my own home..Sure there’s some duds about (and I’ve been a victim 
) but overall ,its been good.
Thanks once again everyone
while this was set up for dulcimer, there’s no reason it couldn’t be used for other stringed instruments. Input your VSL and the note you are tuning to and it will give you the “optimum” size. I think it goes a bit light (but I play a bass dulcimer). You can always go a size or two one way or the other and try it.
http://www.strothers.com/string_choice.htm
BTW - I never buy prepackaged string sets, I always purchase loose strings. Below is a great resource for strings:
http://www.prussiavalley.com
That’s a nice calc, Missy, a great service for dulcimer. But it won’t really work for guitar. The assumption of 13.8 pounds tension is just way too low. Steel string acoustics want 20-30 lbs (light) or 25-35 lbs (medium). For 25.5" scale standard tuning your calc gives a set of 9 12 15 21 28 33 - which is really flapping in the breeze. 
Re. plain vs. wound … Wound strings are approximately 10% less dense than the corresponding plain steel. Since unit mass is roughly proportional to the square of gauge, for wound strings your calc users can add ~5% to the results.
that’s why I said I think it goes “light”. But it does give you a “starting point”.
I play a bass dulcimer tuned D’A’D. 25 3/4 inch VSL. I use 52, 32 and 24 - but go up two on those numbers at times. All are wound (I use Elixirs or other coated strings).