Originally inspired by 4-string Irish banjos, the Tenor Guitar is often misunderstood and too often overlooked. The earliest origins of the tenor guitar are somewhat unclear, and nowadays they have found a home in bluegrass, Americana, folk, Celtic, and other genres where a resonant, articulate tone is desired.

Gold Tone seriously knocked one out of the park with the TG-18. It captures the warm sound and vibe of prewar tenors, but it is built with modern-day precision. And like many models in the Gold Tone catalog, the TG-18 is available at a price that is hard to pass up.

There are a lot of ways to tune a tenor guitar, and the TG-18 comes set up for traditional Irish C tuning (CGDA). If you want to tune it down to low G like an octave mandolin, the TG-18 can handle that nicely, but in C its response is snappy and immediate, and it sits nicely on top of other acoustic instruments. This tuning unlocks interesting two-finger chord voicing that leave open strings, and many celtic players will bring the 1st and 2nd strings down a whole step each. This CGCG cross tuning gives the guitar a haunting open quality that will pull new songs and licks right out of thin air.

The Gold Tone TG-18 features a solid Spruce top and Mahogany back and sides. Its body size is a little bigger than you might expect from a tenor, and that just means it packs stronger low-end punch. It includes a gig bag, and it's a great opportunity to get into a good quality tenor without investing too much.

• Top: Solid Spruce
• Back & Sides: Mahogany
• Scale Length: 23"
• Neck: Mahogany
• Nut:
• Fingerboard: Ebony
• Bridge: Ebony w/ Bone Saddle
• Tuners: Gold Kluson-style