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Thread: The Blackbird on a Kmise tenor guitar

  1. #1

    Default The Blackbird on a Kmise tenor guitar


    I have seen a lot of discussion about Kmise tenor guitars. I got one recently and tuned it GDAE. I love it. A great deal for the price. It is supposed to be able to tune in CGDA, but I don’t see it without changing strings. There’s a lot of videos where people have tuned it like a ukulele or GDBE. I haven’t tried that yet.

  2. #2

    Default Re: The Blackbird on a Kmise tenor guitar

    Very nice! In my experience you can't switch tuning on a tenor guitar without changing the strings. A tuning in GDAE requires heavier strings than a CGDA tuning to maintain optimum tension.

  3. #3
    Tired & Cranky Monte Barnett's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Blackbird on a Kmise tenor guitar

    Nicely done. I’ve been using a Kmise tenor as a experimental platform for strings & tunings for a while now. Mine works well with .040w, .027w, .018p, .012p for CGDA tuning. I’m also using a Kmise baritone uke tuned GDAE with classical guitar strings, and a Viscaya concert uke in GDAE (mandolin) with the almost the SAME gauge classical strings. I’m impressed with the build quality of these instruments. They’ve all needed fretwork and adjustment, but they really ARE a bargain.
    Monte

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  5. #4
    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Blackbird on a Kmise tenor guitar

    What scale length is the Kmise?
    If it is 23” then those are very heavy garages for CGDA!

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    Tired & Cranky Monte Barnett's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Blackbird on a Kmise tenor guitar

    Quote Originally Posted by fox View Post
    What scale length is the Kmise?
    If it is 23” then those are very heavy garages for CGDA!
    Heavy garages, indeed! It’s 21.5”. In the year that I’ve had it, I’ve experimented with various gauges & materials, including nylon. At present, it’s strung with Thomastik Infeld KR116 strings using the 6th, 4th, & 3rd strings for CG&D, and a D’Addario plain steel .010 for the A. It’s more thin and subdued than with the phosphor bronze, but not unpleasant.
    Monte

    Northfield F2S
    Weber Yellowstone Octave F

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    Registered User BoxCarJoe's Avatar
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    Default Re: The Blackbird on a Kmise tenor guitar

    Quote Originally Posted by MB-Octo View Post
    Heavy garages, indeed! It’s 21.5”. In the year that I’ve had it, I’ve experimented with various gauges & materials, including nylon. At present, it’s strung with Thomastik Infeld KR116 strings using the 6th, 4th, & 3rd strings for CG&D, and a D’Addario plain steel .010 for the A. It’s more thin and subdued than with the phosphor bronze, but not unpleasant.
    D'Addario nylons .035 .029 .0402 .028 (CGDA) work great on 20.25 baritone uke

    I have the Kala tenor 21.5 that I'd like to experiment with. I'll give your idea a try.

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