Tenor ukuleles are slightly bigger than concert ukes and typically have a scale length of 17 inches. This is great for people who don’t want a small uke and can handle something with a slightly longer fretboard. Tenors are still tuned the same as sopranos and concerts, so if you have ever played one of those, you’ll feel right at home. I love playing my tenor and really enjoy the deeper tone than the smaller ukes.
What Is Tenor Ukulele?
There are so many sizes and shapes for Ukuleles that sometimes make new comers find it hard to pick out the best option for themselves. We break down pros and cons of the four main sizes of uke to help you guys figure out easily and make an informed decision.
when selecting your ukuleles.
Our Best Tenor Ukuleles Picks
We’ve searched high and low through many different products and chosen five different models to compare. Have a look through all our pros and cons for each one to find your best tenor ukuleles.
Our Rating
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Model
Our Rating
Cordoba 15TM Tenor Ukulele
The Cordoba 15TM Tenor Ukulele is a great sounding 26″ string instrument. This sweet ukulele is definitely perfect for adult beginners. With a higher price tag than some of the others, it is worth the extra few bucks. All mahogany construction provides a full, rich sound and appointments like an abalone rosette and cream ABS body and fingerboard binding set these instruments apart from other models in its price range.
Despite a surprisingly low price tag, this ukulele delivers lovely intonation, usually with minor adjustments to the setup.
It holds its tuning well once the strings have settled in, and it offers plenty of resonance. This might not be the perfect uke, but it’s definitely among the best in its class.
It is made of the solid mahogany construction of its top, back, and sides, this tenor uke provides the full-body sound and keeps the instrument in tune perfectly. Likewise, the sturdy construction ensures its durability and longevity. The tenor sized body (26”) is bigger than your standard beginner’s soprano or concert uke, so it would appeal to adults and those with slightly bigger hands as everything is a little more generously spaced on the fretboard. On that note, the 19-fret fingerboard is made of rosewood while the neck it sits on is mahogany, and feels great in the hands.
Pros
- Construction is flawless
- Great sound and intonation
Pros
- Sharp unfiled fret corners on every fret
- Strings do not stay in tune well.
Makala Tenor Mahogany Ukulele by Kala
The Makala MT-T belongs to Kala’s Classic line and is one of the modest ukes you can get. The Makala MK-T is a tenor size, which is easier to learn on rather than the standard uke, and it has a comfortable D-shaped neck for any size hands. Makala ukuleles have a very consistent reputation for sound quality and consistency, something that not all ukulele makers are known for. Most people prefer to get the MK-T uke in a starter pack that contains the ukulele itself and also a protective gig bag and a high-quality tuner.
This Tenor with a full Mahogany body can pump out music with warm tone at a high volume when strumming away and its neck is also comfortable for playing. All the essentials including Aquila Super Nylgut strings and a plastic nut and saddle makes MK-T perfect for any players.
The MK-T Makala Tenor ukulele features a mahogany body and neck, a walnut fingerboard and a smooth satin finish
Pros
- Gorgeous satin finish
- Comfortable playing
- Rich and bright sound
Pros
- The fingerboard is dry
- It need to be tuned frequently
Lohanu Cutaway Tenor Ukulele Electric With All Accessories Included!
If you’re finding an acoustic electric Concert-sized uke and you like accessing all the frets on the fretboard easily, then you’re probably gonna like everything about this cutaway ukulele. The Lohanu electric cutaway ukulele features a sapele/mahogany top, back, and sides, a rosewood fretboard, and handmade ABS bindings. The chrome diecast tuning machines add even more value, as do pre-installed strap buttons.
This ukulele has its back, neck and top made of a combination of mahogany and Sapele wood. The color is something away from the normal ukulele color, which will definitely attract a lot of players. Add an awesome build and proper sound with comfort that comes with the Rosewood fingerboard and bridge, and you’ll see that this is a highly versatile option.
Overall, this is one of the best concert ukuleles in its price range and a fun upgrade from a basic acoustic model. It delivers plenty of rich “Aloha” sound and there’s a lovely quality to its tone.
Pros
- With this product, you don’t need to worry about awesome sound
- It’s comfortable, and perfect for players who play for long time stretches.
Pros
- The finish isn’t perfect.
- The strings are also quite high off the fretboard, meaning you might feel a little inconvenience while playing it.
Cordoba 20TM-CE Mahogany Tenor Cutaway Ukulele
This 20TM-CE proves that the Spanish manufacturer did produce a meaningful Ukulele with a huge class and a lovely tone to match, sitting comfortably in our list of the best ukuleles under $200.
With the length of 26.5”, this Tenor makes great use of its tonewood – a thin, solid mahogany on the top with laminated mahogany used on the back and sides, all with a lovely dark grain that’s dressed with a refined satin finish. The herringbone rosette is also very eye-catching, and adds a little extra elegance to this already sophisticated ukulele.
The body features a soft cutaway on the treble side, allowing good access to the higher frets. Joined at the 14th fret, the slim neck is also made of solid mahogany, and sports a rosewood fretboard, with a total of 18 frets and simple pearloid dot inlays. Of course, it’s easy to play and the neck feels excellent in the hand
This electro-acoustic uke features a piezo pickup and a Cordoba UK2000q preamp, with a basic control panel on the lower bout, which contains a master volume control and 2-band EQ (bass and treble). There’s a rosewood bridge, with a composite saddle and nut, while at the other end you’ll find a set of silver open-geared tuning machines, with large pearloid buttons. Sadly, these tuners are a bit of a letdown in terms of operation – they felt a little loose and not as precise as some others in this price range.
Pros
- Great finish, nice looking
- Great value
Pros
- Tuners are a bit of a letdown in terms of operation
Tenor Ukulele Ranch 26 inch
The Tenor ukulele Arched Back to give longer sustain, fuller, warmer and a bit deeper woody tones sound that are a pleasure to listen to! Having soft and smooth to touch Aquila strings definitely helps to make the sound that comes out of it resonate pretty clear and sweet which also holds tune through multiple plays very nicely
Ranch amazing 26″ Tenor ukulele combines the elegant Sapele wood for the smooth and polished body & mahogany neck. An acoustic instrument body fashioned from Sapele exhibits a pleasingly warmer and deeper tone than laminate wood. The lightweight & well built features allow you to create warm and pitch-perfect Hawaiian harmonies
Chrome die cast tuning pegs keeps ukulele in tune! It is as simple as tightening a screw. The digital tuner is easy to tune and play. It stays in tune longer than normal out of the box and offers a bright and distinctive tone whether you solo, play along with singing, or jam with friends.
Pros
- Nice, rich sound for the price
- Good strings
Pros
- G string causes weird ringing
- Top heavy
Why the Tenor Ukulele?
The tenor ukulele provides a distinct range of sound when compared with the Soprano, Concert, and Baritone ukuleles respectively.
The tenor ukulele is known for its deeper tone and an increase in number of frets in comparison with the smaller members of its family (15 to 25 frets for a tenor.)
The frets are more moderately distributed. So, if you have smaller hands or a smaller range in finger dexterity, this instrument could be a better fit for you.
Keep the size in mind when looking for what will personally be more enjoyable for you to play. The key is that your instrument does not become a burden, but rather stays continuously enjoyable.
Is a tenor ukulele ideal for beginners?
We use the same way to play Concert, Tenor and Soprano; therefore, we don’t have any drawbacks of learning how to play a Tenor model. And one other advantage to make you choose Tenor is the more space provided on the fretboard, the more your fingers find comfortable to move around.
Types of Strings for the Tenor Ukulele
The type of string that you use will absolutely affect the sound of the instrument.
In addition to the sound, the durability and stability of tuning over time are important factors to consider. For this reason, different strings offer different results.
The most common and accepted string for the tenor ukulele is Aquila Nylgut. It’s a material designed to improve intonation and tuning accuracy.
The overall sound of the different types of strings relies more on personal preference. However, whether that be D’addario Titanium, Aquila Red Series, Italian Aquila Nylgut, and so on.
Many tenor uke players often opt to switch out the High G string for a Low G in order to make the range of the instrument more full-bodied. However, this is not considered the traditional ukulele sound.
Conclusion
Basically, for a musical instrument, a larger body will typically come with a rounder, warmer tone and greater projection (louder) than a smaller one and that’s why the overall sound and tone of Tenor ukulele is fuller than its smaller brothers.
Especially, having more frets than Soprano and Concert, Tenor can help players reach higher notes on its fretboard to get a rich full sound.
Now that all information about Tenor ukes we can provide you and we hope it can drive you to the right option which fits you guys the most.
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