Buying Guide: The Best Tenor Guitars In Stock This Christmas

As the world's leading brand of electric tenor guitars, Eastwood offers a wide range of different options. Here's a look at all the models we have, ready to ship in time for Christmas. If you want a 3/4 sized guitar that's as easy to play as an ukulele, and as versatile as an electric, then a tenor guitar might be just what you're looking for.

Tenor guitars have been making a comeback in the past few years, and we're proud to be leading this wave, ever since we launched our first - and still best-selling - tenor guitar, the Warren Ellis Signature Tenor.

Gone are the days when tenor guitars were used only by traditional jazz and folk artists. Today, tenors can be seen everywhere, whether used in heavy rock, alternative, ambient and anything in-between.

Tenor guitars are here to stay, and an increasing number of top artists use them, from Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo to Bad Seed Warren Ellis - one of the leading names in the tenor guitars revival thanks to his work with Nick Cave and also the Eastwood Guitars Warren Ellis range.

Tenor Guitars: Something for everyone

What's not to like about tenor guitars? After all, electric tenor guitars, such as the ones we make, seem to offer something for everyone:

• If you're a bass player, then a tenor is another great 4-string instrument to try out;
• If you're used to playing ukulele, then a tenor is just as easy to play but more versatile;
• If you're a banjo player, you can use the same tuning on a new instrument;
• If you're a beginner, you could consider a tenor guitar as a good option -  easier to learn than a six-string... but just as much fun.
• And, if you're a guitarist, then a tenor with wider neck (such as the Warren Ellis Signature Tenor) will sound and feel instantly familiar, but at the same time widening your horizons with new tunings.

With this is mind, whether you're an experienced guitar player who never tried out a tenor and think this might be the time to, or if you've played acoustic tenors and is thinking about moving to electric, or if you're just beginning and are looking for a beginner 3/4 size guitar that's as easy to play as an ukulele, here's a list of what we have on offer. 

Eastwood Classic Tenor

The Eastwood Classic Tenor is one of our most popular model, and delivers a classic tone and feel, perfect for those experienced tenor players who wish to move from the traditional acoustic tenor guitars to an electric tenor model - the Classic 4 will feel both new, and familiar.

Eastwood Warren Ellis Signature Tenor

The Warren Ellis Signature Tenor offers a completely different playing experience  than the Classic Tenor. WARNING: This model is not recommended for experienced tenor players who are used to traditional (acoustic) tenor guitars, because it has different neck width.

This model was designed for the guitarists who, like Warren Ellis himself, were not used to playing tenor guitars and wanted more of a "normal" electric guitar feel, with wider neck width and more spacing between the strings. 

Lee Ranaldo, from Sonic Youth, is one of the artists currently playing one. Read Leed Ranaldo interview here.

If you've never played tenor before and would like to experiment with four strings and alternate tunings, playing whatever musical style, this is the one for you.

Also, you could even see this model as a good choice for beginners looking for a 3/4-sized guitar that's easier to learn, because it has only four strings.  Also available with 2 pickups.

Eastwood Delta 4 Tenor

Tenor guitars are perfectly suited to open tunings, which make them also perfect for playing some blues and bluegrass - and no other tenor guitar on the market right now is better for this job than the Eastwood Delta 4 Tenor, an unique resonator tenor guitar.

If you play slide guitar, you'll find that you'll do just fine with only the four strings of this tenor model, which also sounds great when unplugged.

Airline MAP Tenor

The Airline MAP Tenor is the most exquisite of our tenor guitars range, featuring the iconic Airline MAP design, tonal versatility and richness due to the combination of dual Humbuckers and tone-chambered body, as well as a traditional tenor neck width.

It's easy to imagine any musical style sounding great with this one, from blues to alternative, or even traditional jazz. 

Warren Ellis Tenor Baritone 2P

Of course, a tenor guitar and a bass guitar are two very different instruments, even though some people still get confused and think a tenor guitar is some sort of short-scale bass, when they see one. Sure, both have four strings, but those strings have different gauges, and both instruments have different neck width and scale length, and different tone.

Having said that, if you play bass and are thinking about moving on to another type of guitar, then maybe the Warren Ellis Tenor Baritone 2P will be just what you're looking for. 

This Baritone Tenor has a longer scale-length than regular tenor guitars, and a deeper tone. With 26" length, the scale is still shorter than a short-scale bass, but this could be a great choice for a bassist who wishes to learn a different instrument.

Though you shouldn't really approach this Warren Ellis Tenor Baritone 2P the same way as playing a bass guitar, nothing stops you from playing some lines you'd traditionally play on the bass, just to get started. Tenor Guitars always inspire the creativity of musicians in different ways, and bassists too can find much to enjoy if they try one, besides finding it easier to learn than a 6-string guitar.

Eastwood Tenorcaster

The final tenor on our list is the Eastwood Tenorcaster, the perfect choice for guitarists fans of the classic Tele-style shape. This best-selling model won't be available in time for Christmas but if you can wait until the New Year, it won't disappoint (Pre-Ordering is recommended because this model usually sells out fast.)

The Tenorcaster features a 23″ scale that works well with standard tenor tuning (CGDA) and also octave mandolin tuning (GDAE). You can also set them up with standard electric guitar tuning - making it a good choice for beginners who might find easier to learn on a 3/4-sized guitar with only four strings, rather than a full-sized guitar with six.

Like the Warren Ellis Signature Tenor, this model features a wider neck with more spacing between strings than on a traditional tenor guitar,  which makes it more comfortable for guitarists used to play a standard electric guitar.