Tenor Tales - good and not so good

The two center guitars are four strings - tenors tuned DGBD. The dark one on the left was built by Steve Wishnevsky of North Carolina. In my opinion, his stuff looks home made and is kind of rough and funky. That's what I like, I guess.He has an interesting set or allen screw on the back of the heel that allows you to change neck angle and string height. That guitar came to me with the strings low and buzzing. A quarter turn on the set screw and action is just about right for me. I am pleased. Plays and sound pretty good.The tenor on the right started my recent love for tenors. It came in trade for a CBG and was not playable. I worked on it and it played and sounded great for a few weeks. But that has kind of turned to crap. The lower bout, the belly is coming up and the saddle/bridge is leaning/angling toward the sound hole from string pressure.A bracing fix and saddle job is beyond my skills and would be expensive to have done by a luthier. What I will do is put a metal tail piece on it - screwed to the bottom of the git and with luck, that will take care of the problem. It has worked for me before. Could be that I will try to reglue the bracing too.I have plans to try making a box style tenor some time soon.The hiway 61 git is one of my faves for looks. Plus I made it a few years ago when I was 61. It is kind of mediocre as a player.The Castrol sign git will go out to friend, Andries Ecker, next week.
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  • Thanks, Clock.  Dang weevils. 

  • 306404623?profile=original

  • Oh gees, Keith.   I think the neck is okay.  I had previously glued down the heal.  

    I guess I will find out.   I just came in from putting on an old metal (six string) tail piece and starting a home made box tenor.   Will string this one up and see what happens.

  • Make sure that the neck isn't lifting upwards. That is the same problem with my late 60's Kay 6 string. On it there is no way to adjust the neck, as it wasn't bolted on, even thought it has a rod in the neck.

  • Thanks, guys.   AGP, you are closer than most of us.  Closer than me.  

    Could be I will even cut my own tailpiece out of galvanized sheet metal.   Time to go out to the shop and see what is on hand.

  • Nice looking.

  • I'm sure the problems with the troublesome Tenor on the right can be addressed, a metal trapeze type tailpiece sounds like it should work, I have bought a few chinese one's on Ebay for about $11.50Aus and they work fine, but!, like yourself I am not a Luthier.

     Steve Wishnevsky (http://www.wishnevsky.com/home.html) was easy enough to find via Google, and does have some interesting builds, I particularly liked his Reso's.

  • Ha, ha,  Wes.  I hope to soon do that.   Yup, Ron.  That's the guy.

  • What, you mean this guy?:

    http://www.wishnevsky.com

    Only took me 3 seconds...
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