THE TINY TENOR STORY

The Tiny Tenor came about when world renowned ‘ukulele virtuoso Daniel Ho and Pepe Romero were talking about ‘ukuleles, and the qualities (such as portability, playability and sound) that lend to their attractiveness. They exchanged ideas about creating a consummate instrument that excelled in these areas.

COULD A TENOR ‘UKULELE BE BUILT TO THE SIZE OF A CONCERT ‘UKULELE WITHOUT SACRIFICING SOUND?

Master luthier, Pepe Romero

PORTABLE

The most meaningful dimension in being more portable is its length.  Pepe shortened the headstock as much as possible and placed the tenor neck at 14 frets to the body to position the bridge in its “sweet spot.”

SOUND

The next question was how to maximize the pumping area of the top so the instrument would have the acoustic resonance of a tenor body and not the sound of the smaller concert body.  Daniel suggested eliminating the waist, giving a greater area for the bridge to vibrate the top, and exaggerating the arch of the back.  Done!  At this point, one could imagine a pineapple ‘ukulele.

PLAYABILITY

Then, Daniel suggested the importance of having a wider butt on which to brace your forearm when playing.

Thus, the conception of the Tiny Tenor, with its powerful, crisp tone, comfortable feel, and compact proportions, was born.