Whats the difference between short and standard scale tenor banjos?
The obvious answer is the scale length. The standard tenor banjo evolved over a period of some years into a banjo of about 23″ scale tuned CGDA. These days, they are also tuned GDAE (the so-called “Irish” pitch, one octave below a mandolin). This type of banjo is very good for playing chords in a jazz context. It is also excellent for playing melodies in the “Irish” context though the stretch from one note to another is a bit long for some players. Most modern banjo makers offer a standard scale tenor which will work for either tuning. The longer string length makes this type of banjo quite tolerant in terms of tuning which means that you can get away with a rather more modest instrument and still get acceptable playability. The short scale tenor banjo was the earliest form of this instrument. When out-of-work string players (from the redundant “Palm Court Orchestras” in all probability) went along to their local banjo maker to get an instrument for the new style of “dance craze” bands
