Gold Tone TG-18/L Mastertone Tenor Guitar with Bag – Left-Handed

Let me be straightforward with you: the Gold Tone TG-18/L is the left-handed version of what I consider one of the finest production tenor guitars available at this price point, and it has genuinely impressed me. I’ve been around fretted instruments since the late 1970s — I’ve spent decades helping students find the right instrument, and helped design the OB-Standard with Gold Tone — so I don’t say that lightly. The TG-18 taps directly into the lineage of 1930s tenor guitars, those compact four-string instruments that powered early jazz, Irish traditional music, and old-time ensembles. Gold Tone intentionally sized the mahogany body between the pre-war tenor guitars that came out of Pennsylvania and Michigan, giving you more low-end punch than the smaller vintage bodies while preserving that crisp, focused midrange projection that makes tenor guitar so compelling. This left-handed model gives southpaw players access to an instrument that’s genuinely hard to find built with this level of attention and care.

The heart of this instrument is its solid Sitka spruce top — and that word “solid” matters enormously. Laminate tops compress your tone; a solid top breathes and opens up as the instrument ages, developing richer harmonic complexity the more you play it. The mahogany back and sides add warmth and sustain, and the ebony fingerboard and bridge with bone saddle keep the tone focused and articulate across all 20 frets. Kluson-style tuners with chrome buttons give the headstock that authentic period look, while under the hood you have a modern two-way adjustable truss rod and a 1-5/16″ ZeroGlide nut — a slotted nut system that dramatically reduces friction and improves tuning stability. It ships tuned CGDA, the standard Irish and jazz tenor tuning, on a .035w–.009 string set that balances playability with good volume. The 23″ scale length sits comfortably between a mandolin and a standard guitar, making it very approachable for banjo players and mandolin players who want to cross over.

Every instrument receives a professional factory setup at Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida before it ships.

Why Buy From Banjo Warehouse

Banjo Warehouse is an authorized Gold Tone dealer, which means your instrument comes with full manufacturer warranty coverage and you’re buying a genuine, properly documented product — not a gray-market or third-party resale. I’ve been in this business since the late 1970s and co-own Watch & Learn in Atlanta since the 1980s, so when I stock an instrument I do it because I believe in it, not because it’s easy inventory. We carry Gold Tone because they consistently build instruments that over-deliver for their price, and the TG-18 is a perfect example. If you have questions about whether this is the right tenor guitar for your playing style — whether you’re coming from Irish CGDA tuning, jazz fifths tuning, or anything else — reach out and I’ll give you a straight answer. Financing is available through PayPal Pay in 4, Afterpay, and longer-term plans at 3, 6, 12, or 24 months with no late fees, so you can get the instrument in your hands now without stress.

Gold Tone TG-18/L Specifications

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the TG-18/L genuinely built left-handed, or is it a converted right-handed instrument?

The TG-18/L is a purpose-built left-handed instrument from Gold Tone — the bracing, nut, and bridge saddle are all configured for left-handed play. This is not a flipped or modified right-handed guitar, which means the top bracing is correctly oriented for the string tensions of a true left-handed setup. That matters for both tone and long-term structural integrity.

What styles of music is the TG-18 best suited for?

The TG-18 really shines in Irish traditional music — it was clearly designed with that repertoire in mind, given the CGDA tuning and the punchy, focused body size. It’s also a wonderful instrument for early jazz, old-time, and Celtic folk styles. Players who already know mandolin or tenor banjo will find the CGDA tuning immediately familiar, and the 23″ scale makes chord shapes very comfortable. If you’re thinking about jazz fifths tuning (GDAE an octave below violin) the TG-18 handles that well too.

What does Tara’s setup actually change on the instrument?

Every instrument receives a professional factory setup at Gold Tone in Titusville, Florida that includes optimizing the nut slot depths so open strings ring cleanly without excess height, adjusting the saddle for the action that balances tone and ease of fretting, checking intonation across the neck, and ensuring the truss rod is set correctly for the string gauge included. The result is an instrument that plays noticeably better out of the case than a typical retail purchase.

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