Regal Concert Guitar c 1920 | SOLD | (vbg 1009) This guitar is an example of an early 20th century 'catalog guitar', a guitar made in a mass-production factory, often unbranded, and sold in a mail-order catalog. The mail-order was big business back in the days before shopping malls and Amazon, and allowed folks not living near a music store to have access to a wide range of musical instruments.
This guitar was made with pretty good quality materials, but its fit and finish gives away its mass-produced origins. The back and sides are mahogany. The ladder-braced top is spruce, trimmed with a colorful marquetry often associated with Regal instruments, and bound in white celluloid. The back is bound in white celluloid as well, and sports an inlaid marquetry strip down the center. The neck appears to be poplar, capped with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The nut is rosewood, too. The bridge is an ebony replacement, and the tuners are Stu Mac Golden Age tuners.
The body measures 12 13/16" across the lower bout; scale length is 24 5/8" (short scale). The fingerboard measures 1 7/8" across at the nut; string spacing is 2 5/16" across at the saddle. The neck is carved in a modern-feeling 'C' shape.
The guitar appears crack free, with the only evidence of a prior repair is three screw holes from a tailpiece. Recently, we reset the neck, refretted, and made a new ebony bridge.
The action is set at a comfortable 5/64" (1/98 mm) and, with new frets and a short scale, the guitar plays smoothly. It produces a pleasing, even tone, with a nice ring in the mids and treble, and a mellow bass underneath .. nicely balanced and great for finger picking old timey and country blues a la John Hurt.
Check out the sound clip!
This guitar was made with pretty good quality materials, but its fit and finish gives away its mass-produced origins. The back and sides are mahogany. The ladder-braced top is spruce, trimmed with a colorful marquetry often associated with Regal instruments, and bound in white celluloid. The back is bound in white celluloid as well, and sports an inlaid marquetry strip down the center. The neck appears to be poplar, capped with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard. The nut is rosewood, too. The bridge is an ebony replacement, and the tuners are Stu Mac Golden Age tuners.
The body measures 12 13/16" across the lower bout; scale length is 24 5/8" (short scale). The fingerboard measures 1 7/8" across at the nut; string spacing is 2 5/16" across at the saddle. The neck is carved in a modern-feeling 'C' shape.
The guitar appears crack free, with the only evidence of a prior repair is three screw holes from a tailpiece. Recently, we reset the neck, refretted, and made a new ebony bridge.
The action is set at a comfortable 5/64" (1/98 mm) and, with new frets and a short scale, the guitar plays smoothly. It produces a pleasing, even tone, with a nice ring in the mids and treble, and a mellow bass underneath .. nicely balanced and great for finger picking old timey and country blues a la John Hurt.
Check out the sound clip!