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  #76  
Old 12-05-2017, 11:06 AM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Actually after doing a bit of research, I discovered that Regal produced a line of "Custom-Built" parlors in the late 1920s thru the early 1930s. The bracing is very much like what Steve has done on my Regal. Not progressive at all. These guitars sold for between $20.00 to $50.00 back then.
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  #77  
Old 12-05-2017, 12:03 PM
printer2 printer2 is offline
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Rough bracing and maple bridge plate are in place!
Now brace shaping begins.
Stay tuned!
Just wondering, is the bridge patch maple?
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  #78  
Old 12-05-2017, 12:21 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Rough bracing and "maple bridge plate" are in place!
Now brace shaping begins. ^^^^
Stay tuned!
Uh yes, Fred.
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  #79  
Old 12-05-2017, 12:23 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Here's a pic Steve just sent me.
Gluing down the braces.
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  #80  
Old 12-05-2017, 01:58 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Steve asked me if I wanted to remove the epoxy from the inside of the back for an extra $100. He said it will have no effect on the sound, if it stays, so I said to leave it. I don't care, it was already there and nobody will see it anyway.
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  #81  
Old 12-05-2017, 02:22 PM
Salty-Fairy Salty-Fairy is offline
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Originally Posted by Looburst View Post
LOL, I do too Fred! Hey John, it is maybe a more progressive bracing but one that Steve uses with great success on these older Style 0 parlor guitars.
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Originally Posted by Looburst View Post
Actually after doing a bit of research, I discovered that Regal produced a line of "Custom-Built" parlors in the late 1920s thru the early 1930s. The bracing is very much like what Steve has done on my Regal. Not progressive at all. These guitars sold for between $20.00 to $50.00 back then.
Good to know. I’m very interested in Regal’s. Could you let me in on your fountain of Regal knowledge?
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  #82  
Old 12-05-2017, 02:38 PM
zombywoof zombywoof is offline
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Originally Posted by Looburst View Post
Actually after doing a bit of research, I discovered that Regal produced a line of "Custom-Built" parlors in the late 1920s thru the early 1930s. The bracing is very much like what Steve has done on my Regal. Not progressive at all. These guitars sold for between $20.00 to $50.00 back then.
You have totally lost me here with the not progressive at all thing. I have owned one of the Regal Customs - red spruce top, mahogany body, ebony board, slothead. Don't recall much about the bracing though. But there was a certain amount of experimentation with X bracing going on the 1920s and 1930s - scalloped and un-scalloped tone bars and how many, how radical a taper to the X brace and so on. Regal's bread and butter, however, was the ladder braced guitar. While they were cheaper to build many of the early employees were European immigrants who only had experience with ladder braced instruments. Even if there is nothing to identify them, you can often pick out a Regal because they angled the top brace just below the soundhole.
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Last edited by zombywoof; 12-05-2017 at 02:53 PM.
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  #83  
Old 12-05-2017, 02:55 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Ok, well I guess you could call it progressive if you want to but not to me. I have some very progressive bracing in some of my "one of" custom built guitars but this ain't it. Yes, Regal did do both scalloped and non scalloped bracing in their custom offerings. Not trying to have a debate here.
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  #84  
Old 12-05-2017, 02:58 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Just to be clear because I can tell many don't read my posts, before asking already answered questions.
This glue is staying.
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  #85  
Old 12-05-2017, 03:05 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Good to know. I’m very interested in Regal’s. Could you let me in on your fountain of Regal knowledge?
Hey Salty, I do have some information on these old Regals because of the book on the subject, by Bob Carlin, published by Centerstream. 1895 to 1955.

What are you interested in mainly?
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  #86  
Old 12-05-2017, 03:49 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Ok, another shot of the gluing process.
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  #87  
Old 12-05-2017, 04:37 PM
Salty-Fairy Salty-Fairy is offline
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Ok, another shot of the gluing process.
I love how Steve has signed and dated the inside of your top.

I'm interested in Regal as a company generally. I'm pretty new to the vintage guitar scene and what little I've been able to find a bout them on line has left me wanting to know more. I have come across Bob Carlin's book and it is currently sitting in my Amazon basket. Do you recommend it?
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  #88  
Old 12-05-2017, 06:45 PM
zombywoof zombywoof is offline
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Originally Posted by Salty-Fairy View Post
I love how Steve has signed and dated the inside of your top.

I'm interested in Regal as a company generally. I'm pretty new to the vintage guitar scene and what little I've been able to find a bout them on line has left me wanting to know more. I have come across Bob Carlin's book and it is currently sitting in my Amazon basket. Do you recommend it?
From everything I have seen and heard, Steve is a wizard with coverting these ladder braced guitars. I am planning to send him one right after the turn of the new year. I just need to decide on which one.

Vintage guitars though are not for the unwashed, especially when you get into the world of Regals, Strombergs and such. Steve knows what he is doing. But not only do you sometimes have to be able to figure out you are looking at based on features alone but be able to identify issues and come up with a good ballpark figure about what repairs will cost. As Looburst found with his Regal, there is no guarantee that a warped top can be totally flattened out.

But when you know what you are doing you can make out like a bandit. My pre-War Regal 12 string, despite the fact you will rarely see one come on the market, was found sticking out of trash bin. I knew them well enough that my heart literally skipped a beat when I saw the back of the headstock and body shape. I scored an Oscar Schmidt-made Galiano jumbo on the cheap because there was no logo or label to identify it. But there were distinguishing features that just screamed out what it was.

Books really are great but they can often only take you so far. Carlin knows more about Regals than anybody on the face of the planet. But for whatever reason, he, as example, skips over Regal 12 strings even though by the late 1930s they and Harmony were about the only companies even offering a stock 12 string.
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  #89  
Old 12-05-2017, 07:05 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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zombywoof is right, although the book is a very interesting read into the instruments Regal built and who all they built for during the golden age, it is missing quite a bit of their history concerning the 12s and other 6 string guitars they are known for, from that period. But again, a neat book to have and you'll gain some much needed insight into the company. Also true that these guitars are not for everyone. You must first understand your goals and whether they're realistic or not. Some of the questions I asked myself before diving into this project were,
1. Do I want to keep the original look?
2. Do I know the limits of what can be achieved?
3. Do I have an understanding of this particular sound?

I'm sure there are other factors I'm forgetting but as zombywoof said, they're not for the unwashed, so enter understanding the limits. I would never suggest anyone do this if you've never owned vintage instruments.

BTW, I wish I could've found an old Regal in a dumpster!
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  #90  
Old 12-05-2017, 07:10 PM
Looburst Looburst is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Salty-Fairy View Post
I love how Steve has signed and dated the inside of your top.

I'm interested in Regal as a company generally. I'm pretty new to the vintage guitar scene and what little I've been able to find a bout them on line has left me wanting to know more. I have come across Bob Carlin's book and it is currently sitting in my Amazon basket. Do you recommend it?
I asked Steve to sign it just because it was a simple request and I'm somewhat of a history buff.
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