1937 Regal Recording King 000 flat top

$1,100.00

  • Year: 1937 (Circa)
  • Manufacturer: Regal
  • Model: Recording King 000 flat top
  • Case: Hard
  • Color: burst
  • Condition: Very Good
  • Description: This Recording King is likely a product of the Regal Co., late 1930s. The body has the sort of "bell shape" that was also found on the Kalamazoo KG-11 but this guitar has a larger body than the KG-11, with a lower bout measuring 15 1/4" (slightly larger than a Martin 000). The scale length is 25 1/4" and the nut width is 1 13/16". The back and sides appear to be maple or birch, not sure which (the sides show some bird-eye figure so I'm guessing most likely Maple) and the top is solid red spruce and shows some bear claw figure. The neck also appears to be maple and the board and bridge some un-identified wood stained black to look like ebony. The neck has a deep "V" shape, has 14 frets clear of the body and the fretboard is well radiused. The top and back are ladder braced. The guitar appears to be 100% original (including the screws in the bridge, which was not uncommon to some of Regal's large body guitars). The instrument shows some play wear and handling wear but nothing beyond what is to be expected on an 80 year old guitar, in fact, less than what is typical for an instrument of this age. The neck is very straight and the angle is good. The back has one short crack that has been glued and cleated, it is tight, level and stable. The sides and top are crack free. Aside from the back crack, the guitar is free from any sort of repairs and none are needed at the moment. The action is very comfortable, measuring 6/64" at the low E 12th fret and 5/64" at the high E with about 1/16" of saddle showing. The guitar plays very well for fingerstyle or flat picking and the intonation is good all over the neck. Frets are in great shape. The original tuners turn freely and hold tune well. The tone of the guitar is somewhat typical of good ladder braced instruments of the period, with tone that is weighted toward the midrange and treble. But this one has plenty of bass to balance, likely due to the large body. The voice is big and cuts well, excellent clarity. It has spent most of the past few years hanging with a bluegrass crowd but this guitar is (IMO) excellent as a player for blues and ragtime. Comes with an over-sized and newer hardshell case. $1100.