~1930 Regal Style 1, 12 fret 0, X braced
SN. 5738. A rare find...Regal made tons of guitars in the pre-war era, and most of us are familiar with the student level instruments that they produced that haven't held up so well because they weren't well made. However, Regal did make a line of high end instruments under their own name (and also for Bacon & Day, Recording King, and others) that were built too a high level of quality and have held up well. This guitar is one of those higher end models. Built much like a Martin 0-18 (roughly the same body dimensions and scale, similar in appointment, X braced top, high quality materials and craftsmanship) this little Regal compares well to much higher priced instruments by the top shelf manufacturers. The guitar appears to be 100% original and is in excellent condition with no top or side cracks. The back has 2 hairline cracks that have been professionally repaired, they are tight/level/stable and cosmetically great. The neck was likely reset at some time in the past as the angle is good. The bridge might have been taken down a bit in height at some time in the past, I mention this only because it is not quite as tall as the typical Regal bridge in my experience. That said, I do believe it to be original and if it was cut down it was done well and the crown re-shaped properly. This guitar original had a raised pickguard that screwed to the body, similar to an archtop guitar, when I acquired the guitar the guard was still attached but rattled and was slightly warped from the plastic distorting over the years so I removed it and plugged the mounting screw holes. You can see a slight color difference in the finish on the top from the presence of the pickguard. The pickguard is still with the guitar and will accompany the sale. The original finish is in very shape with only superficial nicks and dings. The fret board shows virtually no wear and the bar frets are in great shape. The neck is straight under tension. The nut width is 1 3/4" and the pin spacing is 2 1/4". The neck has a full and generous "C" profile. The action measures 6/64" at the low E at the 12th fret and 5.5/64" at the high E at the 12th fret. There's a little bit of saddle left showing but not a lot, see photos. Action is low and comfortable for fingerstyle play all over the neck. The guitar is best for fingerstyle play, responding well to a light to medium attack with good balance and articulation across the tonal range. Excellent choice for ragtime and country blues picking. Woody and crisp...comes with the original chip board case. $1500
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I generally ship by UPS and will ship an item within 48 hours (usually the next day) of having received or cleared payment. Exact shipping costs will be added to the total for the buyer once the buyer has provided a shipping address. I insure everything for fulll purchase price.
Items are sold with a 48 hour approval period unless clearly marked "AS IS" in the listing. AS IS items are not returnable. If an item is going to be returned it is at the buyer's expense and the item must be shipped within 24 hours of the buyer notifying Kovacik Guitars of intent to return. Any returned items must be shipped in the original packaging and MUST be fully insured when returned. Once an item is returned to Kovacik Guitars and judged to be in the same condition as when originally sold a full refund will be issued.