Any you brainboxes know anything about regal resonators ? Korean

[blindboygrunt]

Have a little regal resonator 

Wooden body ,f holes , sunburst , biscuit bridge , slotted headstock , open head side mounted 3 on a plate tuners .

regal sticker on the front , made in Korea sticker on the back with a long serial number 

200003016

any info would be great 

 

and I can’t post pictures on this stupid forum 

Edited April 3, 2021 by blindboygrunt

[Sgt. Pepper]

12 minutes ago, blindboygrunt said:

Have a little regal resonator 

Wooden body ,f holes , sunburst , biscuit bridge , slotted headstock , open head side mounted 3 on a plate tuners .

regal sticker on the front , made in Korea sticker on the back with a long serial number 

200003016

any info would be great 

 

and I can’t post pictures on this stupid forum 

Use Imgur.

[blindboygrunt]

I just use a phone for this forum 

don’t have a pc 

[blindboygrunt]

https://imgur.com/gallery/CjG9Lkd

 

does that work ? 🤦🏻‍♂️🤔

Edited April 3, 2021 by blindboygrunt

[j45nick]

40 minutes ago, blindboygrunt said:

https://imgur.com/gallery/CjG9Lkd

 

does that work ? 🤦🏻‍♂️🤔

Yes, it does.

[Sgt. Pepper]

48 minutes ago, blindboygrunt said:

https://imgur.com/gallery/CjG9Lkd

 

does that work ? 🤦🏻‍♂️🤔

I see a guitar with a big metal disc on the top. If that was your intent then yes.

[blindboygrunt]

Well you two are great 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

[slimt]

Thats where my strainer went. 😁

[Dave F]

 

[scriv58]

tried to do a deep dive for you- quite probably made in year 2000 before moving to Chinese production. Perhaps try contacting regal with your info https://www.sagamusic.com/products/guitars/regal/
It is a fine looking guitar, worthy of play. I have owned a 12 fret National style N for several years, and should you choose to replace biscuit and cone, best to find someone familiar and adept with the process, as it is easy to mess up the cone. Change one string at a time to avoid cone collapse...happy picking!

[QuestionMark]

I have a square neck Regal resonator (in black) in my collection.  It’s a great resonator guitar.  Mine was made in 1996 and the first two digits in its seven digit serial number are 96.  The square neck has what’s known as a spider resonator, which differs from the resonator in the one you’ve pictured.  I also have a round neck all metal Regal resonator (silver colored metal) in my collection.  That one was was made in 2001 and 2001 are the first four digits in its nine digit serial number.  That one has a duolian resonator, like the one shown in your photo.  It too is a great resonator instrument.    If the one pictured starts with 2000, it’s a 2000.

 The Regal name is owned by Saga Musical Instruments who imported them from Korea.  I assume like many others, they may now be from China.  
 

The original Regal name instruments were made in Chicago and they often made instruments for the original Dobros and Nationals on an outsourced basis, circa the 1930s/40s.  At some point since they made the instruments for them, they started making instruments, basically the same ones, under their own Regal name that sold for less.   As Dobros and National resonator guitar sales decreased and went defunct, so did Regal, although they may have continued making generic outsourced instruments for some other companies for awhile.

When Saga bought the Regal name and started reissuing historically inspired  Dobro, National, and Regal resonators under the Regal name that were imported from Korea, it set the vintage resonator guitar collectors into a frenzy as their once rare vintage resonator guitars that sold for thousands, were suddenly replicated as new imported Regals for only hundreds.  (Keep in mind, metal doesn’t age like wood.)  The fear was the vintage ones would plummet in price.  That didn’t happen as feared as the new Regals though good resonator guitars still were identifiable from the vintage ones, so the vintage market place stayed intact.  But, what did happen was Regal resonator guitars became readily available in the market place for a reasonable price, just like originally in the 30s when resonator guitars were inexpensive.

As we know somewhere after the new Regals made resonator guitars commonplace, Gibson bought the Dobro name and started reissuing Dobros, eventually transferring the Dobro name to their Epiphone imported line to basically compete with the new Regals.  (I have no clue if the they are still in Epiphone’s line.)

In conclusion, Saga Regals have a good reputation in the modern resonator guitar world.  Inexpensive, well made, based in the originals, with some modern day improvements built into them.  They sound and play like resonator guitars.  They also weigh a ton, like most resonator guitars, except aluminum ones.   With modern day Regals being a mass market player in the resonator guitar world, a number of high end specialty manufacturers have sprung up.  Jerry Douglas has certainly helped that world, but he’s also helped all things resonator.   (I met JD once and we spoke square neck resonator guitars for about 20 minutes.  My playing improved from that talk.)

All original 1930s/40s resonators all used inexpensive woods, which mixed with the metal in or on them made the resonator sound.  The raunchier the better.  The mentioned newer high end resonator guitars often use good woods, refining the original sound.  I personally still like the traditional raunchier sounding and playing ones.  (When amped I’m not sure ever if it’s the instrument or the pickup making the sound on resonator guitars.)

Note:  Square neck resonator guitars are played with a bar slide.  Only the slide touches the strings and it serves as fretting.  Round neck resonators can be played and fretted like any guitar or it can be played with a round slide.  Resonator guitars are generally quite loud as resonators originally were a way to increase volume on a guitar without electricity.  Electric instruments, upon becoming widely available, made resonator guitars more of a specialty instrument.  
 

Buying resonator guitars gave me a different sound and helped my overall guitar playing.  Although, somewhere along the way I began transferring all my resonator guitar slide skills to regular flat top guitars and playing slide in my flat to acoustic guitars so I didn’t need to bring the heavier resonator along to gigs.  As a lot of the resonator guitars sound is actually from the slide being used, although, of course, not all of it.

Hope this helps.  Let us know what happens with the pictured Regal.

QM aka “Jazznan” Jeff

 

 

Edited April 4, 2021 by QuestionMark

[blindboygrunt]

Thanks guys 

appreciate your answer Jeff . Especially the serial number references. 
anyone any idea of the model name ? 
I currently have it listed on local classifieds but a little more info is nice for potential buyers.

sweet little guitar 🙂

[zombywoof]

You should be able to figure out the model from the f holes rather than the more common two eyes.  My take on Regals is they are fine for a cheap resonator but generally benefit by at least upgrading to a Quaterman cone.   At one time maybe 20 or so years ago Amistar in the Czech Republic was making resonators for Regal.  I know they made a Tricone metal body and I am not sure what, if anything, else.  

Edited April 4, 2021 by zombywoof

[blindboygrunt]

5 hours ago, zombywoof said:

You should be able to figure out the model from the f holes rather than the more common two eyes.  My take on Regals is they are fine for a cheap resonator but generally benefit by at least upgrading to a Quaterman cone.   At one time maybe 20 or so years ago Amistar in the Czech Republic was making resonators for Regal.  I know they made a Tricone metal body and I am not sure what, if anything, else.  

🤔 I’m not sure how I can figure out the model from the f holes 🤷🏻‍♂️ could you explain what you mean there zomby?

[zombywoof]

57 minutes ago, blindboygrunt said:

🤔 I’m not sure how I can figure out the model from the f holes 🤷🏻‍♂️ could you explain what you mean there zomby?

I was simply noting that the majority of offshore-made Regal dobros I have seen have the two round screened soundholes in the upper bout rather than f-holes.  Your tends to conjure up images of a 1930s Regal Model 27.  Then again, I could be on puppy chow.

[blindboygrunt]

Yeah , all I get when looking for info on regal resonators is either ones with the round portholes or , if I include F holes in my search then I get links to the 30’s models 

cant get a hit on a recent model with F holes 

for a short while I thought I’d stumbled on a gem 😂

[ArtW]

I have a Regal resonator guitar and from what I understand from the previous owner, it should date to mid 80s, but if so it has been kept in great shape.  
Here’s the rub; the serial number on the back only has seven numbers on it.  Everything I’ve read has 8, or 9 numbers, or starting with a letter.  
Any help appreciated 

Art W. 

[zombywoof]

2 hours ago, ArtW said:

I have a Regal resonator guitar and from what I understand from the previous owner, it should date to mid 80s, but if so it has been kept in great shape.  
Here’s the rub; the serial number on the back only has seven numbers on it.  Everything I’ve read has 8, or 9 numbers, or starting with a letter.  
Any help appreciated 

Art W. 

Based on what I came up with after an admittedly very quick look, is a serial number starting with a number (which should be "8" for an instrument built in the 1980s) and having a total of 7 characters would be correct for a Regal badged Dobro built prior to 1988.  That year is where you got the longer serial numbers starting with a letter.

[Murph]

Man, I bought a little Chinese parlor Recording King metal body round neck a few months ago and that thing is a hoot.

I've been too busy with a property project to spend much time with it. But when I get caught up.......

[zombywoof]

I have only owned two resonators - a 1931 National Duolian and a 1930s Kay Kraft which sported a wood body and Shireson Bros. cone and hardware.  

When it comes to the modern history of Regal instruments it becomes a "who's on first " routine,  Regal proper only offered resonators for a few years in the 1930s ending production shortly before WWII.  Harmony acquired the rights to the Regal name in 1955 but never produced a resonator.  While they did license the name to Fender, as far as I know it appeared only on banjos.  I do not have a clue of what was going on with the Regal name during the OMI years knowing only that it appears on offshore-made instruments in 1987 with distribution being handled by Saga Musical Importers.

Edited April 17, 2023 by zombywoof

[MissouriPicker]

I’ve got two Gretch resonators.  A round neck and a squareneck.  Both are pretty nice.   They have lots of volume.  I like the squareneck best, but are more likely to use the round neck at gig.  I don’t play them as often as my other acoustics, but they definitely has their own tone.  Their unique sound gives them their own niche in country/folk/rock.

[Jinder]

I borrowed an Amistar built Regal Tricone for a blues/roots album I made back in 2017, and that thing was GREAT. A little more trashy and less honey drenched than the National Tri, but still complex and rich with loads of sustain. 
 

I wouldn’t necessarily say it was second best to a National, just different. Having played both, if money was no object I’d probably pick the National for build quality but there isn’t much in it, honestly. Listen here:

 

[Murph]

I was far more struck by your vocal performance.

Fantastic.

[PrairieSchooner]

I've enjoyed my Regal Duolian; it was supposedly hot rodded by the previous owner.  I have his email detailing the modifications somewhere but can't find it now.  Reflections from overhead tree on outdoor photo.

[Murph]

That's sweet Priarie Schooner.

Mines all turning green..........