Regal Model 2060 12 String Flat Top Acoustic Guitar , c. 1928
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Item # 10974
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Regal Model 2060 Model 12 String Flat Top Acoustic Guitar, c. 1928, made in Chicago, natural top, mahogany stained back and sides finish, birch back and sides, spruce top, poplar neck with ebonized fingerboard, hard shell case.
Over the first half of the 20th century the Regal guitar company in Chicago made a lot of guitars, including the "Custom" line designed to compete directly with Martin. This grand concert-size 12-string was aimed at a different market, looking to challenge the Oscar Schmidt company's iconic Stella branded guitars, now revered as the ultimate pre-war blues machines. The Regal 12 string lacks this ostensibly legendary connection but is in some ways a better made instrument, actually considerably rarer.
This particular guitar is noted in c.1928 Regal literature as Model 2060 and described as "Mexican" style, then a generic term for double-strung guitars. At the time the blues 12-string sub-genre was just beginning; Regal would have likely had no expectation of selling these to itinerant African-American musicians in the deep south! Listings in period Jobber catalogs show 12 string guitars in general had been in limited circulation since the early aught years; it was a small but apparently steady market and it must have seemed worth Regal's while to try to score a bite of it for themselves.
This guitar is very Schmidt-like in design, with a few distinctive Regal touches. The 13 5/8" wide body is constructed with a birch back and sides, stained darker to resemble mahogany. The ladder-braced spruce top is set of by multi-colored purfling typically seen on Regals; the bound soundhole is bordered with the same pattern. The back and top are single bound in white celluloid. The "herringbone" backstrip is a decal. The tailpiece is a generic 6-string type; the neatly-made dyed maple bridge has deep slots to correctly space the strings over the fretwire saddle.
The neck is poplar or possibly basswood carved in a medium-soft "V" profile. It is chunky but not as thick as many Schmidt necks, and the average players would likely find this one somewhat more comfortable. The fingerboard is ebonized with three pearl dots as inlay, and retains the original frets. The scale length is 24 1/2" which is considerably shorter than nearly all Stella 12's and makes this guitar more suitable for concert tuning. It can of course be tuned lower as well. The original wooden nut is 1 15/16" wide. This guitar is superficially fairly well worn but structurally excellent, an exceptionally easy playing pre-war 12-string, which is something you don't find every day!
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 15/16 in. (49 mm.).
This 90+ year old 12-string shows a lot of cosmetic wear but remains very original and has been carefully restored for optimum playability in the 21st century. The very thin varnish finish has micro-checking and wear everywhere but is largely original with some minor polishing out touch ups here and there. The top shows the most wear, with heavy finger and/or pick marks both below and above the soundhole. The neck is somewhat heavily worn with some deeper scrapes along the spine. The tuners, tailpiece and bridge are original and fully functional with some noticeable cosmetic wear.
This guitar has no detectable cracks anywhere, which for an instrument of this type and time is little short of miraculous. The ladder bracing and thin bridge plate remain original and intact as built; thin finger braces have been neatly added on either side of the soundhole to stabilize the top in this area and help the guitar survive another 90+ years. The top has a slight dip under the bridge but is in much better shape than many older 12's we have seen. The Regal label inn the soundhole has some damage but has been preserved as much as possible.
The neck has been reset very neatly and the action is exceptionally light for a 12-string of this period, just 2/16" treble and bass. The original small frets are nicely intact, polished out a bit for playability. The fingerboard has some minor divoting in the lower positions. While not as huge sounding as the typical large Stellas this superb-playing smaller-body 12 offers a very rich, engaging and expansive tone, not only suitable for many pre-war blues styles (think Barbecue Bob in particular) but really just about anything. It is housed in a recent HSC. Very Good + Condition.
Over the first half of the 20th century the Regal guitar company in Chicago made a lot of guitars, including the "Custom" line designed to compete directly with Martin. This grand concert-size 12-string was aimed at a different market, looking to challenge the Oscar Schmidt company's iconic Stella branded guitars, now revered as the ultimate pre-war blues machines. The Regal 12 string lacks this ostensibly legendary connection but is in some ways a better made instrument, actually considerably rarer.
This particular guitar is noted in c.1928 Regal literature as Model 2060 and described as "Mexican" style, then a generic term for double-strung guitars. At the time the blues 12-string sub-genre was just beginning; Regal would have likely had no expectation of selling these to itinerant African-American musicians in the deep south! Listings in period Jobber catalogs show 12 string guitars in general had been in limited circulation since the early aught years; it was a small but apparently steady market and it must have seemed worth Regal's while to try to score a bite of it for themselves.
This guitar is very Schmidt-like in design, with a few distinctive Regal touches. The 13 5/8" wide body is constructed with a birch back and sides, stained darker to resemble mahogany. The ladder-braced spruce top is set of by multi-colored purfling typically seen on Regals; the bound soundhole is bordered with the same pattern. The back and top are single bound in white celluloid. The "herringbone" backstrip is a decal. The tailpiece is a generic 6-string type; the neatly-made dyed maple bridge has deep slots to correctly space the strings over the fretwire saddle.
The neck is poplar or possibly basswood carved in a medium-soft "V" profile. It is chunky but not as thick as many Schmidt necks, and the average players would likely find this one somewhat more comfortable. The fingerboard is ebonized with three pearl dots as inlay, and retains the original frets. The scale length is 24 1/2" which is considerably shorter than nearly all Stella 12's and makes this guitar more suitable for concert tuning. It can of course be tuned lower as well. The original wooden nut is 1 15/16" wide. This guitar is superficially fairly well worn but structurally excellent, an exceptionally easy playing pre-war 12-string, which is something you don't find every day!
Overall length is 39 1/4 in. (99.7 cm.), 13 5/8 in. (34.6 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 4 in. (10.2 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 24 1/2 in. (622 mm.). Width of nut is 1 15/16 in. (49 mm.).
This 90+ year old 12-string shows a lot of cosmetic wear but remains very original and has been carefully restored for optimum playability in the 21st century. The very thin varnish finish has micro-checking and wear everywhere but is largely original with some minor polishing out touch ups here and there. The top shows the most wear, with heavy finger and/or pick marks both below and above the soundhole. The neck is somewhat heavily worn with some deeper scrapes along the spine. The tuners, tailpiece and bridge are original and fully functional with some noticeable cosmetic wear.
This guitar has no detectable cracks anywhere, which for an instrument of this type and time is little short of miraculous. The ladder bracing and thin bridge plate remain original and intact as built; thin finger braces have been neatly added on either side of the soundhole to stabilize the top in this area and help the guitar survive another 90+ years. The top has a slight dip under the bridge but is in much better shape than many older 12's we have seen. The Regal label inn the soundhole has some damage but has been preserved as much as possible.
The neck has been reset very neatly and the action is exceptionally light for a 12-string of this period, just 2/16" treble and bass. The original small frets are nicely intact, polished out a bit for playability. The fingerboard has some minor divoting in the lower positions. While not as huge sounding as the typical large Stellas this superb-playing smaller-body 12 offers a very rich, engaging and expansive tone, not only suitable for many pre-war blues styles (think Barbecue Bob in particular) but really just about anything. It is housed in a recent HSC. Very Good + Condition.