Regal "Professional" Model Flat Top Tenor Guitar, c. 1929, made in Chicago, natural lacquer finish, flame mahogany back and sides, spruce top, original black hard shell case.

One of the neatest, and most surprising, finds we have had in a while. While Regal is generally remembered as a maker of inexpensive budget instruments, they were quite capable of turning out higher-grade pieces, and this little guitar is a fine example of their better work. While small even for a tenor guitar, it puts out quite a powerful sound and is very nicely made.

The body is fancy flamed mahogany with an outrageous fiddleback figure, quite different from the plain Honduras mahogany favored by Martin and Gibson in the same era. The fine-grained spruce top is bound with colored wood herringbone marquetry around the edge and soundhole; the same pattern is also used for the backstrip. The fingerboard has large pearl dot-and-diamond inlay and "Regal" is inlaid in pearl in a circular inset in the headstock. Tuners are pancake Grovers and the tailpiece is a banjo-style "eagle claw" mounted directly to the rim. Saddle and nut are bone and the floating bridge has pearl strips on the wings.

Currently strung and tuned tenor, this little instrument would also be very useful in either guitar or tenor ukulele tuning. Regal made a number of variations on this general design, but this is the nicest we have seen and fantastically well preserved. This guitar retailed originally for $40.00, which was quite expensive for a Regal instrument in its time, and this was definitely a flagship line for the company.
 
Overall length is 31 7/8 in. (81 cm.), 10 7/16 in. (26.5 cm.) wide at lower bout, and 3 1/16 in. (7.8 cm.) in depth at side, taken at the end block. Scale length is 21 in. (533 mm.).

Almost perfect condition with only the lightest play wear…100% original and simply as nice as we ever expect to see a 1920's instrument.

Complete with beautiful original shaped hard case. Excellent + Condition.