Regal Resonator Guitar Serial Numbers: What They Mean and How to Use Them

The serial nó. Is 1352, and according to this web site: it was possibly made in 1928 Wood body Dobro Serial numbers Number range Year 900 - 1700 1928 1800 - 2000 1929 3000 - 3900 1930 5000 - 5500 1932-1933 5700 - 7600 1934-1936 8000 - 9900 1937 Although, from this site: which has a history of the Dobro company, some dobros were made by Regal, a Chicago company, for distribution in the eastern US.

Regal Resonator Guitar Serial Numbers

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In the earIy 30s, the California-made National-Dobro resonator guitars were selling like hot cakes, so the Regal factory, in Chicago, was contracted to build the wood body, and install the metal parts shipped from California.

These were also discontinued by 1934.Determine if your instrument is a newer Dobro. Gibson is producing some models of Dobro resonator guitars, as are other companies affiliated with well-known Dobro players, such as the Tut Taylor line produced by Crafters of Tennessee and the Jerry Douglas instruments produced by Beard Guitars.

TipGain some perspective on your Dobro's worth by considering the factors of age, condition, any modifications from its original configuration, model number and playability. Higher-end models and older instruments in their original condition will have the greatest value.Note that the original early models that ended production by 1934-35 are very valuable to rare instrument collectors. Those produced in small numbers, such as the early Model 27 with silver-painted hardware and faux wood grain body, the Model 75. Presentation Model 176 and the Model 206 are considered extremely rare and sought avidly by rare guitar afficionados.Consult an experienced instrument dealer or luthier to evaluate your antique Dobro; they stay current on Dobro prices, as older ones are a limited commodity and their market value varies.

Serial #'s DATING FENDER ACOUSTIC GUITARS from Unfortunately, our records are not complete enough to provide precise dating information for many Fender acoustic guitars from the early 1960s through the 1970s and 1980s. Although the tables below are as accurate as possible, serial numbers of these acoustic guitars have never been archived and are of no assistance when attempting to date these instruments. The information contained in this guide was culled from our archives of Fender price lists and catalogs, beginning with 1968. Unknown information is indicated with a question mark. This guide can help you determine the approximate age of your instrument, what the price range was during its years of production or what it sold for in the last year it was available, and what woods were used in its construction.

Find great deals on eBay for Regal Guitar in Vintage Acoustic Guitars. Serial ink stamped number. Up for sale is a cool Harmony made Regal archtop guitar. Jul 01, 2008 regal guitars serial numbers. Few things in the vintage guitar market are as confusing as Fender and Gibson custom color guitars. The number of colors.

So yours is a D5 series, the 73rd one made for that year of 1996. I think the guy is lying to ya and a 5 in the D5 might even be a coded model #. Pretty much what Mikeo says, the Dobro name was bought by OMI and then Gibson (or maybe different order). Besides the Hound Dog I don't think Gibson is doing much with the brand today but it would be worth checking with them. I know that older Dobro serial numbers are a bit of a can of worms to find anything out about them. I happen to own a 1932 and a 1980 OMI Duolian. Most traditional dobros were spider bridge and had 12 frets but they did make a few biscuits and 14 fretters.

There are a couple of resonator specific discussion forums - here is one and you might contact the guy who runs this site. Pretty much what Mikeo says, the Dobro name was bought by OMI and then Gibson (or maybe different order). Besides the Hound Dog I don't think Gibson is doing much with the brand today but it would be worth checking with them. I know that older Dobro serial numbers are a bit of a can of worms to find anything out about them. I happen to own a 1932 and a 1980 OMI Duolian. Most traditional dobros were spider bridge and had 12 frets but they did make a few biscuits and 14 fretters.

An early California instrument can be identified by square slot-ends in the headstock, coverplate screws in the points of numbers on a clock, and the lack of a dot at the 17th fret. The dot at the 17th fret was added in late 1930. By 1933 Dobro moved the screws to the half-hour points so a repairman could open a guitar without removing the tailpiece.

Both Dobro and Regal built tenor guitars with full-size resonators, shortened bodies and 14-fret necks. Dobro called theirs the 37T and 45T, with details corresponding to the Model 37 and Model 45 guitars (a Model 37 guitar was a 37G, and a mandolin a 37M). Regal offered more tenor guitar models but used a different numbering system, calling their tenors the 19 , 27 , 37 , and 45 .

Gibson experimented with a few resonator guitar prototypes in the 1940s, but never put any into production. After the war Valco returned to the instrument business, building electric guitars. Regal struggled along and declared bankruptcy in 1954.

Since the 1920s, a resonator guitar has been a mainstay of American music. Before the early Dobros were built, a wooden ridge covered the surface of the round opening beneath the cone. Rudy and Emile Dopyera founded Original Music Instrument Company in 1967, regaining the Dobro brand. Gibson acquired the Dobro brand in 1994. It was common for the Dopyera Brothers to design resonators in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some pre-war models were only a few years old, while others persisted for decades. The first models were the 36, 55/56, 60, 66, and 66B, 76, and 85/86, which were released in 1961.

Gibson guitars use resonators to produce dobros, which are resonator guitars. Their primary use is in Hawaiian music, and they are sometimes referred to as the guitar of the Hawaiian Islands. Dobros have four rows of strings and a squared-off neck, making them suitable for Hawaiian-style playing. A dobro can range in price from $250 to $500, and they are usually set up before being sent to their owner. To represent the year, month, and day, an eight-digit ranking system is placed in the center of the instrument.

Doudro vs. Resonator, a guitar style, is popular, but dobro is a popular brand. In general, the two types are roundneck and squareneck guitars, though there are far more squareneck guitars available. A stoolneck is played upright on its lap, rather than sliding down the table. resonator guitars, also known as dobros and national guitars, are made by Dobro and National. Instead of a wooden top and a hole, metal cone(s) can be used to enhance the sound of the strings, which is identical to how acoustic guitars are made. Nasal cones have a distinct sound that sounds like metalic ornasal cones. A square neck is a neck that is played on your lap, as well as a body or FaceTime facing upwards.

You will feel a true glissando as well as a true vibrato. A dobro guitar is one that has a wooden body and is made of resonators. Slide guitars are played in a variety of ways. Slide playing necessitates the use of a variety of instruments. A square-neck dobro also has a very high string action, making it difficult to play in the same way that a regular guitar does.

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 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!

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.

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.

From: Sandy Valley, Nevada, USAposted 28 December 2002 05:47 PM profile send email edit I wish I could help you but I can't even find out the date on mine. I've had it for about seventeen years. I bought it from Steve Fishell and he thought it was made in 1938, Gruhn's said it was a '36 and Gene Wooten said it was a '34, so I don't know what year it is. It has a 6&1/4inch long non-sloted peghead and NO s/n. So it was some kind of prototype?Good luck trying to date yours.George Keoki LakeMember From: Edmonton, AB., Canadaposted 28 December 2002 08:29 PM profile edit I have a (Regent) DOBRO, walnut veneer finish which I estimate was made in 1934. I acquired it in 1940. I cannot find any indication of a serial number, however it does have one characteristic...the crotch of the neck (back) has a black inlaid heart on white pearl. I have never seen another DOBRO with a heart. It is a DOBRO, the name is inlaid on the tuning head. The only reason I mention "Regent" is because someone years ago told me it was a Regent model. Perhaps it isn't, ... I don't know. Anyone seen this model with the inlaid heart ? What year would it be ? PAUL WARNIKMember From: OAK LAWN,IL,USAposted 29 December 2002 09:24 AM profile send email edit Mike S-I would be willing to bet that your guitar is mid 30's Regal (Chicago made) production/George KL-The presence of the ebony enlaid heart on an ivory heelcap of a walnut Dobro indicates that it is a Custom series 106 or 125 model-it is probably earlier than you think '28-'30 California made for trade shows-while the walnut guitars are considered the custom top-of-the-line models they tend to have a darker sound than the semi-custom mahogany guitar models[This message was edited by PAUL WARNIK on 29 December 2002 at 09:29 AM.] 2ff7e9595c