Octofone/regal string gauges

**Darryl Wolfe** · Mar-04-2009, 2:24pm

Does anyone have any recommendations for what to put on this old regal octophone I just bought Saturday? I prefer to keep it unison tuned with either a G or a C on the bass side. This thing is pretty fragile and I do not want it to implode. The rusty old ones are ridiculously light with a 042 on the "C" bass string and something well less than 009 on the treble one. Actually it measures 006 in places and 008 in others.

**allenhopkins** · Mar-04-2009, 3:21pm

I just restrung mine with octave tuning on the two lower courses. I think it had mandola strings on it before I restrung, though I'm not sure. Don't have a micrometer to measure the gauges, and I tossed the string packets. If I get a chance to get near a micrometer I'll post what's on there.

Neat instrument, no? Weighs less than a mandolin, but a 21.25 inch scale.

**Darryl Wolfe** · Mar-05-2009, 10:33am

Thanks..I noticed some of your posts and was hoping you could provide some insight

**allenhopkins** · Mar-11-2009, 4:51pm

Darryl et. al. -- string gauges for the Regal Octofone, at least what I have on it now, with the lower courses strung in octaves:

1st course (E) .012 plain
2nd course (A) .022 wound
3rd course (Dd) .032 wound, .017 plain
4th course (Gg) .046 wound, .019 wound

Scale length of the Octofone is 21.25 inches, and it is very lightly built -- weighs less than many mandolins, I'll bet. When I first got it, it was strung as a standard OM, with a pair of the heavier gauge strings in the 3rd and 4th courses, but I replaced the heavier strings with octave strings.

Interesting if limited instrument; I use mine more for vocal accompaniment that for playing tunes. The non-truss-rodded neck is bulky, not awfully well suited for fast single-string work. It's quite loud, probably due to its light construction, and according to my instrument repair people, its design, while clean and decent for a low-priced instrument, is a bit on the fragile side.

**Darryl Wolfe** · Mar-13-2009, 9:28am

Thanks--I will try that

**Darryl Wolfe** · Apr-16-2009, 11:38am

OK, so I decided I wanted a pickguard on this Octofone. Looks pretty original if they ever came with one. Has anyone seen an Octofone that did come with a pickguard? Yes I know I'm messing with an original instrument, but it's also getting a radiused ebony fingerboard and 1/8" narrowed off of the neck too.

**allenhopkins** · Apr-16-2009, 6:14pm

Jeez -- a customized Octofone! That must be a first.

Well, not quite: when I bought mine from Bernunzio, in the case was an article from a 1984 California newspaper, about a musician named Doc Bochenek who had his Octofone stolen from his car trunk in Van Nuys. There was a pic of the instrument, and it did have a pickguard. It also appeared to have a fixed bridge with no tailpiece. Other than that it was a standard Regal.