Indianapolis label, Regal bowl back mandolin

[resophonic]

Had a friend pop by with a nice, playable, Regal model 16 bowl back. I noticed it had an Indianapolis tag and a Regal manufacturing Co. label. From what I have researched, this mandolin would have been manufactured between 1901 - 1904. Pre-1901 would have a wulschnur label and post 1904 would have been labeled Regal Musical Instrument Co..

At the bottom left of the paper label there is a string of numbers that includes the model number as follows: 5 - 27, 01. - 2 1/2 M - No. 16.

The 5 - 27, 01 looks very much like a date, is that what this is?

The M - No. 16 is obviously the model number but what does the 2 1/2 indicate?

[barney 59]

Emil Wulshner and Sons produced "The Regal" mandolins and guitars and after the father passed away the company was sold(I think maybe in 1901). They had a wooden medallion That said "Emil Wulshner and Son's" and underneath "The Regal" -so Wulshner was on top and I tend to think of them as a "Wulshner" as opposed to a "Regal". It seems that for some period of time after that the instruments were still produced in Indianapolis by the new owners and that the operation was moved to Chicago about 1905, so your dates are probably correct. When they moved the new "Regal Co." seems to have left behind many of the innovations and some of the quality that Wulshner had been doing,at least as far as guitars go,which I am more familiar with. I've had a couple of very nice stressed topped (curved fanned bracing pattern) Wulshner guitars that predate Larson Bros. doing about the same thing by at least a decade. They were so light that they almost defy gravity. Could "M" mean mandolin? If it's a 2 1/2 M what would be a 1, 2 or 3M? Adornment? They produced mandolins with various amounts of bling and I've seen one mandolin that required Ray Bans to look at!
The wording on the label in your picture is identical to the Wulshner label but the medallion is missing on top. It was a glued on wooden oval stamped in red writing -it could also have fallen off.

[resophonic]

The wooden medallion is still there, applied below the paper label.



Stamped with Regal manufacturing Co., the name used in the interim period after the Wulschnur & son label and before the name changed again to Regal Musical Instrument Co.

Here is a shot of one in a guitar I have with the Wulschnur & Son stamp. The paper label in the guitar is different from the one found in the mandolin.



Interesting idea about the 2 1/2 possibly indicating level of decoration but this one is rather plain to grade a 2 1/2 out of 3 as you suggest. I did not get many pictures while it was here but here are front, back shots and a close up of the crown inlay. The engraving of "Regal" is rather crude.







I discovered that I could load larger image sizes so here is a bit larger image of the paper label found inside of the No. 16 mandolin.

[brunello97]

I was looking through Bob Carlin's book on Regal this evening and while there is not a comprehensive amount of information on Indianapolis Regal bowl backs, he has reproduced pages from a late 1890s catalog. Plenty of model numbers, but all in round-numbers. Unfortunately, the only Wulschner-Regal label I have in my files is also a 2-1/2 16 like Resophonics. I have images of some very high end Indy Regals but not of their labels, unfortunately. I wish Bob's book was a bit more thorough about that subject. Mike Edgerton is a bit of a Regal buff. Hopefully he has something to add.

An Indianapolis Regal is on my MAS list. Not a high priority yet, but I would like to get one some day.


Mick

[resophonic]

Thanks for chiming in Mick.

I have a copy of Carlin's Regal book and it wasn't much help figuring out label information other than providing a date range for when the Regal Manufacturing Co. name was used.

The Indianapolis model 16 pictured is a very well built instrument that has stood the test of time. It has a nice low action with the original bridge and is strung up with Thomqastik flat wounds, it plays and sounds great. It appears to be completely unmodified and in it's original condition. If your looking for a bowl back, the Indianapolis model 16 Regal would be a nice one to get.