Richard Singleton
Jul-10-2010, 10:24pm
Currently on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Ultra-rare-Regal-Octafone-Octave-Mandolin-Project-/230496658416?cmd=ViewItem&pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35aaabe3f0
allenhopkins
Jul-11-2010, 12:57pm
Seller's Bob Clayton from MD; he and I discussed Octofones before I bought mine from Bernunzio. Bob's a straight-up guy and I'd trust his description. He had plans to rebuild the instrument but, as he says, never got around to it.
Bought my Octofone for less than $200, but since then I've had an old headstock repair redone (twice), a carbon-fiber neck reinforcement installed, and a new ebony fingerboard put on. Plays very well now -- I have it strung as an octave mandolin, with the 3rd and 4th courses strung with octave pairs -- but I've got $5-600 into it total.
Remember: Octofones reportedly cost $15 new when Regal sold them around 1930. They are not by any stretch of the imagination high-end instruments. They're extremely lightly built, with easily-warped necks and pretty generic tuners. I really like mine, and it has a near-unique sound, but be prepared to give any Octofone a lot of TLC.
thistle3585
Jul-13-2010, 10:30am
I'd echo what Allen had to say. They are very lightly built. The entire thing is birch, including the neck. I had one completely come apart as a casualty of a flood, so I took the dimensions off it and made my own version but used a different bracing pattern on the top for more reinforcement. I love it. I have two more in the works with a few refinements. I gave the original one away to a cafe member with all the parts and he wanted to try rebuilding it, but it may make better sense to take the parts from my old one and clean the ebay one up.