Octofone Questions

[Joshua Eden]

I have a question of my own: Are octofones still made and sold?

[MikeEdgerton]

Not by Regal, that company went out of business many decades ago. The current Regal instruments have no connection other than the name. Perhaps someone is making a reproduction. Are you looking for an Octave mandolin?

[allenhopkins]

I have a question of my own: Are octofones still made and sold?

Apparently, though -- as Mike E points out -- not by Regal any more. The Octofone Guitar Company has a website, and the instruments shown there are upgraded clones of the old Regal instrument. They have guitar-esque pin bridges, rather than the mandolin-esque tailpiece/floating bridge of the originals. The "Products" section of the website doesn't show pics or prices, but they also have a Facebook page which may have more info (I'm not a Facebooker).

From the looks of things, prices for the new Octofones, assuming that the company's in production, will be significantly more than what you can get an old one for on the used/vintage market. On the other hand, the new ones look better made than the Regals; my Regal Octofone is perhaps the most lightly constructed instrument I own, and it's already had to have a new fingerboard and a carbon fiber neck reinforcing bar installed.

If you do contact the new company, please let us know your experience.

[Colbee]

Hi
Thanks for the page scans.
Did you ever scan the whole booklet? I'd love to get a copy to complement my Octophone.

cheers
Col B

[gweetarpicker]

I tune mine as an octave mandolin as well and use Thomastik Light Mandola Set 174W. These strings are European mandola strings meant for GDAE octave tuning. They are chrome flatwound over steel, approx gauges are .048, .034, .023, .015. I do keep the instrument detuned if I'm not playing it regularly, and you can certainly go with single strings to limit the tension. The Thomastik strings are very expensive, especially for an inexpensive instrument but they do sound better than others I have tried. My example is sunburst as well. The first attached ad suggests octave, ukulele or tenor banjo tuning. The second ad lists eight tunings though the tenor banjo, tenor guitar and mandola tunings would be similar.


www.vintagefrettedinstruments.com

[gweetarpicker]

Wow that Self Instructor for the Regal Octofone looks like it would make a great reference for learning to play uke as well.

[Matthew Keeler]

I've owned an octophone for more than a year now. I'm still trying to find out who made it, though. It's most certainly a recent copy, not an original regal. I was told it was made by the deceased Columbus, Georgia luthier Mac McCormick, which might make it a one of a kind. It does have a squiggly "McCormick" written on the underside of the headstock, but anybody could have added that at a later date. It looks like it was written with glitter glue! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZUj-YK2gLk