Flat top looks home made

[Earl Gamage]

This is a mandolin my neighbor has. He wants to use it as a wall hanger, but he would like to know a little about it. I thought I knew something about mandolins, but no idea here. It's flat top, looks home made, fretboard looks professional and the mandolin looks at least 50 years old, but, no markings anywhere.

Any guesses?

[Explorer]

That photo is kind of murky, but if you do a Google image search on "reverse scroll mandolin," you'll likely find out it's related to Regal or some such.

Good luck!

[allenhopkins]

According to Bob Carlin's book Regal Musical Instruments, 1895-1955 (p.63-4):

In October of 1911, [Regal president Frank] Kordick filed a mandolin patent assigned to Regal that "aims to provide an instrument which will be simple in construction, cheap to manufacture and which will have a sweet and pleasing tone." His design combined the neck and the end block into one part, utilized a single piece back and eliminated many of the internal brace supports from the instrument...a second patent filed on July 10, 1914...While keeping the floating bridge, tailpiece, four-on-plate tuners and oval sound hole from Neapolitan mandolins, the 1914 patent mandolin features a reverse bass scroll, opposing bass and treble upper body points, and..."stocking" shaped headstock that make this design distinctive. In describing the mandolin's release in 1913, the Montgomery Ward catalog declared that, "While the shape of this instrument is unusual, it should not be classified as a 'freak' by any means"...In order to contain costs, low-grade woods and parts were used for the instrument. The fingerboards and bridges were made of "ebonized" (i.e. dyed) maple, birch or some other nondescript wood...the necks were birch, basswood or poplar, the tops were either birch or spruce and the bodies birch stained in various ways ("faux mahogany," "faux rosewood," or "imitation koa"). Binding was of white paint, colored wood marquetry, and/or black and white celluloid. This was topped off with a floating triangular celluloid pick guard The fancier models (from 1920-35) sported..."Mother of Toilet Seat" marbleized plastic fingerboards and headstock overlays. One distributor, Progressive, even offered their Kordick/Regal mandolins with custom, hand painted designs of dancing Poiret figures.

Thus the "Kordick patent" reverse-scroll Regal mandolin, In 1936 Regal fancied up the reverse-scroll, made them arch-tops (some carved) rather than flat-tops, and the price zoomed from a range of $8.00-$13.25 for the original reverse-scrolls, to $8.45-$13.50 for the improved ones (remember, prices deflated during the Depression, so this did mean a price hike). The "stocking" or "Smurf" headstock, like yours, was replaced with a symmetrical, inlaid one.

[trodgers]

Here is a previous thread about this model.

[MikeEdgerton]

Here are hundreds of messages about this model

[MikeZito]

This appears to be the thread that most closely resembles the OP's mandolin:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...s-a-spruce-top

It seems to me that I saw one on the Guitar Center website a few months back. As I recall, the price was pretty low and I tried to order the mandolin, but it had already been sold.

Nice piece!

[allenhopkins]

Without recasting the Carlin quote above, realize that this particular mandolin started life (somewhere 1915-30, probably) as a "cheapo" even by Regal's somewhat permissive standards. And I'm not a Regal-basher; both the banjo and the taropatch/ukulele I usually gig with are Regal instruments.

If your friend sees this one as a wall-hanger, well, I can see why. It lacks a bridge, tailpiece, and possibly a nut (can't make one out from the pic). In excellent condition, it would be inexpensive, more desirable for its quirky shape and century-old vintage than for its construction or acoustic qualities. If I ran across a playable example in the $100 range, I might be tempted, just because of the "cool" factor. Otherwise, I would admire from afar, and definitely wouldn't spend money to rehabilitate one that's in the shape your friend's instrument is in.

[Earl Gamage]

Thanks to all responders. I do remember some of the threads ya'll linked to.

I will pass along to my friend that it's a pre 1936 Regal, possibly as old as 1915.

Thanks!