Re: Flat top looks home made
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.
Allen Hopkins
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