1930's tenor guitar - unknown maker

[kmmando]

Unidentified early/mid 20th century tenor guitar - any help?
Here's a couple of vids to let you hear it in my Scottish hands.



I got this lovely old, plain tenor guitar a few years ago in 2002, after the then owner, Anne Collett, came up to me at a gig where I was playing my National single cone tenor. The lady said she had an old 4 string guitar at home in Wales. I was immediately curious, and she offered to send pictures so that I could perhaps tell her if it was of any vintage value, as an old Martin or Gibson would have been an exciting find in the UK.

Anyway it turned out to be this "nameless" tenor, with a very obvious banjo headstock, and a rather warped neck. The owner was keen that it was in a musician's hands, so I offered her £100, and then took it to Glasgow's great luthier and guitar maker Jimmy Moon. Jimmy heat straightened the neck and did a fantastic set-up, all for £90, I think. We retro-fitted new Waverley banjo tuners, as there were only 3 of the cheap originals, and Jimmy and I were amazed to find that it sounded great. Its probably laminate wood too, and has a few wear, stain and hard useage marks. The body is 4 1/4 inches deep.

However, its entirely playable, sounds vibrant, deep and throaty in the bass end and when I recorded my 2nd cd "Polbain to Oranmore" on Greentrax, with the legendary Irish bouzouki player Alec Finn, of De Danann, we found that it recorded amazingly well, and we used it qute a lot in the cd, and top Orcadian guitarist Kris Drever also used it on my "Dorney Rock" the following cd, particularly effective on the opening set of jigs. Its a very versatile sound, and I've overdubbed it in our Scottish dance band sound in The Occasionals, blending it with a Deering crossfire electric tenor, and also a tricone National tenor.

I put a modern black scratch plate on a year or so back, and have a pickup in the soundhole, and it has an amazing back story - I attach Anne Colletts letter describing the original owner, a certain Norman Stamp of Liverpool - quite a card! And its descent into my hands, provenance I think the antiques trade call it.



ANyway, I was really just interested if anyone can shed any light on its maker, place of origin, anything really. Its got an "I" on the back of the headstock and the numbers "26" branded into the rear of the headstock, but thats it .... not much to go on, but you never know on the Cafe! I also thought that with the reawening in interest in tenors, it might be of interest to hear this early/mid 2oth century model.


Slainte, Kevin Macleod

[SHORTY]

Thanks for adding the video of you playing the tenor guitar. I just wanted to tell you that I enjoyed your playing. I like the music your playing and that tenor guitar gives a nice perky but melodic tone. Thanks

[multidon]

I can't say for sure but I would speculate Regal as the maker. It is certainly in that style. They used the banjo headstock frequently. I think you nailed it by placing it in the 1930's. I'm not sure about the trapeze tailpiece. Those are more frequently found on archtops I think. The Regal flat tops had either banjo tailpieces or some variation of mandolin like tailpieces such as the "kidney bean" shaped ones. I know there are folks who are more expert than I am who will eventually chime in.

[kmmando]

Thanks Shorty, that's a very kind comment. It was really just to demonstrate the instrument in the hope of getting such interesting comments as Multidon's above - I'll have a web rummage on that idea, many thanks guys. Yes its odd to have a flown bridge on a flat top instrument perhaps. I hadn't really thought about that angle ... cheers, Kevin

[allenhopkins]

I'm guessing Kay, 'cause they made a round-hole tenor guitar with a trapeze tailpiece, but the headstock's not shaped like any Kay's that I've seen.

[zoukboy]

Lovely music, Kevin!

[kmmando]

Cheers Roger, its a great old sound from it and quite easy to play, a nice neck profile too. First time I ever heard a tenor guitar was track 1, jigs on De Danann's wonderful Mist Covered Mountain lp waaaaay back - still one of my favourite tracks, the Alec F inn/Charlie Piggott duet on Alec's old 1930 National tenor - it's still lying in the castles somewhere!
best frae Scotland Kevin