c.1970 Harmony-made Regal R235 Jumbo Guitar

These 60s Regal jumbos (this probably dates between 68 and 70 but it has no date stamp so I can't verify) were the same guitar as Harmony's own H1260 model but with slight cosmetic differences: the headstock is a little bit changed and if the pickguard was still in existence in this model it would be slightly changed, too.

At any rate, I've been meaning to get this guitar finished for a long while, now. It came to me almost ready to go but it did need a fret level/dress, new set of tuners, new nut, a bit of saddle adjustment, and bridge pins -- all of which it got. It plays fast, sports a 25 1/2" Fender-ish scale, has a 16 1/8" lower bout, and booms out with the solid authority you only get on a bigger-bodied flattop like this.

The top is solid spruce with ladder bracing, the back and sides are mahogany (solid sides, possibly solid back? -- hard to tell), the neck is also mahogany, and the bridge and board are both Brazilian rosewood with the characteristic streaking you start to see on Harmony products from the 50s on.

The king-size headstock proudly bears the engraved "Regal" script, though the authentic Regal factory itself had been closed for more than a decade when this was built. Note the new bone nut and also the bit of pickguard material I used to make a new truss cover. The rod works perfectly well, by the way, and allows for a slimmer (for Harmony -- more like a late 50s Gibson shape) neck.

Radiused, bound, rosewood board. The frets only needed minor leveling and dressing to get back to playing shape.

Isn't that a nice looking soundboard? Good tight grain.

The 30s-looking Gibsonesque pickguard is long since missing and you can just make out its shape on the top if you're looking for it. From a few feet away I expect most folks wouldn't know it had one. The big pieces of plastic Harmony used were fairly tone-damping anyway, so I think it's an improvement.

I'm not sure if the bridge is original. If it is, then its "tie block" rear was cut down and it looks like it may have had an adjustable saddle slot that was boxed in to allow the use of a traditional drop-in saddle. In any case, whoever glued this bridge did a good job and put everything in the right place for intonation. All I needed to do here was adjust the saddle's height slightly, intonate the B string, and add string ramps and a set of pins.

Note the chip-out that's had patching at the treble side of the bridge: that's the only top "crack" that I saw. That must've happened when the bridge originally pulled up.

The finish looks pretty decent: there's the usual use-scuffs, tiny nicks and dings throughout, and stuff like that, but not the long scratching and flaking I might expect to see more. The top shows the most wear, though, and seems to have been buffed out a bit "satin" in spots after its older repairs.

I popped on a set of Kluson-style repro tuners which was an improvement.

The neck set is good to go and must've been addressed in the past.

I'm amazed that the endpin isn't missing.