1920s Regal-made Mahogany Flatback Mandolin

My friend Ted has owned this mandolin for ages. He acquired it free and the last time it was in, he asked me if I'd look it over, and look it over I did. It needed brace repairs, seam repairs, and a board plane and refret. Someone had done a funky-but-functional neck reset, so at least that was crossed-off the list.

After work, it has a clean, clear, decently-loud, and "present" quality. It's no bluegrass mandolin but it does cut in the mids pretty well. The mahogany top gives the high-end and low-end a little scooping, so it's a little more forgiving for a player who might be heavy-handed or imprecise. The body and neck are all solid mahogany while the bridge and fretboard are ebonized maple.

Harmony made almost identical instruments (especially the headstock shape), save that the necks on them are thinner and the bracing a bit heavier. Another easy clue on deciding the maker is that on Harmony mandolins of this general shape is that -- for whatever reason -- the tuner plates are never screwed into the headstock pocket that they reside in. Regals always have at least one or two screws per plate to keep them stable. You have to take off the tuner backplate to check that, though.

Regal also made mandolins of this and similar spec for Lyon & Healy who distributed them under their Washburn name.

At least the bridge is compensated, right?

I love the inset pickguard and multi-ply binding.