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I'm pretty new to all of this. I've done 3 refrets (1 included re-radiusing my old Egmond 12 string), some bridge/saddle work & such, and now I'm doing my first work on someone else's guitar. It's a very cool Regal parlor guitar (saw that coming, didn't ya?). I've done a little research on these and I have yet to find one quite like this, especially the inlaid logo on the headstock. He just wanted the tuners fixed, but they'll have to be replaced, because the gears are cracked and aren't held on with screws. That's easy enough. But I really wanna make this thing nice, cuz it looks like a special guitar and I know it has a lot of sentimental value. There are cracks in the top that I can probably fix, even if I can't make them invisible. There has been a trapeze tailpiece added, probably because the pinned bridge is cracked. I was gonna replace it, but I'll never get a new one to look this cool, and if I clean up the trapeze (and center it!) it should be OK. I'll replace the crappy plastic saddle, though. The nut appears to be rosewood, and it's in great shape, as are the frets. This guitar has a great patina to it and I have no desire to change that, just get it tuning and playing nice.

I guess my main reason for posting is to get any pointers and also to see if anyone knows more about this guitar than what I'm finding on the information super highway. Like I said, I have yet to find one that looks quite like this.

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"Real guitars are for old people, Mr. Marsh."

Eric Cartman

Find out why the tailpiece was added and then plan your repairs from there. I've seen several old guitars with tailpieces added, it was an easy fix to keep them playing when the original bridge couldn't do it's job. I'm in the end stages of reworking a '49 Gibson J45 that had an added tailpiece because the x brace was cracked. I removed the tailpiece and rebuilt the bracing. Ended up with a new top too but that's a different story.


I'll admit I don't like tailpieces on guitars that didn't come with them originally.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Thanks for the response. You make a good point about tailpieces as an "easy fix". I'll ask why it was put on, but I don't think he'll know. It was his grandmother's (or did he say great grandmother?) guitar and all the kids in the family who learned to play learned on this guitar.

The braces look good. This pic shows the cracked bridge better (which I suspect is the reason for the tailpiece):

I've never heard of it, but could a guy inject some glue into the crack (with the bridge still in place) and lightly clamp it? Given the choice, I'd really rather get rid of the tailpiece. I've already fixed the cracks on the top and filled the holes drilled for the tailpiece.

_________________
"Real guitars are for old people, Mr. Marsh."

Eric Cartman

I doubt that gluing the crack in the bridge would hold for very long. You need to remove that bridge and replace it with an exact copy that you will have to make.

Cal

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Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

+1 for replacing the cracked bridge.

Yeah, I'm sure you guys are right. Any tips on making it look like a 70-80 year old bridge? I'm sure I can copy it, but the patina on this bridge and the fretboard are so nice. I made a bridge for my 12 string and it's nice, but it looks like new rosewood. I think that would stand out like a sore thumb on this guitar.

Thanks, guys.

_________________
"Real guitars are for old people, Mr. Marsh."

Eric Cartman

That bridge looks to be ebony. That's what you should use. The patina on the fingerboard is the black dye worn away from playing. The fingerboard is not ebony it was just made to look like ebony to match the nut and bridge.
Cal

_________________
Remember, there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers!

Thanks. You're probably right about the ebony.

There's been a change of plans. I can't get the bridge to budge, and at this early stage of my learning I'm not ready to possibly wreck a family heirloom (even if it is a cheapish guitar). I'll make a new saddle and leave the bridge as is, and reluctantly put the tailpiece back on. He just brought it to me to make it tune & play, so that's what I'll do. I wanted to do a bit more of a restoration, but that will have to wait. I did fix the cracks and glue the back to the sides where it had separated. It will be better than it has been in a long time.

You can bet I'll be practicing more invasive stuff on lesser guitars, though. You know, neck removal & reset, bridge stuff & such.

I'm not done with this, though. I'll get a pic or two of it when it's done.

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"Real guitars are for old people, Mr. Marsh."

Eric Cartman

My daughter recently had a 1917 Dyer harp guitar in her shop (brooklynluthery.com) that had a wonderfully shaped bridge that was twice as long as a conventional guitar bridge because it has 12 pins in it. It was cracked down the middle of all of the pins.

She took off the bridge, epoxy glued it back together, and re-installed it. You cant see the repair.

Ed