Would love to play one of these. Anybody know anything about this instrument, or played one ?
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Bassoguitar !
- Thread starter jnewmark
- Start date
Or the one in my living room!
(my bass, not my arm - seller's pic I saved lol)
(my bass, not my arm - seller's pic I saved lol)
I'm glad you clarified. I was afraid your entire living room exterior walls had been obliterated.
Okay; I'll do what I can. I had hoped to provide pics, but I prefer outdoor light and we have had thunderstorms for the past three days, so I will have to offer these as substitutes.
Photos
regal bassoguitar images - Google Search
There is some sloppy filtering in the second link. Many of those basses should not be in the search results.
Measurements:
42" scale
Body depth (butt): 6 3/4"
Body depth (neck): 5 3/4"
Body width (lower bout): 23 7/8"
Body width (waist): 15 5/16"
Body width (upper bout): 17 1/2"
The following opinions are based on a sampling of one.
In overall length these are about the size of a 1/2 size double bass. In terms of sheer volume they are not so loud as a 3/4 size db or even a 1/4. Also, they do not provide the same "whump" upon string attack as a double bass does. These are bass guitars with round soundholes and ladder bracing, and they will respond to a struck string more like a guitar: less punch, more duration to the note. They are more mid-rangey than a double bass as well.
The necks are quite thick but not off-puttingly so if the set-up provides low enough action. And oddly -- and I'm sure this was not at all in Regal's mind when they designed these things -- these basses sit quite comfortably on the lap. The first stop is comfortably within reach.
Waiting for @SteveBoisin to jump in.
Thanks for all that. So, would you say that they sound more like an acoustic bass guitar, or something in between a Double bass and an acoustic bass guitar? Does the endpin telescope in to the body or is it attached separately ? The one in my photo I believe is lined, is yours or have you seen any like this ? Thanks !
It occurs to me that I've never recorded anything of me noodling on mine. I plan to correct that shortly (but all my recording gear is packed away in storage so it'll be a cell phone recording).
Another fine Chicago product... ( really )
As with instruments billed as acoustic bass guitars, sound to a great deal depends on strings. Flats, rounds and tapes each have their signature sounds. I did notice as I was doing my measurements that if one has one's ears near the soundhole the harmonic mix is different from the blend one gets from the bass when in playing position: there is more low harmonic presence. On these, since they are flat tops, one has the option of cheating the bridge to different scale lengths from about 36" to 44". Of course any modification in mensure is almost sure to require a bridge for just that mensure. I bring this up because in goofing around with bridge cheating on regular ABGs I have gotten the impression that the more string after-length there is behind the bridge the more bass in the harmonic mix.
The endpin telescopes into the body. It is too short. The factory bridges always are too tall. Mine are all three lined fretless dreadnoughts, with the neck meeting the body at around the octave. Initially we thought that was the only model, then people started finding O-bodied fretted ones with the neck join around the E, which is about where it would be on a double bass. Like double basses, mine have projection of the fingerboard over the body (overstand); the fingerboard extension is not glued down.
There is an older thread on the Bassoguitar here
Regal Bassoguitar
And this
Be Doggoned! The Regal Bassoguitar just got dethroned
And then there are these things, which I think we still don't know what they are.
Acoustic Bass Guitars with Serious Mojo
Ain't it the truth, ain't it the truth! Kalamazoo had Gibson, NY/NJ had Danelectro, Epiphone (later Guild), and Multivox/Premier, but Chicago had the trifecta of Harmony/Kay/Regal and before them Lyon and Healy and the Larson brothers. Lots of stringed instrument history in Chicago.
Smooth_bass88
vaxx!
- Oct 31, 2006
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Frets??? The strings are flush with the keyboard.If only they made it an archtop, and then perhaps did away with the frets…
If only they made it an archtop, and then perhaps did away with the frets…
That is the one change I wish they had made. Arched top with f holes instead of the round soundhole. Much better sound disbursement. These are lined fretlesses, so no frets.
