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NBD!

#41
Lo-E said:
Might I suggest Corelli 370 mediums on that Regal until you know how much string tension it can handle? Those or Velvet Blues would be very low tension and probably sound pretty cool, with the Corelli's being the brighter of the two. Just a thought.
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Thanks for the advice! Think I'll hold off on the string swap, since I know nothing about the strings on the Chinese eBay cheapo..
Edit: Just ordered 370m from Bob Gollihur. :) He likes 'em too.
 
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#42
I did put the G on from the other one just to hear it with four strings, sweetness incarnate, and easier to play than the cheapo upright ever was (spacing and action), scale only slightly shorter, not by much. She's a fat bottomed girl, far bigger around than even I am. Or to quote a more current song:

"Oh. My. Gawsh. Lookit. Her. Butt." (oh, come on, had to watch that at least once!) :D

I will figure out how to mount a strap on her!
 
#46
Madwatch said:
What is the scale length on both?
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Ernie's a standard 34". The Regal, with the bridge roughly positioned for these old oddly mixed strings, a smidge over 41". The two of them are on my kingsize bed right now, and they take up most of it. :D
I believe they're getting acquainted. (Hey, no rough stuff in there, you two!)
 
#48
themarshall said:
Man that Regal's cool. Does it have an arched fingerboard like an upright? That thing would kill in my "drunkgrass" band.
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No, it's a flat top, though I've been thinking of a jazz guitar style archtop something like this - maybe I'll have enough skill to build one some day (or enough cash to pay someone good to do it for me).
 
#50
bholder said:
No, it's a flat top, though I've been thinking of a jazz guitar style archtop something like this - maybe I'll have enough skill to build one some day (or enough cash to pay someone good to do it for me).
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Ahh, sorry, I seem to have mixed my descriptive terms - arched is usually in reference to tops and radius is usually used for fingerboards. What I was asking was if the Regal's fingerboard has a small radius, like an upright, matching the bridge.
 
#51
themarshall said:
Ahh, sorry, I seem to have mixed my descriptive terms - arched is usually in reference to tops and radius is usually used for fingerboards. What I was asking was if the Regal's fingerboard has a small radius, like an upright, matching the bridge.
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Oh, yes, I'd say the radius is somewhat larger / flatter than a normal upright, string spacing maybe closer, but yes, it's basically an upright neck & fingerboard (with lines!) on a huge ABG body. I plan on making a clone of the original bridge out of maple and seeing if I can lower the action somewhat (and get a good upright pickup on it, maybe even a built-in peizo under a saddle). The radius is almost flat at the nut, unlike a regular URB.

And you did say "fingerboard", so my bad, I just went off course dreaming my monster archtop dream. :)
 
#52
Just ordered a Blue Yeti Pro so I can make some clips. I've got some great older recording gear, but nothing that just plugs in to a laptop.
 
#53
bholder said:
All I have on it was in the listing - 1937 Regal Bassoguitar. I think there was an ancient promo ad pic for it (from the time) out on google somewhere.
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Right in the listing, D'oh!

Regal promo.jpg

(It doesn't look quite that huge next to me, but still...)
 
#55
bholder said:
(It doesn't look quite that huge next to me, but still...)
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Still pretty huge!

It's good that you have lines on that board; it means you can place the bridge accurately and not have to play a guessing game with intonation. Since you don't have F-holes to line the bridge up to, you can just double the distance to the 12th fret line and add a bit on the bass side. It'll get you right in the ballpark.

I go back and forth on how I feel about the Corelli 370m set on my old Kay - some days I think they're a little anemic and other days I think they sound amazing. That's on a Kay, though. I figured that for what that Regal is, the zingy quality of the 370s would work well and the tension is super low so they'll be gentle on the neck. I hope I didn't steer you wrong.

I'm dying to know how this thing (both basses, actually, but especially the Regal) works out. It's just too weird/cool to not be intrigued by it!
 
#56
Lo-E said:
Still pretty huge!

It's good that you have lines on that board; it means you can place the bridge accurately and not have to play a guessing game with intonation. Since you don't have F-holes to line the bridge up to, you can just double the distance to the 12th fret line and add a bit on the bass side. It'll get you right in the ballpark.

I go back and forth on how I feel about the Corelli 370m set on my old Kay - some days I think they're a little anemic and other days I think they sound amazing. That's on a Kay, though. I figured that for what that Regal is, the zingy quality of the 370s would work well and the tension is super low so they'll be gentle on the neck. I hope I didn't steer you wrong.

I'm dying to know how this thing (both basses, actually, but especially the Regal) works out. It's just too weird/cool to not be intrigued by it!
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's exactly how I got the bridge where it is. Might stand another 1/4" back on the bass side - it's actually not too hard to move the bridge (carefully) even when strung up and tuned. I do think I'll make a clone bridge out of maple and try to set better intonation points per string (rather than having to slant the bridge so much).

I did finally swap on the full set of unknown strings from the Chinese upright, carefully, no problems thus far, I detune substantially when not playing it, and they're coming off when the Corellis arrive on Monday anyway. (And I got them as much on what Bob Gollihur wrote about them as what you did). I'm not worried about the neck at all, it's thicker than the upright's is, it's a tree trunk (or at least, major limb) - my main string tension worry is for that huge old flat top, but it seems to be holding up fine (it is on the thick side, too of course). Surprised the tuners hold as well as they do given the looks of them. I'll post some clips when I can.

The funny thing is that I find it so much easier to play than an upright the same scale - part of it is the lines, helps immensely getting used to a new scale, but it's also the narrowness and flatness of the fingerboard at the nut (and large radius at the other end) - much more familiar, and only an inch and a half longer scale than the Quake.
 

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