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Hello all, As a community, luthiers have seen a lot of instruments over the years. I'm hoping to tap that experience and exposure. I need your help identifying an instrument. I have added a link to a photo-sharing website where you can view photos of the guitar. http://grandpadownsguitar.shutterfly.com

Some dimensions are: 38" length... 14" lower bout... 10" upper bout... 8 1/4" waist... 4" bridge with metal saddle... wood nut.

Can you help me identify this old guitar?


Thanks, Tom in Ohio

Reminds me allot of the " Harmony " or " Kay " redneck Resonater I redid , Use search function and look at pics of "redneck resonater " and the top is the same -less the designs

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

WudWerkr,

Loved the 'Redneck Resonator'. There are some similarities. I was hoping the artwork/design would be a giveaway to my instrument. Guess I'll have to keep searching. I just hope the search leads somewhere. Until then I'll "follow the yellow brick road".

Thanks,
Tom

I would start with The Kay or Harmony Area , I bet it was one they made . Probably a more costly model ,

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

According to one very reputable vintage guitar source, it is "a very inexpensive student model instrument" made by Regal (Chicago) in the mid to late '30s. That source said no matter how much I spent trying to make it playable, it would not sound good. So, it looks like I'm going to clean it up, put some strings on it (with very little tension) and let the conversation begin. If I could only find a picture of grandpa playin' it... that would be the "bees knees"! Thanks for weighing in WudWerkr.
Tom

Im surprised , would have thought with that design stuff it would have been higher priced . Clean it up , put Nylon strings on it and call it a day . Still a nice talking piece when people come over .

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

That's what I'm gonna do but before I can, I have a an issue with two of the tuners and a general question. First the tuners... 2 missing screws that fasten the gear to the tuning peg shaft (hope that's correct terminology). The screw is about 6.5mm in total length, 4mm of which are threaded, the head is 5mm in diameter and is chamfered. Is that going to be difficult to find? Also, the bridge doesn't appear to have been glued on the soundboard, rather it looks to have been kept in place by the tension on the strings. Is that likely?

The bridge was movable like a mandolin bridge . They were NOT glued down . As for tuner screws , I would think that it should / could be comperable to whats available today . I would check with guys who do alot of repair , they may not be so hard to find.

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Thanks for your help, WudWerkr.

Tom