Regal resophonic

Riaan

As some of you may remember I posted some pics of my Regal resophonic some months ago. Anyway, this guitar dates from 1928 when it was bought by a guy in London, who used it for years to play in a boerorkes in the Free State. His son later sold it to an antique shop in Bloem, where I one day saw it and bought it on the spot for R400... 8).... I once e-mailed a collecter in the US who said it could be worth between 1000 and 5000 USD, depending on the condition.

So all in all it's a collecters item, but I enjoy to play it. It does have a few fret buzzes on the 10-12 frets though. The frets are not too worn but it could be that some may be loose.

So I wondered, since I play the guitar, if I should take it to a pro luthier to have it serviced and set up for playing, and perhaps even a nice restoration. Or would that lower the value from a collectors point of view? I don't really imagine ever selling the guitar, so from that point of view it's not really an investment, if I'm only gonna play it and never sell it? What do you guys think?

Bob-Dubery

Riaan wrote So all in all it's a collecters item, but I enjoy to play it. It does have a few fret buzzes on the 10-12 frets though. The frets are not too worn but it could be that some may be loose.

So I wondered, since I play the guitar, if I should take it to a pro luthier to have it serviced and set up for playing, and perhaps even a nice restoration. Or would that lower the value from a collectors point of view? I don't really imagine ever selling the guitar, so from that point of view it's not really an investment, if I'm only gonna play it and never sell it? What do you guys think?

Gee! Second time in less than 24 hours I find myself posting a reference to one of George Gruhn's newsletters. But let's face it, he does know a thing or two about the collectible guitar market.

See http://www.gruhn.com/newsletter/newsltr26.html

Personally I would say that well-done repairs to keep the guitar in running order are one thing, wholesale restoration is quite another. Any irreversible modification will severely dent the instrument's value.

Since you have at least one eye on preserving the value of the instrument you should get the work done by somebody who you know will do a quality job.

AlanRatcliffe

Bob Dubery wrote Personally I would say that well-done repairs to keep the guitar in running order are one thing, wholesale restoration is quite another. Any irreversible modification will severely dent the instrument's value.

+1. Do only what you need to for playability and look after it. That way you have a playable instrument that retains it's value and is a good inheritance for the kids. ?