Hi all,
I just received this Regal. I've owned 3 others, the last about eight years ago, but didn't keep any of them. Now I'm playing Irish music and it will be a great addition. It's in good solid shape despite the wear to the top (someone played some heavy rhythm!). It's missing a back brace and the tuners (not original) will be replaced with banjo tuners.
This guitar was first purchased by a man named George Frederick Wevill in the 1930s. His son thinks he bought it in Japan where the family spent several years (and the son was born). He was a Canadian who worked as an accountant for the federal government. He liked to play songs of the time, wartime songs, and Hawaiian songs especially (his honeymoon was in Hawaii). The sticker on the original case is from a family trip to Europe via the Empress of France, A Canadian Pacific Ship travelling from Montreal to Liverpool in August 1954. (The "Wanted" on the sticker indicates that the owner wanted access to it on the voyage.). The instrument ended up in the hands of the son, David Wevill, who is now in his eighties and is a poet and former professor in Texas. I guess he sold it which is how it eventually ended up in the hands of the person who sold it to me (and who got this info from David Wevill).
It's not that often that one knows much about a vintage instrument so I thought I'd share it.
For those interested in literary history, there is also a strong connection between David Wevill and the tragic life of Sylvia Path. But it's not relevant here so I'll leave that to those who want to look for it.
Thanks for looking.
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