What is this?

[gspan2]

Hi there to all! Total newbie here. Just acquired this old mandolin in a trade and I would like some help identifying it. The tailpiece is marked Bell Brand N.M.S. Co. which I understand applies only to the tailpiece. Another poster asked about these here about six years ago and posted a photo of one similar to this, but the thread died before much more information came out. Possibly a Regal? Any help on this would be really appreciated. It's my first mandolin. I'm a guitar guy buy trade, but this little old gal has really wrapped herself around my finger as a favorite pick-up-and-play instrument.

[yankees1]

Hi there to all! Total newbie here. Just acquired this old mandolin in a trade and I would like some help identifying it. The tailpiece is marked Bell Brand N.M.S. Co. which I understand applies only to the tailpiece. Another poster asked about these here about six years ago and posted a photo of one similar to this, but the thread died before much more information came out. Possibly a Regal? Any help on this would be really appreciated. It's my first mandolin. I'm a guitar guy buy trade, but this little old gal has really wrapped herself around my finger as a favorite pick-up-and-play instrument.

As John Denver would say, " Far Out" ! I would say, " I don't know" !

[Rodney Riley]

Not a well gnown make.

[barney 59]

Regal made those. I have one around here somewhere. I've seen a couple of that design but fancier that were attributed to Larson Brothers but I'd say that one is a Regal.

[gspan2]

I think I've got to agree with you. Shortly after posting here I found two identical models, albeit one had a fancy pickguard on it. They were id'd as Regals from 1920'ish. Thanks!

[Andrew B. Carlson]

I think think it's smurfin' neato!

[Jim Garber]

Regal made. I have seen many of these with different labels: Regal, Guydyu (Lyon & Healy, Washington, Burdwise, Wilcutt, Ditson and, more than often, no label at all. We call them reverse scroll mandolins. I like the offbeat design. very common and were probably sold by the dozen as wholesale to stores.

[Willie Poole]

I`ve seen a few of these around but can`t help wondering why the reverse scroll since it doesn`t alter the sound of a mandolin...I guess it is just a design used in hopes of attracting peoples attention, at least with the regular F models we can hang a strap on them...also looks like it would be a problem attaching the fingerboard IF it is a dove tail joint....

[Keith Witty]

That, my friend, is a mandolin.

Glad to help you out!

[allenhopkins]

Regal "reverse scroll." These were made in round-hole, flat-top configuration, and in carved-top, f-hole as well. Here's a fancier round-hole from the frets.com "museum," with the Regal label.

Regal made a lot of instruments for other firms and with differing labels. I would guess the odd scroll was just to show that Regal could make a "fancy" instrument like the Gibson F-models, although overall the reverse-scroll mandolins seem to embody the usual Regal characteristic of solid, decently made, inexpensive instruments.

I'm becoming quite a Regal fan, currently playing a Regal koa tiple, a Regal taropatch ukulele, an Octofone, and a "mongrel" banjo with a Regal tenor pot and a homemade "Pete Seeger" long five-string neck. Good quality, nothing fancy, solid woods, "plain Jane" finishes, reliable instruments.