In the first half of the 20th century, Regal produced a diverse range of guitars and other instruments, under both their own brand and the labels of other retailers. Of all the Chicago-made Regals, carved-top archtops like the Bobcat are especially rare. These old Regal archtops show impressive build quality that rivals the bigger names of the era, like Gibson and Epiphone. The Bobcat has the proportions and construction of a traditional jazz guitar, but of course with distinct 1930s Regal styling. With its Deco-inspired appointments, distinctive headstock veneer, and long, elegant f-holes, this circa 1939-1940 Bobcat is an archtop that brings a lot to the table.
This 1939-1940 Bobcat features a solid carved Spruce top with traditional tone bar bracing, and the back and sides are solid Mahogany. The lower bout measures 16-5/8", and the side depth is 4". With a 25-3/8" scale length, it produces the full-bodied sound of a big body archtop, but its narrower waist provides a more manageable and comfortable fell than other archtops that feel large and unwieldy. It has a rosewood fingerboard with large Art Deco-inspired block inlays, and the two-tone headstock "Bobcat" veneer, cast Tailpiece, and multi-color top binding complete the aesthetic. Authentic vibe and charm of the era.
This Bobcat recently went through Jake Wildwood’s shop in Rochester, Vermont. While in his care, Jake reset the neck, leveled and dressed the frets, reinforced the rosewood bridge, reinforced the pickguard, and optimized the setup. At some point along the way, the pickguard crumbled and cracked, but with the reinforcement, it's got some vibe For its age, this Bobcat is very clean cosmetically, so with a setup 100% dialed, it feels like a sincere find. It has an approachable medium C-shaped neck, and its specs are more like a modern guitar with a ~12" fingerboard radius, medium-large frets, and 1-11/16" nut width.
As for sound, this 1939-40 Regal Bobcat produces a warm, woody archtop tone with strong mids, chunky low end, and plenty of punch across the board. It has the full, rounded character we want from a hand-carved spruce top, but it retains enough attack and dynamics for single-note lines as well as chordal playing. The Bobcat is particularly well suited to traditional jazz, blues, country-blues, old-time accompaniment, and other styles where a dry, immediate archtop voice fits the music. It includes a presumably original semi-hard case.