Regal Red Garland
It has fluorocarbon strings and is tuned g~C~E~A
What I have invited now is a rather nice looking black label green(?)burst Regal with a solid red chain of flowers that, to my mind, look a bit like poppies. Maybe with all of the centenary of Armistice Day and everything that has steered me that way? And apart from the colour they are not especially poppy like, but overall the Ukulele does look rather fine if a little dirty...
Though I am not sure about that? I have given it a good polish and with some wax based cleaner which did remove quite a bit of accumulated grime but the finish (which is more silver grey than green) still looks a little grubby. Maybe this how it is suppose to look as I tried washing a small portion and it didn't make any real difference either? I suppose I always look a little grubby even when I get out of the bath so why shouldn't one of my Ukuleles? Apart from that it is a very solid looking Ukulele no cracks, splits, chips, burst seams, missing frets and the neck is solid too. Yes there are two missing tuners but the seller did include the buttons for these, (and the two very old feltrums which I put straight in the bin; along with the one gut string) so with the addition of posts I will make up a full set, string it up and it will be good to go.
Its age is interesting, (to me), too. It's a black label Regal which I believe puts its manufacture into the 1920's or very early 30's, (I'm not sure when they switched from the green label, or to the blue one with the crown, but from what I have seen it can't have been later than 1933), It's physical build looks to be from before Regal brought the JR Stewart machinery and stock in 1930 and it does have a pristine "Regal the mark of better instruments" soundhole label; so pristine that it shows it never had a "Standard Approved" soundhole label. Regal were never as much a stickler for affixing this label to every Ukulele and Banjolele they made but the did use it sometimes so I'm wondering if the lack of it here does point the this Ukulele being made before 1927 when it was introduced?