Regal RC-43 Metal Body Triolian Guitar - Antiqued Nickel-Plated Steel

Fret finishing job was terrible. Fret Dressing is rough and incomplete. Something you don't typically find in instruments even at this lower price point. The instrument sounds good and it looks nice but, the playability of the instrument is less than satisfactory because of its poor and very rough fret dressing. Fret wire on both sides of the neck is very noticeably rough and hard on the chord hand.

This is a really nice instrument, period. Perhaps it lacks some of the refinement that a more expensive resonator might provide, but- to my mind, at least - refinement isn't really the point of a resophonic guitar. This guitar plays well and sounds great: what more can one ask? The action is pretty low, so this is probably not the greatest instument for lap-style playing, but I have been extremely pleased with it as a "Spanish"-style bottleneck guitar.

Regal RC-43 Triolian Resonator Guitar  I have found this guitar to be of great value for it's great sound and wonderful vintage looks,(can't beat a slotted headstock and vintage finish). When I first played this guitar I was amazed by how low the action was set. you can chord or slide without any buzz on any of the frets. My old vintage ,(top name in the game) resonator had high action and no truss rod thus making it very difficult to finger and chord in open tunings, or in standard tuning. I at first was going to buy a low budget guitar and replace the cone. I have done this sort of thing in the past and had mixed feelings about the results. So as I saw this guitar I decided to spend a little bit more and not have to go through the hassle of playing guitar repairman. I'am very glad I went this route. The construction and neck joint on this instrument are great. The only thing I did was change the strings for a better quality (and more expensive brand). This one change really made the guitar come to life ,as it should. I now have a very great sounding and beautiful resonator guitar. One of my friends first saw it and thought it was one of those guitars you hear about found in it's case under someone's bed.I'am very glad that I made this purchase. I'am 60 years old and have been playing delta style blues for over 40 of these years and have had many guitars come and go. I don't plan on letting go of this one. It has all the features i have been looking for and have no need to upgrade to a more expensive guitar. Go ahead and spend just a little more money for an instrument that comes out of the box setup properly and will satisfy that monkey nerve you feel when you hear that loud roar or soft raindrop sound that only a fine resonator guitar can produce. I really don't feel that I just got lucky and got the best of the batch. Play one and I really feel you will experance the same results that I have.