Guitar Dreams

Regal Musical Instruments: 1895-1955 traces the history of the Chicago musical manufacturer. With its roots in Indianapolis, the Regal familiar to most collectors and players was spun off of music giant Lyon & Healy in 1908. Besides making ukuleles, mandolins, guitars and other stringed instruments for Lyon & Healy, Regal of Chicago supplied the majority of America's wholesalers with "house brand" instruments, and also had a long relationship with Montgomery-Ward catalogue. Regal Musical Instruments 1895-1955 draws upon period trade magazines, distributor catalogues, as well as the never before published memories of Regal factory employees to paint a complete picture of the company's history. Also included is an in-depth descriptive guide to identifying and dating some of Regal's best-known instruments, highlighted by full color photographs of guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and banjos.