Regent Semi Acoustic | Part Two

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

There was more work to be done on this Regent Semi Acoustic than I had originally expected, and I ended up taking it apart completely. The headstock was in particularly bad shape, having been mutilated numerous times over the years. There were numerous unfilled screw holes and even chunks of wood missing, gouged out by some individual in the past. As Tojeng wanted a new set of tuners put on, some remedial work was needed. I filled up all the screw holes and cavities with epoxy, sanded it relatively flat, and finished off with sanding sealer, gloss black, clear lacquer, rubbing compound, auto polish (silicone free); plus loads of elbow grease.

All the hardware (including the Bigsby-style vibrato tailpiece) was grimy, tarnished and rusty, so out came the sandpaper, steel wool, files, and good old Autosol. Sad to say, after sweating it out for days, it was not possible to remove all the rust. However, I did have better luck with the many rusty screws on the guitar, having sourced suitable replacements from various hardware stores and car/motorcycle workshops in Kuantan. One kind motorcycle workshop owner even gave me a few bolts for free.

As for the four-ply body, a previous Gotoh bridge humbucker transplant had left its mark in the form of numerous deep splits and cracks. These were duly repaired with a mixture of wood filings and super glue. As a refinish was not on the cards, the affected areas were only sanded and polished; leaving the repair job highly visible.

On to the guts, then. You might have noticed that the pots are all 250K, and the caps 0.047mfd. Rather unconventional, but Tojeng loves the tone, and so these values were maintained. There were a number of suspect solder joints, so I decided to rewire the whole thing. This job included putting in new caps, running a ground wire from the switch body to the bridge, and replacing the worn out stereo jack with a generic mono one (sorry, no Switchcraft). I'm pleased to report that the Regent has been restrung with Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys and is now ready for some serious action onstage in the hands of its proud owner, Tojeng. Here are some pics for you.

250K pots, 0.047uF caps and stereo output jack.

After rewiring.

Time to put everything back together.

The result of loads of sweat and elbow grease.

New set of tuning machines.

New screws and cleaner hardware.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Regent Semi Acoustic | Part One

Part One | Part Two | Part Three

Here is a vintage sunburst Regent semi acoustic that came in earlier tonight, courtesy of my pal Izzat and his buddy Tojeng (the owner). Based on my research, I am of the opinion that this guitar was manufactured by Guyatone in Japan in the late '50s to early '60s, and then exported to Canada under the "Regent" label. Now, although the guitar looks pretty beat-up, the intonation is almost spot-on and it plays like a dream; testimony to the quality of Japanese craftsmanship in those days. The Bigsby-style vibrato tailpiece is smooth and stays in tune. The volume and tone pots are all functioning as they should except for intermittent contact and some scratchiness every now and then, so they'll have to be serviced. Tojeng wants the tuners changed, the wood and hardware cleaned and polished, and a fresh set of 10s put on. Next, in Part Two, we'll look at what was done to get this guitar back in shape.

References
1960’s Vintage Guitars
Hoshino Gakki Ten: IBANEZ and related brands
 

Note zero fret

Note non-original bridge pickup

Neck plate with six bolts

 

Part One | Part Two | Part Three