![]() #SLINGERLAND SONGSTER FOR SALE CRACK#Aside from a short repaired crack near the soundhole, though, there are no structural issues I suspect the guitar has already had a neck reset. It also has a replacement fretboard, which is why the neck binding is so much whiter than the other plastic trim. This particular guitar has been around the block, as is evident by all the wear to the finish. The catalog description, largely copied from the model 81 Songster archtop, mentions the Hawaiian model’s flat top before calling it an archtop with a hinged tailpiece – proofreading counts! As with the archtops, the Hawaiian model has a solid spruce top and 3-ply maple back and sides. The Slingerland catalog describes the 881-H as a companion to the Songster archtop Spanish and tenor models. In fact, many of this model – including this example – have been converted back for Spanish-style playing. ![]() It’s easy to suspect that the model was originally designed to be a Spanish guitar but was converted for lap-style playing shortly before shipment. All were also featured with conventional low nuts and given metal nut extenders to set them up for Hawaiian-style playing. Although a square neck would have saved the cost of carving, all were fitted with a conventional round neck. Pickguards were sometimes elevated and sometimes screwed to the top, fret markers varied, and some bodies even featured an inward curve in the back to better accommodate the player’s leg. This is a good example of a mid- to high-grade Regal from the company’s later years.Īs with most Slingerland guitars, there are numerous variations known to exist. ![]() Regal is mostly remembered for cheap guitars, which they turned out in enormous numbers, but they also produced some fairly high-end instruments in their custom shop (which occupied an entire floor of the Regal factory). Like many Slingerland guitars, this Songster 881-H flat-top was built by Regal. ![]() While not really a brand in its own right, Songster instruments were representative of a certain middle level of quality. In the 1930s, Slingerland offered a wide variety of models under the Songster name: archtop guitars, solidbody electric Spanish and lap steel guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and banjos. It’s not going to take the place of my main acoustics, but it’s a great knock around guitar. I purchased this guitar knowing that it had undergone some modifications to make it playable, not to mention lots of wear to the finish, but it’s a rare model and was reasonably priced. I’m a bit of a Slingerland guitar fan: they were really just a sideline for a company that made its living off of banjos and drums, but Slingerland’s guitars were unique in appearance and the nicer models sound excellent. ![]()
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