Regal Musical Instrument Company Regal Musical Instrument Company The Regal Musical Instrument Company was established in 1908 in Chicago. By the 1930s, they were one of the largest manufacturers of musical instruments in the world. Regal specialised in: Regal was heavily involved in the production of resonator fretted instruments from their first development until 1941, manufacturing components and bodies for both the National String Instrument Corporation and the Dobro Manufacturing Company and producing whole instruments which sold under many brand names including "Dobro". The bodies of their Laminated bellied guitars were particularly suited to resonator conversion. Production of resonator guitars ceased in 1941, and
Kay Musical Instrument Company skilled craftsmen using special ordered machinery. They even had a hot stamping machine that could emboss the trademark KAY cursive script. After the dissolve of Kay/Valco in 1968, the Engelhardt-Link company bought the upright bass and cello lines at the asset auction in 1969, and continue to produce the same instrument lines till today. Manufactured in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Engelhardt basses and cellos are sturdy instruments, widely used by students and touring professionals. The "ES9 Swingmaster" bass (formerly the Kay "S9 Swingmaster"), is highly thought-of by jazz, swing, and bluegrass musicians. Kay Musical Instrument Company Kay Musical Instrument Company