Bumstead Regal

The Bumstead Regal is one fine instrument. Features include a beautiful bound headstock that is traditionally slanted at 17 degrees, adjustable truss-rod, '60s neck profile, 22-fret rosewood fingerboard, nickel and silver alloy frets, fine-cut pearloid inlays, set-neck construction, solid mahogany body with maple top and back, custom Bumstead X-1 pickups, tune-o-matic bridge, nitrocellulose finish, top body binding, 2 volume and 2 tone controls with a heavy duty 3-way switch. Mine came with a Sunburst finish with cream pickguard. Chrome hardware. Gold hardware is available.

In February '08 I was in the market for a Gibson Standard or Classic. I went to a local Guitar Center to try out a few that they had on hand. For the money however I noticed that the Epiphone equivalent was just about on par, equipped with the same features. Fit and finish was also comparable. The only main difference that I could tell was in the headstock shape and the fact that the guitar came from overseas. Understanding today that we live in a Global Economy, I don't really give too much credit to something stamped "Made-in-America" any more. "Assembled-in-America" is more like it. So the Epiphone being half the price of the Gibson began to look like a better option.

I began doing some research on the internet and looked at all the LP style guitars available on the market today. I looked at Washburn, Jay Turser, Samick, Stellar, etc., all of which offer a LP type guitar. Then I came on www.bumsteadguitars.com, a small guitar company out of Clarkston, Michigan that makes a LP style guitar that really hit the mark. The specifications were in alignment to what I was looking for and the price (less than an Epiphone) was very attractive. I eMailed the company to get more information and within a couple days got a response back from the company owner. I soon made arrangements to visit his small shop to try out not only the Regal but also several of his other guitar models.

Bumstead greeted me with a warm welcome when I arrived and took me down to his showroom. There I was able to demo the Regal, a bright sunburst finish guitar that had both a pillow maple top and back. It was stunning. Bumstead doesn???t have much of an amp (an old 1990's 60 watt Crate), however the Regal was able to push some really crunchy sounds out of it. I was truly amazed by clarity and distinct tone the pickups produced. The guitar comes equipped with a pair of custom alnico 5 humbuckers made to Bumstead's specifications. [Soon after I purchased the guitars I coil split the pickups by adding a mini toggle switch. This was an easy modification as the pickups are 4 wire.]

To give you a frame of mind, I own a 1959 Gibson ES345, 1963 Gibson SG, and a 2001 Gibson Special equipped with a pair of '57 humbuckers. The Bumstead Regal, equipped with its X-1 humbuckers sounds as good as any of these instruments. It sounds different, but just as good!!!

The Regal is tight. Its finish is like glass. Bumstead boasts that the guitar has 16 coats of lacquere (6 colour / 10 clear). The action was almost perfect right out of the store. I made only minor adjustments to my liking, which was easy. The neck on the guitar was smooth as a baby's butt. No snags from the frets. I had one fret filed down, only because I am extreamly picky, however I did the same to my 2001 Gibson LP right after I purchased it. There were four frets that I had adjusted. So, in my mind, the Regal is ahead of the curve.

The hardware, finish, woods, bindings are all are high-quality. I would not be afraid of taking this guitar on the road. The only item I found missing on the guitar was a small felt washer that goes between the strap lock and the guitar body. One of the strap locks had the felt washer, and one did not. This is obviously a fluke. I eMailed the company and they shipped one out by USPS the next day. I kind of feel like a heal, because I ended up replacing the stock locks with a pair of Zeppelinn ZSL600 strap locks. So I ended up not needing the felt washer after all.

Seems okay so far. I have had no issues with the guitar. The warranty seems fair. Standard 2 year - not lifetime.

As noted above, I own many Gibson???s. I also own a couple lawsuits, Ibanez, PRS and a new Parker. The Bumstead Regal is no less of a guitar than the Gibson???s, PRS and Parker, in both sound and quality. It is also a far better value for the dollar.

I am a professional musician of 35 years. I enjoy playing everything from C&W, blues and classic rock! I own a successful recording studio in the Detroit metro area and am thinking of stocking it with a Bumstead Regal, Imperial and Fury! Just waiting for the Serial number versions to be available.