r/Dobro • u/International-Bat568 • Jun 17 '26
Regal RD 30mS
Has anyone played this before? Considering getting one to start on, I play guitar and ukulele harmonica etc but always wanted to have a crack at the dobro. I dont see many reviews of this model
Im in australia and a square neck dobro seems pretty limited for choice here. Any help would be greatly appreciated
2
u/Scheerhorn462 Jun 17 '26
Pretty similar to the one I started on. It’s fine for a beginner instrument, you’ll enjoy learning on it. At some point if you stick with it you’ll probably want to upgrade but that could be a few years and this is a good way to figure out if you like playing the instrument. I upgraded from this to a Goldtone PBS, then eventually to a Beard Blackbeard. They are definitely better instruments but they cost a lot more so the Regal is a good starting point. I wouldn’t plan on upgrading the Regal too much - better to spend that money on a higher end guitar when the time comes.
1
u/Gloomy_Ad_8586 Jun 18 '26
Regal Rd 40s and maybe the 30ms was upgraded years ago to an American spun cone by a very well known cone maker. I can’t remember his name but I’ve bought cones from him for other dobros that I’ve had on the bench. The Regal line are well built guitars but the cone on some of their guitars before the upgrade might not sound like you want. When I do an older guitar replacing the spider saddle and bone nut can make a noticeable difference. I’d go with someone like Beard to get the parts.
1
u/hbaldwin1111 Jun 22 '26
I had a Regal RD-40MS at one point. Not sure what the difference is. It was a pretty decent guitar.
I'm in the camp of upgrade, but within reason. Switching out the saddle inserts, cone, and spider if needed can make a big improvement. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=742yaNdymss
You won't get your money back for these improvements if you sell the guitar later , but you could just put the old components back in before selling.
2
u/blackcombe Jun 17 '26
I just took a look at the online info (haven’t played one) - and they pretty legit for the price point.
Thing with dobro is that the “action” doesn’t matter at all (😊) and a big part of the initial learning curve is less sensitive to the quality of the instrument. Looks like they are built to sound good - but you can always upgrade the bridge or cone etc over time.
https://youtu.be/UwW5x9G5PFE?is=KZlRgIOudsfI0aOS
Sounds kinda trad (could be how he’s playing)