Clifford Essex Regal

[John Cohen]

Anybody here play a Regal?  How do they compare to the other high-end CE banjos (Special XX, Paragon, Professional)?  The hollow rim is an interesting design.

[thereallyniceman]

Hi John,

I strongly recommend the CE Regal. We had a bit of a discussion about mine as I recorded my Kentucky Parade video on it:

KENTUCKY PARADE ON CE REGAL

Most people seem to have found the banjo very (too) powerful and bright and fitted thicker, Fibreskin type, heads to shut it up.. BUT when mine arrived it had been fitted with a standard frosted Remo and actually sounded really good!

The previous owner had fitted the wrong crown height head, so I fitted an 11" Medium, a maple Morley style bridge and CE Medium strings it sounds delightful.. no harsh edge, great bass and treble is clear all the way to fret 22.

I love it and will never sell mine. IMHO it plays better than than the Paragon which needs to be picked really hard to drive the tone ring and has a bass that is a bit thin when I play it. When Rob Murch played mine using fingerpicks it comes to life, but I don't use fingerpicks.

The Professional is a different beast all together... great for Classic Style with amazing bass, but just not sounding as nice and alive as the Regal through full 3 octaves.

Of course this is all personal taste and set up!

[John Cohen]

Thanks Ian for the info. As my right hand continues to improve and develop I find myself getting a very bright tone with less meat than I would like at times. My main player is a large rimmed Silver Bell that is a real beast. The way I have it set up it can cause hearing loss and peel paint off the walls, great fun if I want to rip through a march or rag. While it still sounds like a Silver Bell should, it lacks musicality on lighter pieces unless you really back off on the volume, which isn't possible in a performance setting. The sound and punch of the 4th string could be better as well. I've been out looking for a more versatile banjo to play some of the pretty, soft music (Frank Converse stuff, etc.) but that also has the ability to play brightly when needed.

Before someone brings it up, yes, I have heard people like Drew Frech play delicate music to great effect on a Silver Bell, but the technique required is different (Drew plays with extended fingers and nails) as is the setup (heavy strings, ebony capped modern bridge).

[Jody Stecher]

I will be posting some videos soon of my new setup on my Regal. I used to play with the original (old) CE vellum and (new) CE gut strings.  Now I have a fiberskyn head, Aquila Nylgut strings, and a Stefanelli Hollywood bridge (actually a bridge made from the wood of the Holly).  I like this setup a lot.  It has a "classic" classic sound with appropriate "ping". It has a lot of carrying power.  WIth the vellum and gut strings there was a bit of "hollowness" that I didn't like.

[John Cohen]

"classic" sound is good as the Silver Bell definitely has it's own special tonality.  It's lovely but sometimes I wish for something that has more of a woody, meaty pop and zing.  Ian, your Regal sounds lovely as does your playing!

[John Cohen]

The bass sounds strong in your recordings.  In person does it have a nice depth to it?

[thereallyniceman]

John, if you are asking me, I record with a zoom h2 digital recorder and do not fiddle with the sound equalisation, so that it how it sounds, but I do have a heavy thumb!

I like the "rasping" bass that the Regal has... a real growl :-)

[Jody Stecher]

And if you're asking me  about the video recordings of my Regal with the old setup which I posted a while back, yes there is lots of depth to the sound. It is not thin anywhere. Full sound up to the last fret.

thereallyniceman said:

John, if you are asking me, I record with a zoom h2 digital recorder and do not fiddle with the sound equalisation, so that it how it sounds, but I do have a heavy thumb!

I like the "rasping" bass that the Regal has... a real growl :-)

[John Cohen]

Thanks guys.  Is the fingerboard wide like a Special XX/Concert Grand or narrow like a Paragon?

[John Cohen]

Also, how does it compare to a CE Special?  I imagine the bass response of the Special is quite good with the solid, deep rim, but the hollow vented rim of the Regal is intriguing.  Sometimes I wish I lived in England so I could try these banjos out before buying.

[Jody Stecher]

The neck profile and fingerboard widths on these 3 models is different for each I think. I don't have a Paragon to compare but my memory is of neck that is a bit too thin at the nut but gets more substantial further up the neck. The Regal has less wood in the neck than the Special XX and the fingerboard is narrower at the nut but I wouldn't call it narrow. There is a ample room. The neck profile feels unlike the five-string Paragons I have played.

John Cohen said:

Thanks guys.  Is the fingerboard wide like a Special XX/Concert Grand or narrow like a Paragon?

[Jody Stecher]

There is a CE Regal for sale in Johnson City, Tennessee. 

John Cohen said:

Sometimes I wish I lived in England so I could try these banjos out before buying.

[John Cohen]

Really?  Do you have a contact?  The one I'm looking at is mint and in England.  I'm finalizing shipping with the seller, but it might be easier to purchase one already in the States.