Sérgio Dias

Sergio Dias got the Regvlvs Raphael prototype as a gift by Claudio Cesar Dias Baptista (CCDB), in 1966. He used this guitar in every Os Mutantes gig and studio record from around 1967 to 1971, when he sold this guitar to Henrique Bartsch, to pay for a trip to the United States. This guitar can be seen at the cover of Tropicalia (1968), Mutantes (1969) and the back cover of Jardim Eletrico (1971).

This guitar is called Raphael, made by Regvlvs (a brazilian obscure brand) from 1965 to 1969 (yes, it is pronounced 'Regulus'). This guitar was made (kinda) famous in Brazil since it was used by Sergio Dias, guitar player from Os Mutantes. His older brother, Claudio Cesar Dias Baptista (aka CCDB), was a luthier and owner of Regvlvs, and created this model by commission to be, in his words, "the most perfect guitar in the world". The guitar is known as "Regvlvs" or "Golden Guitar" in Brazil, even though the model was called 'Raphael' in Regvlvs ads and manuals.

He planned to make a hollowbody guitar and created the concept of a guitar based on a violin, so the body would vibrate more. But, at the same time he had to account for the feedback that it would create, what could compromise the guitar's sound at loud performances. So he highered the neck angle (this guitar has a 11º neck angle like violins; in comparison, a Gibson Les Paul has a 3º angle) and compensate the additional vibration using a layered top in Pau Marfim wood. The neck also used Pau Marfim (Agonandra brasiliensis) and the scale was made in Brazilian Rosewood.

This guitar was definitely not a normal one. It was ENTIRELY made by hand and used very specific parts and measures. For instance, it used a 25.9" scale, to increase string pressure and therefore, to improve the vibrational transmission from the bridge to the guitar top, according to CCDB. The metal hardware was all made out of brass, and then gold-plated. Some guitars used a cheaper finish, with chrome plated hardware. It uses a tremolo bridge very similar to a Bigsby B6. Its design was heavily inspired by the Guild Duane Eddy (DE-400 or DE-500). It is almost a copy, but it's a double-cutaway guitar. The scale used the “T-Zone tempered treble" created by Gretsch: starting at the 12th fret, all the frets were angled one degree sharp.

The electronic circuit in this guitar is very interesting: it uses a Jazzmaster/Jaguar kind of logic of having two circuits in one, but also with many more features. This guitar has two low-impedance magnetic pickups and one piezo pickup, which could be used together (in the guitar's stereo output) or just one of them. It also had a built-in fuzz and a built-in treble booster. The fuzz would be connected to the bridge magnetic pickup, so you could use the regular knobs to use the clean sound of the guitar and switch to the fuzz sound using the bridge only - just like the rhythm circuit of a Jazzmaster, but with a built-in effect and using the opposite pickup. So you could use a very "warm" hollowbody sound and switch to a very agressive fuzz sound in seconds, with nothing needed besides the guitar. And of course, a 9V battery (or 4 AA). A true 60's model.

This "Regvlvs Kier", actually, is the second guitar made for Sergio Dias (also called Regvlvs Raphael II). CCDB tried to higher the range of the pickups and to use a harsh distortion with low noise: the solution he came up with was to create a 'hexaphonic' guitar - one single pickup for each string, which would be connected to one effect pedal circuit each. He also made taps for the magnetic pickups - Dias could change the pickup's sound by turning a rotary switch, which has 10 different taps for each pickup. This model, specifically, used gold foils not just in the inside, but also in the outside, supposedly shielding and connecting the entire surface of the guitar. Every aspect of this instrument is INSANE. That guitar can be seen with him in the Os Mutantes Live recorded in 2006.

Esta Gretsch era do querido Helio Delmiro que a comprou nos USA e eu tenho a sorte de ser o segundo dono... uma honra... sergio dias

Eu desenhei esta guitarra e a fiz construir por telefone com uma tradutora falando para o Luthyer Chinez, é de maple escavada frente e traz, tem um braço maravilhoso e a eletronica se explica nesse url creio, tem compressor/ 2 x distorcedores, delay/ chorus/ stereo out/ Piezzo on the bridge com ela eu toco... sergio dias

In the YouTube video titled "SERGIO DIAS-Panis Et Circenses," Sérgio Dias can be seen playing the Luna Guitars Heartsong 12 String Acoustic Guitar, describing it as a "maravilhoso violao de 12" and likening 12-string guitars to his piano.

In the YouTube video "Mixto Quente - Sergio Dias (O Rei do Amor)" by Cláudio Escudero, Sérgio Dias plays a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. This guitar is equipped with a Bill Lawrence side-by-side humbucker single bar and a CCDB Guitar Trek preamp, featuring a unique neck setup by Wachuwan in New York City.

esta é minha Line 6 Variax 700 com um braço Mighty Mite que eu troquei o outro era muito bem feito mas muito "truculento" ela esta sendo usada tambem com um Midi wireless da Fishman Triple Play do qual sou endorser. Braço da alavanca é um da Kier original desenhado por mim

One of the most respected guitarists in Brazil, Sergio is known for playing custom-designed guitars - but he also owns an Eastwood Classic 12, which he told us was "the best twelve-string I ever played."