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  #1  
Old 09-22-2016, 09:45 AM
bkepler bkepler is offline
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Location: Maryland
Posts: 263
Default NGD - Recording King Dirty Thirties RPH-03-BK

I have been eyeing the cheap small guitar market for a while and had played the sunburst version of this (RPH-05). I enjoyed the sound but really didn't like the matte finish with the sunburst. When I saw the black one, I found it much more acceptable for some reason. I don't normally go for colored acoustics because I like seeing the wood, but this worked for me. You don't see the RPH-03 very often but it showed up on a store's website and I was able to get it new for $120. Seemed like a no-brainer.

Things that I like:
  • It does have a nice, open, loud sound. The Jim Dandy, by comparison is much more muted. The RK has a punchy midrange and I was pleasantly impressed with the low end.
  • The longer scale-length works well in dropped and open tunings.
  • The action is low and very playable.
  • The intonation is great.
  • The compensated saddle is quite tall. It has plenty of life left in it.
Things that were disappointments:
  • The peak of the headstock was pretty badly dinged and the white undercoat shows through any damage.
  • It was missing the fret dot on the 5th fret. I searched through all of the packaging, but it must have wanted to stay in China really badly.
  • It was confirmed that the matte finish is pretty loud when it rubs against your clothes.
  • The binding on the fretboard is a nice touch, but the black dots on the side are poorly executed.
  • The rosette is a decal, not inlayed.
  • The body is not bound on the top and back. I suspected it wasn't, but couldn't find any good pictures before purchasing. I believe the whole guitar is painted with a cream undercoat, then the "binding" is taped before it gets the black coat of paint. It's not super even and there are a few instances of over-spray from the black.
  • The low action that's good, means that it's not great for slide. I might tweak some stuff, but I'm not too bothered by that.
  • The 1 11/16" nut is comfortable to play, but the string spacing at the saddle is a bit tight for finger picking. Strumming is nice, though.
  • It stinks. As a music teacher, my students constantly have instruments that are still very fragrant. This is a little more "woody" than theirs, but still quite noticeable.

I know the "dislikes" list is much longer, but I'm not unhappy with the purchase at the price that I got it. If I had paid the $199 that you often see, I'd probably send it back. It sounds and plays well enough and for such a deal, I'll make it a project/experiment guitar.
__________________
Lowden G-23
Pono DS-20
Martin D-18 Standard
Recording King RD-328
Epiphone 1934 Olympic
Composite Acoustics Cargo
Recording King ROS-11-FE3-TBR
Alvarez AJ-417/12
Silvertone 1958/9 620 Jumbo
Supertone 1941 3/4 Scale (Terz?)
Oscar Schmidt 3/4 Scale
Kepler Biscuit Reso
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  #2  
Old 02-01-2017, 10:36 PM
bkepler bkepler is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Maryland
Posts: 263
Default NGD - Recording King Dirty Thirties RPH-03-BK

Quote:
Originally Posted by bkepler View Post
I have been eyeing the cheap small guitar market for a while and had played the sunburst version of this (RPH-05). I enjoyed the sound but really didn't like the matte finish with the sunburst. When I saw the black one, I found it much more acceptable for some reason. I don't normally go for colored acoustics because I like seeing the wood, but this worked for me. You don't see the RPH-03 very often but it showed up on a store's website and I was able to get it new for $120. Seemed like a no-brainer.



Things that I like:
  • It does have a nice, open, loud sound. The Jim Dandy, by comparison is much more muted. The RK has a punchy midrange and I was pleasantly impressed with the low end.
  • The longer scale-length works well in dropped and open tunings.
  • The action is low and very playable.
  • The intonation is great.
  • The compensated saddle is quite tall. It has plenty of life left in it.

Things that were disappointments:
  • The peak of the headstock was pretty badly dinged and the white undercoat shows through any damage.
  • It was missing the fret dot on the 5th fret. I searched through all of the packaging, but it must have wanted to stay in China really badly.
  • It was confirmed that the matte finish is pretty loud when it rubs against your clothes.
  • The binding on the fretboard is a nice touch, but the black dots on the side are poorly executed.
  • The rosette is a decal, not inlayed.
  • The body is not bound on the top and back. I suspected it wasn't, but couldn't find any good pictures before purchasing. I believe the whole guitar is painted with a cream undercoat, then the "binding" is taped before it gets the black coat of paint. It's not super even and there are a few instances of over-spray from the black.
  • The low action that's good, means that it's not great for slide. I might tweak some stuff, but I'm not too bothered by that.
  • The 1 11/16" nut is comfortable to play, but the string spacing at the saddle is a bit tight for finger picking. Strumming is nice, though.
  • It stinks. As a music teacher, my students constantly have instruments that are still very fragrant. This is a little more "woody" than theirs, but still quite noticeable.



I know the "dislikes" list is much longer, but I'm not unhappy with the purchase at the price that I got it. If I had paid the $199 that you often see, I'd probably send it back. It sounds and plays well enough and for such a deal, I'll make it a project/experiment guitar.


It's been a few months and I thought I'd post an update on this guitar. My initial assessment was mostly accurate, but I'd add that the sound is what I would call..."raw". A lot of midrange and a bit unfocused. Granted, this is in rotation with a Lowden and a Pono. I think it makes a really nice 2nd guitar in a mix. The other heavy-hitters can stand alone, but this does much better used to expand the tonal palette. Anyway, here are some long overdue pictures...






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
__________________
Lowden G-23
Pono DS-20
Martin D-18 Standard
Recording King RD-328
Epiphone 1934 Olympic
Composite Acoustics Cargo
Recording King ROS-11-FE3-TBR
Alvarez AJ-417/12
Silvertone 1958/9 620 Jumbo
Supertone 1941 3/4 Scale (Terz?)
Oscar Schmidt 3/4 Scale
Kepler Biscuit Reso
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  #3  
Old 02-02-2017, 08:48 AM
Cross Roads Cross Roads is offline
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 113
Default

Great review!
Thanks for the update.
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