Recording King (in general)

[Sesop]

Anyone have any opinions on Recording King? Whether you own one, have played any, etc. I recently picked up a Blueridge BG-160, which I LOVE. It was great out of the box and has made me curious about RK. Having now experienced Blueridge first hand, it's easy to believe all the stellar reviews I've been reading about them, which gives some legitimacy to the RK reviews I've read (not sure why one gives the other credence, but whatever).

Any RK experiences/insights/reviews/suggestions/etc would be appreciated. I'm specifically interested in their all solid guitars- especially the higher-grade woods, but would love to read/hear about any RKs and/or any comparisons to other brands...

Merry Xmas!

[OddManOut]

I have owned the following RKs: RP-06, ROS-06, ROS-606, RNJ-27 solid maple sitka.

In gerneral, RKs vary in voice like any other guitar. Find a good one and they are really quite good sounding for the money. But in my experience not all are good sounding.

The main warning I would give you about RK is the variability of the neck sets. About half which I have tried at various shops had low saddles or saddles with weird height profiles. Their QC seems to be lacking a bit. The RNJ-27 went back because of the neck set, and I took the ROS-606 in its place.

I hope this helps.

Originally Posted by Sesop

Anyone have any opinions on Recording King? Whether you own one, have played any, etc. I recently picked up a Blueridge BG-160, which I LOVE. It was great out of the box and has made me curious about RK. Having now experienced Blueridge first hand, it's easy to believe all the stellar reviews I've been reading about them, which gives some legitimacy to the RK reviews I've read (not sure why one gives the other credence, but whatever).

Any RK experiences/insights/reviews/suggestions/etc would be appreciated. I'm specifically interested in their all solid guitars- especially the higher-grade woods, but would love to read/hear about any RKs and/or any comparisons to other brands...

Merry Xmas!

[cke]

The bugaboo with all Chinese sourced gits is consistency, but hey are improving it seems.

I find RK's to be generally good quality Martin/Gibson imitations controlled by a San Francisco based company. They are not really copies, but do pretty well on their own terms with vintage look and good sound.

I think they are a bit better than Blueridge's, but the class act in Chinese guitars in Eastman, a true luthery shop

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Sesop

Anyone have any opinions on Recording King?

Hi Sesop...

My opinions are very favorable. Had a 000-12 (ROS626) all solid, Mahogany/Spruce with 1⅞'' nut for a year. My gigging partner bought it off of me since he has huge hands.

I still get to play it, and really it surprised me how good it was. I was looking for a travel guitar, and it was still not small in the RV.

Anyway, I've recommended their all-solids to several friends.

[EDIT]I just noticed you wanted a comparison to other brands. It was not the quality of a Martin 000-12 (which it is a copy of), but it is better than a Seagull (which only costs 60% of the Recording King). About the quality of a low end all-solid Larrivee. Characteristic was more Martin-esque than contemporary.

The action is great, and highly adjustable. Fit-n-finish is good.

[dmcowles@comcas]

There's a whole section devoted to these here:
http://theunofficialblueridgeguitarf...d-Silver-Creek

[naolslager]

I've owned 6-7. All have been fine instruments. No issues. In fact my ONLY guitar is an RK.

[Bax Burgess]

Their low-end single cone reso, swapped a Beard cone into it, significant improvement to every string.

[Toby Walker]

I've owned the RNJ - 25 for a couple of years now and it's a fine sounding guitar for playing old time finger style blues and ragtime.

I know Neil Harp of stellaguitars.com uses one when he plays out... and that's saying something.

[gibbyguy]

I've owned a ROS-647 for about 1.5 years; it bears very close resemblance to a 00-42 Martin of the early 1900s. I love the sound. It certainly has a front stall in my stable of guitars. It has a unique sound comparable to any other 12 fret 000 or 00 guitar.
I have a JJB 330 pickup installed. It's gorgeous sounding.
You can hear it here - in fact I just recorded this today and will post it after Christmas for review on AGF.

Blindfolded
The guitar profile picture is of my ROS-647

[millerzj]

I own a RK RD-126 dread. Built close to specs of pre-war D-18. Very nice sounding guitar. It did have a bit of lift or space at the back of the bridge. I notice this not to long after purchase. Nothing huge but you could slip a piece of paper maybe 2mm in. I could have sent it back, but I was so impressed with the sound I went ahead and took the bridge completely off, sanded old glue off bridge and top,,,,looked like some finish underneath the edges was the culprit, so sanded that away and reglued. Some great guitars in the RK stable but I would not buy sight unseen. Like others have said, QC is a work in progress. Play it and check it over good before purchase and you can find some gems.

[patticake]

i love the sound of rk's 000 sized guitars, particularly the ROS-626, and i like the dreads, but the all solid parlors sound pretty overbuilt, although their solid top parlor, the RP-06, is one of the best sounding guitars (and best priced!) in its class.

i've seen some cosmetic imperfections in some of the recording kings i've played, but considering the price and tone, the way i see it, who cares?

[jpd]

They are a value when you compare the pricing with the components...some have issues with the tuners, bridge loosening, and the notorious "loose curling pick-guard". I would give them a look.

CKE..+1 on Eastman>superior in all aspects. J.D.

[kydave]

Another + for Recording King guitars.

I've owned two dreads, one in mahogany; one in rosewood. Both were very nice sounding, playing & looking guitars.

Living near their headquarters, I've been fortunate enough to play MANY of their guitars, often from the prototype stage on. They are a good organization (The Music Link is the parent company) and very interested in producing a very good instrument at affordable prices.

The RD-26 (Engelmann over mahogany) that I owned was played in jams at a festival with Martins, Taylors and Collings guitars and held its own very nicely, receiving some favorable comments and surprise at its low price.

I'll see if I can find the link to that guitar playing with some Martins in a comparison.

Here is the RD-26.

[Joie2800]

I have an ROS-16. Got it in April. It has opened up wonderfully with daily playing, and I have grown to love it. Sketchy note: hairs (human?) embedded in the finish on the top! I'd recommend a Recording King to anyone looking for an inexpensive, good-sounding instrument.

[Sesop]

Any of you RK owners/players have experience with Blueridge? How would you say the quality/playability/value/sound compares? I know it's subjective- just wondering about your experience...