Recording King RM 991 M
submitted 9/3/2010
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Submitter |
curtiseallen |
Where Purchased |
on line seller on ebay - mauery21804 |
Year Purchased |
2010 |
Price Paid |
about 440 ($US) |
Sound
|
I mainly play fingerstyle guitar, in standard, alternate and slack key styles. I use the Recording King resophonic for blues slide and blues fingerpicking, and some slack key. It is able to handle turings down to cgdgad, though the relatively short scale results in loss of some definition on the low c. Does nicely in dgdgbd and dadgad. Louder sound than expected. Handles blues slide really well. I think it compares to the other resonators in the $ 600 price range well. |
Sound Rating |
7 |
Setup
|
Out of the box, the action was perhaps a bit high for fingerstyle if that's what I was playing all the time on the thing, but not so high to make me fiddle with changing it two months into owning it. Plus, the slide works really well, so I'm not sure I could do a great deal of improvement monkeying around with the action. The end result is that it is possible that your hands will get tired after a few hours if you do a lot of up the neck playing. |
Setup Rating |
8 |
Appearance
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The price was advertised as discounted due to blemishes and a small edge ding/scratch. Can't notice any of the imperfections unless you spend some real time inspecting. |
Appearance Rating |
7 |
Reliability
|
Had to take it apart to do some minor work, and inside seemed reasonable. |
Reliability Rating |
7 |
Customer Service
|
Easy initial transaction, quick delivery, and exterior appearance of resonator was better than advertised. But there was a rattle in the body due to some loose wood. I had to take take the cone plate and cones out and screw the end strap pin into the loose wood chunk. Called the seller before I did the fix. He said that I could return the guitar for a replacement or if I fixed it myself he'd knock $ 50 off the price. I called him back a few times and sent him a few emails indicated I did the fix, but I never got ahold of him and did not get the $ 50.00 credit as far as I can tell. |
Customer Service |
7 |
Components
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1 3/4 inch nut. Scale feels a bit short but my flat-tops have long scales to begin with. |
Components Rating |
7 |
Overall Comments
|
I mainly play flat-top acoustic guitars, but I've been wanting a resophonic guitar for a long time for blues and Hawaiian. I have been priced out of the Nationals. (For the last 4 years I have almost got one about 3 times couldn't justify the expense.) I've tried Regals and Fenders and some Beards which are more in my price range. But have not been satisfied with them... their tone has seemed too thin or shallow, and sometimes their necks are not wide enough for my taste. I've been really happy with the Recording King's tone and feel. Like most Non-Nationals, probably lacks the dynamic range or sturdiness of the Nationals, but all in all a very nice compromise between quality and afforability... At this point unless a National falls in my lap unexpectedly I will be quite happy using the Recording King. |
Overall Rating |
7 |
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