Product: Recording King RDC 57
Price Paid: USD 399
Submitted
05/17/2009
at
10:19pm
by
jerkowitz
Features
:
10
This is the info from the website where I first saw this model.
Style:
Dreadnaught
Top:
Solid AA Spruce, Sitka
Back & Sides:
Solid Indian rosewood (RDC-57)
Neck:
1-Piece Mahogany
Neck Profile:
Thin "C"
Finish:
Glossy
Rosette:
Cat Eye & Diamond
Purfling:
Black/White
Binding:
Maple Body, Headstock & Fretboard
Fretboard:
Ebony
Headstock Inlay:
Gold Leaf RK
Fretboard Inlay:
Contemporary Snowflake
Frets:
20
Tuners:
Grover Rotomatic
Bridge:
Ebony
Pickguard:
N/A
Truss Rod:
Double Action
Pickup:
N/A
Strings:
D'Addario Phosphor Bronze
Nut, Width:
Bone, 1-11/16"
Scale Length:
25.4"
Depth:
5"
Upper Bout:
11.75"
Lower Bout:
15.5"
Body Length:
20"
Total Length:
40.75"
Sound
:
10
Sounds great. I am not an acoustic guitar expert but I own 5 acoustics including this one. It has a nice boomy but clear bottom end and nice clear highs with plenty of volume. I use it for sitting and picking when I am in the mood for bluegrass. I mostly play electric but also like to do unplugged stuff more and more. The tuners are excellent. Specs are listed above but everything checked out.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
9
I bought this off of ebay as a factory second for $399 no case. List price is $849 but they have them at guitarhut dot net for $675 with case. They also have a sound sample of this model and that is one reason I grabbed this off of ebay, it sounded great on the sample and sounds better in person. The seller said it had dirt in the binding which turned out that it has real maple binding, not the plastic stuff on most guitars so he must have mistook it as dirty plastic. The binding itself is quite attractive. Also was supposed to have a finish flaw on the back but could not see it myself. It has an very nice AA spruce top and the solid rosewood back and sides are excellent. The tuners are excellent. Specs are listed above but everything checked out. One thing it has I have never seen before is the pick-guard it uses. Its not plastic, it's a sort of soft material, you can run a fingernail across it, it leaves a mark but then the mark goes away and is so glossy you can see yourself in it. It's really different. I bought this as a second so expected to have to do some work on it. The action was high, playable but too high for my taste. I ended up sanding down the bride enough to get a very nice action in the end.
Reliability/Durability
:
10
Everything is very well made on this guitar. Will the finish last? Probably not but it is a nitro finish so I don't expect it to. That was part of the attraction, it should age gracefully and probably will wear some of the finish off but it will gain character in the process.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
I bought it as a second so no customer support...luckily I can do repairs myself.
Overall Rating
:
10
If it got lost or stolen I would look for another one even if I had to pay full price. I have a Martin DX1-RGT which I paid 700 for and the RK 57 is a much nicer guitar. I've been playing for over 40 years, in the early days I played all acoustic, got older and played electric for years and am now returning to my roots I guess. Me and the Recording King will grow old together....OH BTW, I bought an RK-80 banjo awhile back and it is incredible, but that's another story.
