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Old 07-11-2009, 11:20 PM
Turp Turp is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2005
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Default Recording King RO-126 Review

I was going to wait a week or so, but I played since yesterday, had friend play it, and played the guitar at open mic tonight ( had a great mic and monitors). So I figured the results were good enough not to wait.

Some how...GAS...or a number of excuses/explanations....I bit on a Recording King (RK) RO-126. This is a all solid spruce over mahogany 000 sized guitar. I won't go into all the specs but the main thing is: a 000-18 pre-war design with some different aesthetics like heringbone purfing.

Before I continue, I'd to emphasize this review is not about a price/merits of guitar A vs. price/merits of guitar B. It is about the merits and observations of the instrument. Comparisons are just to provide some basis of how the instrument fits in my instruments and my experience.

While I was lookng for a travel/gigging guitar that was in the ballpark what I normally prefer, specifically a 1 3/4"nut and 00 or 000 body specs(comfort), I was taken by the fact it had scalloped bracing and a shortscale neck. I had my local shop order me one. Now this wasn't completely blind because I had played a RO-06, and was impressed with its tone and projection. I figured if they could pull it off with that one, then they could likely do it with their others.

I arrived within the week. Packed nicely.

Okay:
Fit and Finish-
Great, the finish is nice albiet a little thick as typical with some imports but not bad( a non-issue). The woods and grains appear to very good stock. The mahogany is very nice and is vibrant. The trim is tastful and I like the fact it is cream colored rather than white. It has a bit of a antique look and I believe as the spruce darkens, which itself is not very light in color, the guitar will look even better. The torch on the headstock is very nice and the aesthetic I like most on the instrument. The components all look like the fit very well. The tuner work well but are not quite as smooth as many other like tuners in my experience. One thing as with other imports, they apply the finish after the guitar is assembled, once again, a non-issue.

Tone-
A subjective subject but I can only respond by saying I am confident in what I hear in an instrument. The RK is a faithful reproduction of a shortscale spruce/mahogany 000. It is surprisingly so. Does it sound like a Martin? Well I guess I be smart and say "even Martins don't sound a like". Wait a second and I'll check again......done. The RK differs from the 000-16SGT (12fret)and 000-28EC much like IMO other simular spec'd 000's would. The 000-28EC has little more bass response and clarity in the mids and treble; but not earth shattering but discernable. The 000-28EC is also slightly more balanced, but once again, not earth shattering. The RK differs in that the tonal range seems to be broader and a little more balanced than the 000-16SGT. The RK has more bass and more balance in the mids and trebles. The 000-16SGT, in comparison is a little more woody and focused in the mids and trebles.

As I did my ABC comparison is that the RK's tone and feel confirmed that its merits warranted such a comparison. I feel like I am harbouring some disbelief the instrument could sound as good as it does.

Feel and Playability-
The neck feels great, as any profile less than baseball bat works for me. Seriously though, the modified V is very slightly larger than the 000-28EC. The RK feels a little rounder. Weight is slightly more than the Martins. The frets are smooth and well dressed. Out of the box it played tight or like it had mediums. A check of the nut and saddle confirmed string height. The nut was rather high and there was some uneveness in the slot heights but correctable. I adjusted the saddle and nut which improved playibility. I'll play it for a while and see if I want to do some more adjusting.

Overall-
Solely on its merits regarding tone and playability, it is a very nice if not remarkable guitar. There are alot of other factors that can be plugged-in and I have read other threads about RK guitars where the discussion turns to if they compare or "as good as". Well you can compare two or more or anything and the determination of "as good as" is purely subjective.

I hope this helps if for nothing else feeding your curiosity.
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Martin 000-28EC, Taylor 12fret Cedar/Mahogany, Taylor GC8, Carvin AC275,
Takamine TC135SC, Yamaha APX5na
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