#1
|
|||
|
|||
Recording king ros-06 vs ros-10
I'm looking for a new acoustic and am trying to understand the differences between these two.
I studied classical guitar for a short time years ago and recently dug out my old nylon string and started playing again. Now I'm looking to upgrade to a new steel string acoustic. Primarily, I'm interested in ~3/4" nut and a smaller body. Solid tone woods would be nice. Recording king seems to have a number of guitars that fit what I'm looking for. So, the ros-06: 13/16 nut, slotted head stock, laminate back and sides. Joined at the 12th fret, standard scale. Correct? Ros-10: 3/4 nut, solid hog back and sides, non slotted head stock, 12 fret, standard scale? Any other differences? Are the neck shapes the same other than to 06 being wider? Same sound characteristics? The 06 would probably work for me. I don't necessarily want the 13/16 nut or a super chunky neck, but would probably feel familiar. I like the idea of moving up to the solid wood of the 10 but not sure how different of a guitar it is spec and sound wise compared to the 06. I'm also interested in the RO-06 and RO-10, but from the videos and reviews I've seen, the ROS-06 seems to have the sound characteristics I'm interested in. I haven't seen much on the ROS-10. Thanks for the help! |
#2
|
||||
|
||||
I've owned several recoding kings and played a lot of them. The all solid models sound considerably better.
__________________
"Without music, life would be a mistake.” |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks for the response. Specifically, what I'm wondering is what the differences are between the ros-06 and the ros-10 other than tone wood?
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
The ros-10 has a very chunky neck as well. It is 1.75 nut width. Yes - long scale ("25.5).
My Paige capo will not go past the 5th fret. I actually have grown to like the profile quite a bit - I wasn't sure at first if I would like it or not. I love mine. Sounded excellent when I got it (new from Elderly's 3-4 months ago) and it is sounding better and better with time. It sounds great in Bluegrass - huge bass for a guitar it's size. Like a baby dreadnaught. Roy
__________________
Roy Ibanez, Recording King, Gretsch, Martin G&L, Squier, Orange (x 2), Bugera, JBL, Soundcraft Our duo website - UPDATED 7/26/19 |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
I've played quite a few of the 06 and 10 series guitars at my local shop and think they are a smoking deal. Honestly I haven't noticed much difference between them aside from the small variances from one to another but these are all new guitars. I think the 100 dollar difference is a safe bet just to have solid woods it's not much money for a nice step up in specs even if it doesn't equal a huge improvement in sound.
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I think the 10 series are a great value. Roy
__________________
Roy Ibanez, Recording King, Gretsch, Martin G&L, Squier, Orange (x 2), Bugera, JBL, Soundcraft Our duo website - UPDATED 7/26/19 |
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Thanks for the input, everyone.
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
Either way like I pointed out for 100 dollars more you can't lose even if it sounds the exact same.
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
Hello everyone, this is my first post here.
I recently started getting more interested in acoustic guitars after playing primarily electric for the past 40 years. I had been looking for a comfortable player with the best possible tone for the least amount of $$, and tried a bunch of the entry level (sub-$500) Epiphones, Fenders, Yamahas, etc. at the Guitar Center. They all sounded thin and un-involving to me. The Seagulls did sound and feel pretty good to me... but I kinda hate the looks of that triangular headstock, so that was a deal-breaker. That's when the Recording King brand got my attention. My local GC stocks an all-solid ROS-G9M, which is remarkably inexpensive at $299. I find myself drawn to small-bodied acoustics too. The ROS-G9M played and sounded pretty nice, although the thin satin poly finished looked/felt kind of plastic-y and cheap. But it got me looking deeper at what else RK was offering. After doing much review reading (including on this forum) and watching YouTube demos, I ended up ordering online both an ROS-06 and an ROS-10. After putting fresh strings on both instruments, I spent a few weeks comparing and evaluating. There are relatively unique aspects of both instruments that appeal to me. I preferred the slotted headstock of the ROS-06 (it just looks better to me) and vintage-style butterbean tuners vs. the "modern" Grover copies on the ROS-10's paddle headstock, and I very much liked its spacious, wide, flat fretboard. The ROS-10 on the other hand is all-solid wood whereas the ROS-06 has a laminate back and sides. The neck on the ROS-10 is chunkier and narrower than the ROS-06, which is clearly designed with finger-style playing in mind. The action on both instruments came set up spot-on perfectly from the factory, with wonderfully low action and perfect intonation. Fretwork is excellent, as is the overall fit and finish. These are very carefully constructed instruments, considering they are imported budget guitars. While some compromises are there in order to hit the targeted price point, these guitars don't feel "cheap." Based purely on playing comfort and aesthetics, IMO the ROS-06 has a slight edge. As I mentioned already, I dig the old timey slotted headstock and butterbeans, and not having the not-so-prestigious Recording King logo on the headstock is a plus. I have traditionally favored guitars with very narrow necks, so I was surprised by how quickly I acclimated to and embraced the wide (1 7/8" IIRC) neck of the ROS-06 (vs. the 1 3/4" wide fretboard of the ROS-10). I also found that the ROS-06 felt less stiff than the ROS-10, probably because of the difference in the string spacing. It's worth pointing out that the solid spruce top on the ROS-10 appeared to be of highly quality than the solid top on the ROS-06, with a tighter grain pattern and richer color. This may be just a random thing, but I suspect that it was a deliberate decision to use a lesser piece of wood for the more inexpensive ROS-06. Ultimately it came down to the tone that led me to keep the ROS-10 and return the ROS-06. On its own merits, the ROS-06 sounds fine, even wonderful. It has a nice, woody, smooth plumpness to its tone that is especially pleasant when picked with bare fingertips. However, played side by side with the ROS-10, and using the same type of strings, the ROS-06 was revealed to be comparatively dead-sounding, lacking the extra bit of sparkle, bite and complexity. The ROS-10 was also quite a bit louder and more dynamic than the ROS-06, which has an overall much softer tonal quality. Since my experience with acoustic guitars is fairly low, I wanted to see how it compared to similar guitars costing much more. Here in Lexington, MA is an excellent store called the Music Emporium, which specializes in hand-crafted acoustic guitars, and they carry such brands as Martin, Collings, Santa Cruz, etc. I played a few different 12-fret 000 guitars in the $2000-$2500 range, and the difference in quality vs. the ROS-10 was undeniable and immediately apparent. The more expensive instruments practically played themselves, with a delightfully buttery smoothness and ease, and their tone was much more nuanced, layered, controlled, and focused, whereas the Recording King is decidedly dry-sounding. So while a $400 Recording King may not be a giant-killer per se, you do get some exceptional value for the dough. The ROS-10 covers all of the essentials - excellent playability, all solid-wood construction, good tone - and it will keep me happy... for the time being. Having played some of those nicer handmade instruments though, I am now aspiring to aim higher, and will be saving my pennies with goal in mind. Last edited by beatcomber; 07-24-2016 at 10:28 AM. |
#10
|
|||
|
|||
beatcomber, welcome to the forum!
Last Christmas I purchased a new Recording King RO-10 from Elderlys. I have been very happy with this. It is awesome for flatpicking, fingerstyle, Carter style and such. It does seem to muddy up on medium to heavy strumming. I think maybe the small body and scalloped bracing contributes to this? Anyway, enjoy yours. |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Quote:
I know exactly what you mean about the muddying up... I've had to learn to adjust my right hand technique to avoid that. Strumming with less force and not clenching the pick as tightly helps. I also found that switching from Elixir Nanowebs to John Pearse Phosphor Bronze 12's helped keep that bloating under control as well, and also added some more top-end sparkle to boot. |