I love the 000 size guitars. I have a Recording King ROS-627. It's long been discontinued and is a beauty of a guitar. Sitka top, East India rosewood back and sides, ebony fretboard. I feel fortunate to have this guitar.
Although mine is the D-28 copy model the RDC-56, with sepele mahogany back and sides, sitka spruce top, spalted maple binding and ebony fretboard. I agree the older RK's are great sounding when new and age like fine wine. Such a rich and balanced tone it has. I did add the brass bridge pins, which imo only gave me slightly more volume.
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre - what's the "thin V" neck profile like, compared to say, a Martin modified low oval, or a typical "slim" neck profile? Is this a chunky neck? Thanks, this is a very helpful video.
@@jdyfilm I'm glad this video helped you! :) and on that model the neck is very similar to the "v" shape found on the Buddy Guy signature Strat or on the 70s Fender Martin copies.
String spacing at the bridge ?? One of the key factors differentiating the various OMs and OOO guitars out there....this would be great information for us finger pickers. String spacing of 2 5/16ths is one of the reasons people seek out the OOO-28EC.
Good point! Should have mentioned the spacing at the bridge in the video! I did however confirm after reading your comment, The Recording King R0-328 and R0-318 both have a total string width of 2 and 5/8 at the bridge! A little more than the Martin but I find for my bass player hands, the 2 5/8 is wonderful for fingerstyle.
OK, I order an RD-328 but. Martin uses nitro cellulose on the standard D-28. It is a big deal to spray and let cure nitro (over a month..) Some states(CA for one) highly regulated the use of nitrocellulose. That being said. Sanding off the poly finish on an RD-328 and going with a nitro finish is said to make a very nice improvement. It is looking like the RD-328 body is a great base for a custom build.
You should play one of these before you consider removing the poly finish. Your mind could be blown. I'm a Martin guy and I drank the nitro Kool aid too, but then I got some Larrrivee's, Breedlove's and now a Recording King ro-318 with poly finishes, all of which hang right in with my Martin's. I bought my ro-318 to take on vacation, so if it got damaged or stolen, I wouldn't cry. But this thing can outshine a $3,000 guitar. Larrivee and Breedlove have thin finishes, but Recording King has a thick poly finish, and it still rings through.
@@mickymillersson4376 Hey Micky. My store (Chicago Music in Tuscon) and Recording King were great with my complaint (thin bass from green wood) After 3 setups and 3 string changes (and owning it several months) they took it back. It took a well regarded luthier to make a call that RK liked. I received full store credit (bought a Yamaha keyboard and some odds and ends.) I paid 900.00 for a guitar that did not sound so good. I was laughed at when I said "UA-cam reviews say it sounds better than a Martin D28". I play a Martin D16E and a Yamaha FGX5 (well and a Roadhouse Strat) Perfectly satisfied. Not a guy that can't get satisfied. Both the Martin and the Yamaha are twice the guitar the RD-328 is.
I'm really interested in this guitar, and I have a question about the Adirondack top. I have read that Adirondack takes a long time to break in or open up, but I've also read that this guitar has a top that has been aged for about 30 years. From your experience with guitars, do you think that pre-manufacturing aging process is similar in effect to actually playing the guitar for a long time? At my age, I don't have decades to play it and break it in myself!
JP Cormier does a video on UA-cam about this guitar compared to his Martin that has been played for 1000s of hours and he felt the Recording King sounded great and really open right out of the box.
☑️ I have this model and these RO-328 sound great and aged from brand new and get better sounding quickly anyway. 30 year reference is kiln dried and stored and is an unusually long number of years but the process is typical to appropriately dry woods for guitar building ; the other option to kiln dried is the Torrifaction process _although RK doesn't seem to use that kind of processed wood that I know of , Eastman does and I have an E6OM-TC , but does it sound any better than kiln dried wood ? No _ is the short answer ; but it does look really nice esthetically _has the oldy golden hues of aged amber ‼️☻️🙃😉
Hello, thanks for the review. I have a question. I'm from the Netherlands and I don't understand a word you said. At one point you turn the guitar and shows the back or the back of the fingerboard with the word ???Bulean?? or something like that. I have listened a few times but I don't know what you said. I seemed nothing very important, but nevertheless .... Please what did you said and what does it mean?
It's still in the works my friend! I'm having trouble trying to juggle the social media and ecommerce for the store but the bridge pin one is at the top of the queue!
I have the same guitar and tried to install Tusq pins but they are too large! Can you tell me which pins did you use and/or if you had to make any modification to the bridge's holes? Thank you!
GraphTech Tusq pins are less than 30$ CAD and totally worth it. They help the vibrations of the strings reach the top without being muted like with plastic.
I'd say go for the Traditional shaped pins. Their Presentation shaped pins are meant for bridges with a slightly wider opening in the string holes on the bridge.
@@OLDROCKER123 I haven't played a RO-227 however I can tell you the 328 has a wider nut and a vintage V neck so it'll feel like vintage acoustic from the 60s. If that's what you're looking for then I'd say go with the 328!
@@michaelkoller633 then you won't like the Recording King Tonewood Reserve neck. They have an 11 series that has a thin neck and is still all solid wood. They have Sitka tops instead of Adirondack and the 000 and dread have pickups. The 11 series is about $150 less than the 318 guitars.
From what I've seen, the RK holds up really well. Someone was commenting earlier about their older version of the RO-328 from like a decade ago and how it still hold its snuff!
i would say yes to stiffness and loudness and a higher ceiling threshold attack for the Adi ; i've owned both from many a builder and many a time the Sitka is better for finger style because it responds overall well to a subtle attack and both are just as chimey in the overtones as the other - it really depends on the quality and individuality of the top ; i generally prefer a top quality Sitka like on the Larrivee or Taylor builds❕👍 🐸🍀
Adirondack has more dynamic range, more volume, greater presence and projection and crisper highs than sitka, but beware, once you experience an adi top it is very difficult to go back to sitka. Modern Adirondack usually has wider grain than sitka or old growth adi, but some of these Recording King's have tops with tight grain, but not all of them. I played 4 Guitars (2 ro-318's, a ro-328 and a RD-328) when I bought my ro-318...2 of them had very tight grain and 2 had wider grain, like you would expect. Recording king got some 30 year old adi, from somewhere and some of it is exquisite.
Sorry for the confusion. What my meaning is, is this guitar is a wonderful value for the dollar! There isn't a lot of guitars at this great price that offers fixings such as aged Adirondack spruce tops and bone saddle/nut and Rosewood bodies. Incredible guitar!
I just discover Recording King at a local luthier shop. I’m impressed. I didn’t have the opportunity to compare the RO-328 with the RO-318. Would say they have a similar tone and mostly a cosmetic difference? Thanks for your video!
Whoa! Love the open with Sleeping Sickness. I love that song.
Thanks! I love when people recognize the songs!
I love the 000 size guitars. I have a Recording King ROS-627. It's long been discontinued and is a beauty of a guitar. Sitka top, East India rosewood back and sides, ebony fretboard. I feel fortunate to have this guitar.
Although mine is the D-28 copy model the RDC-56, with sepele mahogany back and sides, sitka spruce top, spalted maple binding and ebony fretboard. I agree the older RK's are great sounding when new and age like fine wine. Such a rich and balanced tone it has. I did add the brass bridge pins, which imo only gave me slightly more volume.
Thank you for your time .. a very nice-sounding guitar... I am going to buy one
Good choice! They are on my radar too, recording this video made me want one too lol
The Martin 000-28 is also short scale, at 24.9". The OM-28 has the long scale, 25.4".
That's right! I totally forgot, thanks for sharing! :)
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre - what's the "thin V" neck profile like, compared to say, a Martin modified low oval, or a typical "slim" neck profile? Is this a chunky neck? Thanks, this is a very helpful video.
@@jdyfilm I'm glad this video helped you! :) and on that model the neck is very similar to the "v" shape found on the Buddy Guy signature Strat or on the 70s Fender Martin copies.
I was going to point this out, this is THE key difference between the 000 and the OM.
I own one and can't say enough about it.
best deal out there.will definitely stand it's ground with compairable martin
Actually, the Martin 00028 has exactly the same 24.9 inch scake as the Recording King. It is the OM which has the slightly longer scale.
Uh oh....someone already pointed that out......that's what happens when you don't read all 40 previous comments!
Nice Guitar,im loving my 183A blueridge .this might be on my list ,still serching for the Ro 327 but they dont make it anymore. Thx
I agree with u, I love the Volute I think it does make it more elegant I love him too and I really don't know why
The late John Fahey played an old Recording King.
I didn't know that! Thanks for sharing :)
very helpful little vid; great job
Thanks for the feedback! It's really and truly appreciated! :)
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre I ended up buying one, here in Nova Scotia. Terrific
String spacing at the bridge ?? One of the key factors differentiating the various OMs and OOO guitars out there....this would be great information for us finger pickers. String spacing of 2 5/16ths is one of the reasons people seek out the OOO-28EC.
Good point! Should have mentioned the spacing at the bridge in the video! I did however confirm after reading your comment, The Recording King R0-328 and R0-318 both have a total string width of 2 and 5/8 at the bridge! A little more than the Martin but I find for my bass player hands, the 2 5/8 is wonderful for fingerstyle.
What size bridge pins did you replace the original pins with? Did you ream out the pin holes so that standard Martin pins will fit it?
Thanks man! do you also have the string spacing at the saddle from E to E ?
Out of curiosity why didn't you go with bone pins instead? Tusq is basically just a harder plastic
OK, I order an RD-328 but. Martin uses nitro cellulose on the standard D-28. It is a big deal to spray and let cure nitro (over a month..) Some states(CA for one) highly regulated the use of nitrocellulose. That being said. Sanding off the poly finish on an RD-328 and going with a nitro finish is said to make a very nice improvement. It is looking like the RD-328 body is a great base for a custom build.
You should play one of these before you consider removing the poly finish. Your mind could be blown. I'm a Martin guy and I drank the nitro Kool aid too, but then I got some Larrrivee's, Breedlove's and now a Recording King ro-318 with poly finishes, all of which hang right in with my Martin's. I bought my ro-318 to take on vacation, so if it got damaged or stolen, I wouldn't cry. But this thing can outshine a $3,000 guitar. Larrivee and Breedlove have thin finishes, but Recording King has a thick poly finish, and it still rings through.
@@chullerism I wrote a pretty nice response. Looks like it was deleted.
@@danr5105 it must have been really good!🥺
I've had a few recording kings and the only thing I didn't like was that thick poly finish. There's just no need
@@mickymillersson4376 Hey Micky. My store (Chicago Music in Tuscon) and Recording King were great with my complaint (thin bass from green wood) After 3 setups and 3 string changes (and owning it several months) they took it back. It took a well regarded luthier to make a call that RK liked. I received full store credit (bought a Yamaha keyboard and some odds and ends.) I paid 900.00 for a guitar that did not sound so good. I was laughed at when I said "UA-cam reviews say it sounds better than a Martin D28". I play a Martin D16E and a Yamaha FGX5 (well and a Roadhouse Strat) Perfectly satisfied. Not a guy that can't get satisfied. Both the Martin and the Yamaha are twice the guitar the RD-328 is.
I'm really interested in this guitar, and I have a question about the Adirondack top. I have read that Adirondack takes a long time to break in or open up, but I've also read that this guitar has a top that has been aged for about 30 years. From your experience with guitars, do you think that pre-manufacturing aging process is similar in effect to actually playing the guitar for a long time? At my age, I don't have decades to play it and break it in myself!
JP Cormier does a video on UA-cam about this guitar compared to his Martin that has been played for 1000s of hours and he felt the Recording King sounded great and really open right out of the box.
☑️ I have this model and these RO-328 sound great and aged from brand new and get better sounding quickly anyway. 30 year reference is kiln dried and stored and is an unusually long number of years but the process is typical to appropriately dry woods for guitar building ; the other option to kiln dried is the Torrifaction process _although RK doesn't seem to use that kind of processed wood that I know of , Eastman does and I have an E6OM-TC , but does it sound any better than kiln dried wood ? No _ is the short answer ; but it does look really nice esthetically _has the oldy golden hues of aged amber ‼️☻️🙃😉
Hello, thanks for the review. I have a question. I'm from the Netherlands and I don't understand a word you said. At one point you turn the guitar and shows the back or the back of the fingerboard with the word ???Bulean?? or something like that. I have listened a few times but I don't know what you said. I seemed nothing very important, but nevertheless .... Please what did you said and what does it mean?
Could it be the volute on the back of the headstock? It's a small feature that reinforces the neck but also looks really cool as well!
Clapton played a ooo42 on mtv unplugged..but yeah.
Hi where is that video of the brindle pins,?? Hope all is well
It's still in the works my friend! I'm having trouble trying to juggle the social media and ecommerce for the store but the bridge pin one is at the top of the queue!
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre great would love to see it, I have the RO-318, would love to see a comparison of ro-328 & ro-318
I have the same guitar and tried to install Tusq pins but they are too large! Can you tell me which pins did you use and/or if you had to make any modification to the bridge's holes? Thank you!
Maybe you should just hone them
Nice guitar...my 000-18 has plastic bridge pins......what would you recommend?
GraphTech Tusq pins are less than 30$ CAD and totally worth it. They help the vibrations of the strings reach the top without being muted like with plastic.
Great review! What size Graph Tech pins do you recommend?
I'd say go for the Traditional shaped pins. Their Presentation shaped pins are meant for bridges with a slightly wider opening in the string holes on the bridge.
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre Thanks!
I got some traditional Graph Tech pins for my RD 318 and they’re too big
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre I ordered these pins from Graph Tech for my RO 328 and they don't fit in the hole. Any suggestions on how to fix it.
Have chance of RO -328 & RO-227 made 2012 but cannot try, Any Idea which is best please.
Do you know what tonewoods the RO-227 is? Depending on what sound you’re looking for I can guide you in the right direction! 🤗
Hello from the UK, Thanks for you help. Spruce top, Indian rosewood back & sides.
@@OLDROCKER123 I haven't played a RO-227 however I can tell you the 328 has a wider nut and a vintage V neck so it'll feel like vintage acoustic from the 60s. If that's what you're looking for then I'd say go with the 328!
Guitar sounds great for a third of the 00028.
Right?? Incredible value with these Recording King!
So...thin v neck? Never heard of such description before. I love modifie v necks. So what is a thin v?
It's a modified V neck, like the Martin Clapton 000 and CEO-7.
@@chullerism yeah tried the clapton martin the other days....terrible neck
@@michaelkoller633 then you won't like the Recording King Tonewood Reserve neck. They have an 11 series that has a thin neck and is still all solid wood. They have Sitka tops instead of Adirondack and the 000 and dread have pickups. The 11 series is about $150 less than the 318 guitars.
@@chullerism Much more pronounced "V" than the Martin modified V. I have the 328 and have owned a CEO-7 and a 00-18V
The RK guitars sound great for the price, but how will they hold up? I prefer Yamaha L series for this reason...
From what I've seen, the RK holds up really well. Someone was commenting earlier about their older version of the RO-328 from like a decade ago and how it still hold its snuff!
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre You would know better than I... Thanks
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre That may have been before they started manufacturing them in China, time will tell!
What strings and size are you using
Hey do u have RD 328 also?
We don't but our sister store does! They are called Brickhouse Guitars and are located on Lancaster Street in Kitchener.
@@TheOctaveMusicCentre thanks I know about them ! 👍 They're famous
Reminds me of my blueridge. Big overtones. Almost too much.
sounds like a Martin
What’s the difference between Sitka and Adirondack
Adirondak is a stiffer species of spruce, adding in more loudness and overtone content than sitka!
i would say yes to stiffness and loudness and a higher ceiling threshold attack for the Adi ; i've owned both from many a builder and many a time the Sitka is better for finger style because it responds overall well to a subtle attack and both are just as chimey in the overtones as the other - it really depends on the quality and individuality of the top ; i generally prefer a top quality Sitka like on the Larrivee or Taylor builds❕👍 🐸🍀
Adirondack has more dynamic range, more volume, greater presence and projection and crisper highs than sitka, but beware, once you experience an adi top it is very difficult to go back to sitka. Modern Adirondack usually has wider grain than sitka or old growth adi, but some of these Recording King's have tops with tight grain, but not all of them. I played 4 Guitars (2 ro-318's, a ro-328 and a RD-328) when I bought my ro-318...2 of them had very tight grain and 2 had wider grain, like you would expect. Recording king got some 30 year old adi, from somewhere and some of it is exquisite.
Sleeping sickness. ?
"you coul do way worse"? So it's bad? What is a "groovy" instrument? what are you talking about?
Sorry for the confusion. What my meaning is, is this guitar is a wonderful value for the dollar! There isn't a lot of guitars at this great price that offers fixings such as aged Adirondack spruce tops and bone saddle/nut and Rosewood bodies. Incredible guitar!
Have you considered changing your name to "Diki Boi"? It would suit you.
I just discover Recording King at a local luthier shop. I’m impressed.
I didn’t have the opportunity to compare the RO-328 with the RO-318.
Would say they have a similar tone and mostly a cosmetic difference?
Thanks for your video!