I used to own a Recording King version of a Martin D-45. It was beautiful and sounded great. I sold it during a time in my life that I was searching for great sounding guitars at low prices. It was the best of the 6 guitars that I went through in that 2 years. Wish I still had it now.
My local shop had a couple of these. Real nice guitar and they sounded good. I ended up getting an Eastman E10SS-TC as a second guitar. My first is a Guild DV52 I bought new in 2001.
The RD-342 has the wider 1.75" neck and 42 level abalone bling for $1,000 to $1,100...same adi top and unfortunately, the same tuners. I wish they didn't dip their guitars in poly, but some of these RK's are amazing, even with the ploy dip.
I have an rd-27 that I rescued from a pawn shop for a steal. It has the square headstock and beautiful crown inlay with the snow flake markers on the fretboard. It also has the v-neck, and I love it, came with Grover open back tuners so no issue there. Only thing I changed out was getting bone pins, which are more solid and give a better tone than tusq. Well made beautiful sounding and playing guitar. If I can ever find an rd-26 I will snatch it up.
I bought the same guitar from Musicians friend. The neck was terrible. Action was 1/2" at the 12th fret. The neck was twisted. I had to adjust the hell out of it to get it playable. Sanded the saddle and nut bent the hell out of the neck with the truss rod. They are great in theory. I advise getting one in your hands and not buying off the web. Quality control is suspect. You can get a great one or a crappy one. I recomend Canadian made guitars such as Simon and Patrick, Golden, Seagul. Great reliable quality and good sound.
@@Xt1000 Agreed. There were two there the day that I bought mine (actually, the only two I’ve ever seen in person…period) and the other one definitely didn’t feel as good. That sucks though. Did you get it sounding good? Thanks for the comment!
Man, my experience was the total opposite, mine came to me with an excellent set up , nice low action, perfect neck., great tone, and it is loud and resonant.,I’ve had no issues with the tuners ,it exceeded my expectations completely, I’ll be keeping this one.
I have the 318 (mahogany) and I really like it. One of my favorite things about it is the v neck, it just feels good in my hand. I also love the sound. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, but it would probably be a good idea to try it out before buying or buy it from somewhere that you know won’t give you a dud guitar.
2 years ago, looking for a new accoustic guitar, I tried a couple of Martin DX series models, and was not completely impressed. None of the stores in my area had any on hand inventory of Recording King instruments. I was lucky to find an $800 Alverez model that, to me, equaled the much more expensive Martin D series. I bought the and love my Alverez. Here's the problem: Martin is a US company, with North American manufacturing facilities, and Alverez is a US company whose instruments are manufactured in China. Martin makes some fabulous instruments, that I simply cannot or will not afford.
Totally agree about the DX series. I hear a lot of mention about Alvarez on this channel. I’m going to have to play more! Just played one from 1991 the other day and it sounded fantastic! Thanks for the comment and if you ever get a chance to play an RK do so. I know the 328 is tough to find out int the wild.
Buy Gotoh tuners..They are made in Japan . They are accurate... Grovers are made in Korea.. Gotoh s are very affordable.. you'll love love them..they adjust like butter and hold...
Great guitar for sure. For me I go Martin for the resale value and the likely hood that the Martin could raise in value. The name on the headstock means a lot but the recording king looks to be a nice guitar!
Agreed! Thanks for the comment. I also love a Martin, but I can’t drop the money on one. I seriously love the RK 328, as well as the 318. Both are great! Thinking about buying the 18 as well.
Looks like you found a Telecaster with a wide neck. Like you, I'd prefer a wider neck at the nut as well. Maybe those tuners could be tightened up using some Loctite thread seal and a Philips screw driver - it's worth a try anyway.
I had a Martin D-28 and 000-16 decades ago. The D-28 was a dog. I purchased an Alvarez MD60 1 1/2 ago after watching a JP Cormier video of Martin vs. Alvarez. It has a better tone and volume than my old D-28.
I definitely think I’ve been sleeping on Alvarez’s. So many comments mention these, I’ll have to check more out. Thanks for the comment and hope your day’s good!
This is a personal preference thing but the problem with new Martins is they put the skinny MLO neck on just about everything. They are great guitars otherwise. You have to spend much more to get something with a bigger neck. If you see an older Eastman from when they still used nitro finish. Those are prob the best bang for the buck ever. E6D, E10D, E20D Your recording king sounds really good in the video.
Talk about getting ribbed at Bluegrass Jams, I catch hell when I drag out my Seagull. I have a D-16 GT that I really like, but I usually end up taking the Seagull. It seems indestructible and really sounds better than it should. Plus it's a lot cheaper to replace....
A friend of mine had one of these and even though the guitar sounded good and I liked the v neck, the action was extremely high and the neck had some issues with it.
@ the sound of my Seagull and neck ergonomics sold me. I never picked up a Martin that felt right in my hand. I get questions all the time about what I’m playing and which strings to get that sound.
Sounds great really like that r~ king. I was at my local Martin shop and asked them where the Martin sound comes from from a non wood laminate back and sides. They didn't have an answer. If they can make an "hpl" guitar have a Martin sound how important is tone wood? Martin has beautiful products but overpriced.So many other guitars that sound as good or better for much less.
Hey Cody I have 2 early 70s guitars one is a Suzuki violin company guitar the other is a 71 Takamine and both of them are awesome in sound and playability the Suzuki has the biggest sound big base end whichI love the neck on my Takamine is better than any Martin I've ever played so it each to there own I spoze!!
To be fair, most $800 acoustics beat $800 Martins. Nothing against Martins, I wouldn't mind essentially any of the classic models but the cheaper Martins don't have the Martin sound and others just do better. My personal choice at this price is the Alvarez MD60 (the MD70 is okay, but I think they really nailed it with the mahogany in this particular case)
Agreed .... X model Martins sound like a trash can lid... Just Martin making money off of their name.. they are 300-400 dollar guitars at best...they just have that Martin logo stuck on the headstock..
I have the Recording King RO328 solid rosewood back and sides and Adirondak top very good, another guitar to consider is the Yamaha LL16D All solid rosewood and Adirondak top excellent guitar for 1129.00$
Great review. I mainly play Yamaha L Series guitars. I do have a Recording King 12 string. Nice guitar. I do have a Martin DX1RAE that is nice. Martin is great, but not in my price range.
Eastman,Alvarez would be my choice for a 800$ guitar. Was really disappointed with the R.K’s I’ve played so far. Glad you love your. I this you do cause I’ve seen a bunch of your videos talking about this guitar lol 👍👍👍
@ yeah I’m pretty sure it was humidity. It was a display at a store in Tennessee, for the right price. Took a chance on shipping during the recent cold snap, it must’ve dried out. I’ve been running a humidifier, just wasn’t enough. It came setup/ intonated and sounds great. The neck was fun being able to pivot with your index knuckle is nice and I could wrap my thumb with ease. I was digging it
Hate that. The Martin sitting beside me in the video has a heat crack. I’m in an old house and in the winter I can’t keep the humidity up even with humidifiers. I’d say this time of year is the worst. I’m just keeping the humidity pack in it most of the day.
Your guitar is similar to your car. It's a status symbol thing. It's not only Martin''s anymore. The bluegrass community is playing boutique guitars like Collings, Huss and Dalton, and Thompson. It's a hey look at how much money I have. Just like wearing a Rolex, or driving a luxury car. But if you can pick it, no one cares what guitar you're playing. Picking is the great equalizer.
Sounds like a great guitar, and kudos to you for a comprehensive review. Martin should never have gone into that price point. However, I would never buy anything from China if I didn't have to, including guitars (there are many occasions where I don't have a choice, because so much of our manufacturing has been outsourced to China). I don't care where they were designed; I don't care where they were inspected. I care about where they were made and where I know that the working conditions and the political infrastructure are what I would wish for myself. I trust Martin and other US, UK, Canada, Australia, and many European and some Asian countries for this. I don't trust Far Eastern communist countries. I'm willing to pay a premium for that.
Well, most of us guys can't play, aren't handsome or witty and our only attribute is that we make enough money to buy a fancy guitar we suck at playing but can talk about. We can't fly fish either but we likely have a 600$ rod. We couldn't tell ya the mashbill of our favorite bourbon either. Its simply our favorite because its pricey and other folks told us it is good.
Working with the RD328 they need ebony wood pins, if you use bone pins (the tone goes deeper) but you may have to go to medium strings. On the RD342 they need bone pins and the DAddario EJ16 lights will last a very long time, the 342 with bone pins is amazing, you will get used to the neck shape at some point. If you keep the plastic pins in, the guitar tone will drop off very significantly after about 30 days of playing. RD328 ebony pins. RD342 bone pins. The DAddario EJ16 PB which come original are a fine match for RK's. On the RO-328's the plastic pins actually sound right (the Tusq composite plastic mentioned) would probably be as good maybe better and they have a smaller diameter which the 328's for some reason have. The RO342 sound best with ebony pins (at least better then original plastic) although I never tried bone in the RO342 but with ebony the tone is really good and much noticeably better then original plastic pins.
Martins have ONE ADVANTAGE over all other acoustics - resaleability. If you buy knowing you'll resell the guitar, get a Martin and make the re-sale soooo much quicker. But for tone in performance, in the recording studio (Land of Finest Adjustments) or sitting around, composing, I believe there are plenty of better values providing even better tones and playability.
I prefer sealed tuners because I'm afraid of getting my tongue stuck or frozen to open-backed tuners. Don'tcha hate that?!! You're outside in freezing temps and there's a flagpole with too many kids already with their tongues stuck to it - whatcha gonna do? Flip that guitar over and lick the tuners, right? Sure-!! Of course, there's always the fear of poking my eyes out with the tuner knobs, too. That's why C.F.Martin stopped using pointed-sticks for his original tuners way back - well, whenever. That's what I heard, at least.
I have the same guitar and it's awesome indeed, did a few shootouts with some of my more expensive guitars ua-cam.com/video/Nzof3M4gTrY/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared , it's just a cannon, I also have it's OM sister, and for Fingerstyle it's just killing it
Nothing against Martins whatsoever! 😊 Learn guitar with me at www.codymmusic.com
I bought same Recording King you have after watching your first YT video with it. And it has become my favorite guitar. So, Thanks brother! 😂
Nice to see budget friendly guitars get some love. I always like the ‘one year after’ reviews. Thank you!
I used to own a Recording King version of a Martin D-45.
It was beautiful and sounded great.
I sold it during a time in my life that I was searching for great sounding guitars at low prices.
It was the best of the 6 guitars that I went through in that 2 years.
Wish I still had it now.
I really love my D18.
My local shop had a couple of these. Real nice guitar and they sounded good. I ended up getting an Eastman E10SS-TC as a second guitar. My first is a Guild DV52 I bought new in 2001.
The RD-342 has the wider 1.75" neck and 42 level abalone bling for $1,000 to $1,100...same adi top and unfortunately, the same tuners. I wish they didn't dip their guitars in poly, but some of these RK's are amazing, even with the ploy dip.
I have an rd-27 that I rescued from a pawn shop for a steal. It has the square headstock and beautiful crown inlay with the snow flake markers on the fretboard. It also has the v-neck, and I love it, came with Grover open back tuners so no issue there. Only thing I changed out was getting bone pins, which are more solid and give a better tone than tusq. Well made beautiful sounding and playing guitar. If I can ever find an rd-26 I will snatch it up.
I bought the same guitar from Musicians friend. The neck was terrible. Action was 1/2" at the 12th fret. The neck was twisted. I had to adjust the hell out of it to get it playable. Sanded the saddle and nut bent the hell out of the neck with the truss rod. They are great in theory. I advise getting one in your hands and not buying off the web. Quality control is suspect. You can get a great one or a crappy one. I recomend Canadian made guitars such as Simon and Patrick, Golden, Seagul. Great reliable quality and good sound.
@@Xt1000 Agreed. There were two there the day that I bought mine (actually, the only two I’ve ever seen in person…period) and the other one definitely didn’t feel as good.
That sucks though. Did you get it sounding good?
Thanks for the comment!
I have heard some really good Seagull S6's.
Man, my experience was the total opposite, mine came to me with an excellent set up , nice low action, perfect neck., great tone, and it is loud and resonant.,I’ve had no issues with the tuners ,it exceeded my expectations completely, I’ll be keeping this one.
@jcrgtattoo333 Exactly
@@codymmusic Sold it at a yardsale for cheap.
I have the 318 (mahogany) and I really like it. One of my favorite things about it is the v neck, it just feels good in my hand. I also love the sound. I would definitely recommend it to anyone, but it would probably be a good idea to try it out before buying or buy it from somewhere that you know won’t give you a dud guitar.
Good tip man! Totally agreed.
I’m seriously considering buying the 318 as well.
Have a good one!
2 years ago, looking for a new accoustic guitar, I tried a couple of Martin DX series models, and was not completely impressed. None of the stores in my area had any on hand inventory of Recording King instruments. I was lucky to find an $800 Alverez model that, to me, equaled the much more expensive Martin D series. I bought the and love my Alverez.
Here's the problem: Martin is a US company, with North American manufacturing facilities, and Alverez is a US company whose instruments are manufactured in China.
Martin makes some fabulous instruments, that I simply cannot or will not afford.
Totally agree about the DX series. I hear a lot of mention about Alvarez on this channel. I’m going to have to play more!
Just played one from 1991 the other day and it sounded fantastic!
Thanks for the comment and if you ever get a chance to play an RK do so. I know the 328 is tough to find out int the wild.
That guitar sounds terrific! Thanks for the information, sir.
Buy Gotoh tuners..They are made in Japan . They are accurate... Grovers are made in Korea.. Gotoh s are very affordable.. you'll love love them..they adjust like butter and hold...
Buy some gotoh tuners, as good or better than waveley for about $75
Amazon has Grover open-back Sta-tite tuners 18:1 for less than $60.00
Yeees sir! Just grabbed them. Thanks for that. That came out to $12 cheaper than StewMac. Prime shipping 👌 too.
Great guitar for sure. For me I go Martin for the resale value and the likely hood that the Martin could raise in value. The name on the headstock means a lot but the recording king looks to be a nice guitar!
Agreed! Thanks for the comment. I also love a Martin, but I can’t drop the money on one.
I seriously love the RK 328, as well as the 318. Both are great! Thinking about buying the 18 as well.
Looks like you found a Telecaster with a wide neck. Like you, I'd prefer a wider neck at the nut as well. Maybe those tuners could be tightened up using some Loctite thread seal and a Philips screw driver - it's worth a try anyway.
Thanks for that! I’ll give it a whirl. Always great to learn a new tip.
Have a great Wednesday!
Holy buckets! Solid rosewood back and sides and solid spruce top for $800? Do they make a lefthand version?
Great question! I’m not sure…
I had a Martin D-28 and 000-16 decades ago. The D-28 was a dog. I purchased an Alvarez MD60 1 1/2 ago after watching a JP Cormier video of Martin vs. Alvarez. It has a better tone and volume than my old D-28.
I definitely think I’ve been sleeping on Alvarez’s. So many comments mention these, I’ll have to check more out.
Thanks for the comment and hope your day’s good!
This is a personal preference thing but the problem with new Martins is they put the skinny MLO neck on just about everything. They are great guitars otherwise. You have to spend much more to get something with a bigger neck. If you see an older Eastman from when they still used nitro finish. Those are prob the best bang for the buck ever. E6D, E10D, E20D
Your recording king sounds really good in the video.
Where is it made?
They’re made in China…not ideal..
Talk about getting ribbed at Bluegrass Jams, I catch hell when I drag out my Seagull. I have a D-16 GT that I really like, but I usually end up taking the Seagull.
It seems indestructible and really sounds better than it should. Plus it's a lot cheaper to replace....
Will do!
A friend of mine had one of these and even though the guitar sounded good and I liked the v neck, the action was extremely high and the neck had some issues with it.
I have the RO-328 and it's WONDERFUL.
So glad to hear! Thanks for the comment and have a safe Wednesday wherever you’re at!
Check out the Seagulls. Wouldn’t trade my solid wood handcrafted Maritime for any Martin.
Seagulls are fantastic guitars at an amazing price point. I would not personally swap my Martins for one, but they are very, very under-rated.
@ the sound of my Seagull and neck ergonomics sold me. I never picked up a Martin that felt right in my hand. I get questions all the time about what I’m playing and which strings to get that sound.
Will do!
Wait til you play some Alvarez and Yairi’s
Buy a FG 830 Yamaha rosewood back and side's $ 350 dollars you can't beat the sound
Solid top back and sides?
Solid top@@jockobacumbo623
Absolutely true
@@jockobacumbo623heck no.. plywood
Top yes, back and sides, no
Sounds great really like that r~ king. I was at my local Martin shop and asked them where the Martin sound comes from from a non wood laminate back and sides. They didn't have an answer. If they can make an "hpl" guitar have a Martin sound how important is tone wood? Martin has beautiful products but overpriced.So many other guitars that sound as good or better for much less.
This comment cracked me up. Thanks for it!
Have a good one!
Hey Cody I have 2 early 70s guitars one is a Suzuki violin company guitar the other is a 71 Takamine and both of them are awesome in sound and playability the Suzuki has the biggest sound big base end whichI love the neck on my Takamine is better than any Martin I've ever played so it each to there own I spoze!!
To be fair, most $800 acoustics beat $800 Martins. Nothing against Martins, I wouldn't mind essentially any of the classic models but the cheaper Martins don't have the Martin sound and others just do better.
My personal choice at this price is the Alvarez MD60 (the MD70 is okay, but I think they really nailed it with the mahogany in this particular case)
Agreed .... X model Martins sound like a trash can lid... Just Martin making money off of their name.. they are 300-400 dollar guitars at best...they just have that Martin logo stuck on the headstock..
I totally agree here guys. I’ve talked to shop owners who won’t even carry the X series anymore for reasons mentioned here.
when i die wont you bury me in my yamaha,far away in my bluridge guitar center
I have the Recording King RO328 solid rosewood back and sides and Adirondak top very good, another guitar to consider is the Yamaha LL16D All solid rosewood and Adirondak top excellent guitar for 1129.00$
I’ll check it out!
Your thought on Eastman guitars
Love em! They’re over rated and I plan to spot light them soon here on this channel.
I bought a used 000 version ( $500) and it is awesome - although also not a fan of the gloss- Love the V but I have big hands and tuners are fine
I played that one the other day at Guitar Center. Sounded great! Glad someone shares my sentiments towards the gloss haha.
Great review. I mainly play Yamaha L Series guitars. I do have a Recording King 12 string. Nice guitar. I do have a Martin DX1RAE that is nice. Martin is great, but not in my price range.
That’s the same Martin I have in the video. I think it sounds waaay better than there newer X series, but I’ve also had it for ages.
Eastman,Alvarez would be my choice for a 800$ guitar. Was really disappointed with the R.K’s I’ve played so far. Glad you love your. I this you do cause I’ve seen a bunch of your videos talking about this guitar lol 👍👍👍
Hahah yes I’m not shy to brag about it. Thanks for the comment and have an amazing Wednesday!
Love Martins
I purchased one had it about a week and the back cracked. It’s a shame I was really digging it
That’s a shame. Do you think it was a humidity issue?
Thanks for the comment and have a great Wednesday!
@ yeah I’m pretty sure it was humidity. It was a display at a store in Tennessee, for the right price. Took a chance on shipping during the recent cold snap, it must’ve dried out. I’ve been running a humidifier, just wasn’t enough. It came setup/ intonated and sounds great. The neck was fun being able to pivot with your index knuckle is nice and I could wrap my thumb with ease. I was digging it
Hate that. The Martin sitting beside me in the video has a heat crack. I’m in an old house and in the winter I can’t keep the humidity up even with humidifiers.
I’d say this time of year is the worst. I’m just keeping the humidity pack in it most of the day.
You get what you pay for… that guitar doesn’t compare to a d18 or higher model Martin! 🤓
Your guitar is similar to your car. It's a status symbol thing. It's not only Martin''s anymore. The bluegrass community is playing boutique guitars like Collings, Huss and Dalton, and Thompson. It's a hey look at how much money I have. Just like wearing a Rolex, or driving a luxury car. But if you can pick it, no one cares what guitar you're playing. Picking is the great equalizer.
You left out Bourgeois guitars. They are Killer!
right on
@@DannyBrooks1…and Santa Cruz, Froggy Bottom…
It’s crazy I still have never had the chance to play a Santa Cruz. I’m keeping my eye out for one!
Sounds like a great guitar, and kudos to you for a comprehensive review. Martin should never have gone into that price point. However, I would never buy anything from China if I didn't have to, including guitars (there are many occasions where I don't have a choice, because so much of our manufacturing has been outsourced to China). I don't care where they were designed; I don't care where they were inspected. I care about where they were made and where I know that the working conditions and the political infrastructure are what I would wish for myself. I trust Martin and other US, UK, Canada, Australia, and many European and some Asian countries for this. I don't trust Far Eastern communist countries. I'm willing to pay a premium for that.
Thanks for that! I totally understand that view point. Super solid point.
Have a great Wednesday!
Well, most of us guys can't play, aren't handsome or witty and our only attribute is that we make enough money to buy a fancy guitar we suck at playing but can talk about.
We can't fly fish either but we likely have a 600$ rod.
We couldn't tell ya the mashbill of our favorite bourbon either. Its simply our favorite because its pricey and other folks told us it is good.
A 150 dollar Yamaha F335 is just as good if you set it up !!👍🎸
I can’t argue here…thanks for the comment!
Working with the RD328 they need ebony wood pins, if you use bone pins (the tone goes deeper) but you may have to go to medium strings. On the RD342 they need bone pins and the DAddario EJ16 lights will last a very long time, the 342 with bone pins is amazing, you will get used to the neck shape at some point. If you keep the plastic pins in, the guitar tone will drop off very significantly after about 30 days of playing. RD328 ebony pins. RD342 bone pins. The DAddario EJ16 PB which come original are a fine match for RK's. On the RO-328's the plastic pins actually sound right (the Tusq composite plastic mentioned) would probably be as good maybe better and they have a smaller diameter which the 328's for some reason have. The RO342 sound best with ebony pins (at least better then original plastic) although I never tried bone in the RO342 but with ebony the tone is really good and much noticeably better then original plastic pins.
$50 on tuners is ENOUGH.
Martins have ONE ADVANTAGE over all other acoustics - resaleability. If you buy knowing you'll resell the guitar, get a Martin and make the re-sale soooo much quicker. But for tone in performance, in the recording studio (Land of Finest Adjustments) or sitting around, composing, I believe there are plenty of better values providing even better tones and playability.
I prefer sealed tuners because I'm afraid of getting my tongue stuck or frozen to open-backed tuners. Don'tcha hate that?!! You're outside in freezing temps and there's a flagpole with too many kids already with their tongues stuck to it - whatcha gonna do? Flip that guitar over and lick the tuners, right? Sure-!!
Of course, there's always the fear of poking my eyes out with the tuner knobs, too. That's why C.F.Martin stopped using pointed-sticks for his original tuners way back - well, whenever.
That's what I heard, at least.
Someone did a comparaison video about it ua-cam.com/video/CTCqi7tDonQ/v-deo.html
I have the same guitar and it's awesome indeed, did a few shootouts with some of my more expensive guitars ua-cam.com/video/Nzof3M4gTrY/v-deo.htmlfeature=shared , it's just a cannon, I also have it's OM sister, and for Fingerstyle it's just killing it
I’ll give it a watch. Thanks for commenting!