Recording King RO-310 (2012), All-Solid 000 Acoustic Guitar

Description: Recording King RO-310 (2012), All-Solid 000-model Excellent Condition Solid Adirondack Spruce top, Solid African Mahogany back and sides Mahogany neck, Rosewood arm rest, Hard Shell Case Tonerite treated for 168 hours Early Recording King acoustic guitars and banjos were sold through Montgomery Ward catalogs, but the brand went out of business in 1939. Nearly 70 years later, the brand was bought and revived by Music Link in 2007. Recording King hired famous designer/luthiers such as Greg Rich (Gibson Custom Shop, Blue Ridge) and Eric Schoenberg (principle advocate and partner with Martin guitar for the OM revival, which included another world class luthier, Dana Bourgeois). So this mid-sized 000-model guitar, alternately known as an Auditorium or Orchestral Model,* from 2012 was an early production of the renewed brand – and it was a hit. The upstart Recording King brand made quite a splash with the RO-310 by way of an absolutely rave review in the January 2013 issue of Premier Guitar Magazine (see link below). The 000 line continues today at Recording King with a very similar model with the same tone woods. Essentially modeled on the iconic Martin 000-18 mid-sized guitar, the RO-310 went a step further by offering highly valued Adirondack Spruce (also known as Red Spruce) instead of Sitka Spruce. Many players recognize Adirondack Spruce as the best of guitar top tone woods for its strength and resonant characteristics, which permit driving the guitar very hard without harmonic distortion, while also supporting focus and projection for quiet finger-style passages, as well as for its natural beauty as a top tone wood. Stiffness and strength of the wood are key, as they provide for thinner guitar tops of less weight that will resonate more freely. As with Martin, Recording King combines these traditional tone woods, spruce with mahogany, for what has become a standard and predominant coupling in steel string acoustic guitars. As for Adirondack Spruce, if you want a Martin 000 with “Adi,” that’s a $4,200 new guitar, discontinued but still available new, the Martin Custom Shop 000-18 GE Style Golden Era Adirondack (2023). At which point, it’s a good time to compare the cost of a used, standard Sitka-topped Martin 000-18 from about $2,000, with this Recording King with case for $575 shipped. Currently an RO-310 is available on eBay – with no case – for $575 shipped. Play on this guitar is fluid and natural, the neck is responsive, frets are smooth (except for slight wear on the first fret second string, see image), and the action is low and easy up the neck. The truss rod operates perfectly, and the original saddle is not lowered. The guitar is near-flawless except for small indications of daily usage, tiny mars, a surface scratch that can be seen on the back when the guitar is held at the right angle and nearly invisible noise that does not photograph. There are no cracks, gouges, dents or problems otherwise. The guitar has been well-cared for in a non-smoke, climate controlled environment. At 12 years old with moderate play it’s in marvelous shape. The tone is big, full and beautiful, with excellent response and projection from the Adirondack top. The bass is focused, the mids have weight/push and the highs have a crisp sparkle of higher harmonics. The balance of the lows, mids and highs is excellent, such that the guitar would be a terrific choice for recording. But the RO-310 is also a good selection for performing as a stand-in for an heirloom guitar that is always at risk in live situations. The 12 year-old Adirondack has seasoned well (stiff Adirondack Spruce when new can take as much as 2 years to “open up” by way of the vibrations created when played, so that the wood is flexible enough to vibrate more freely). The guitar highly benefits from these 12-years of moderate play, with a warmth and character that will continue to grow as the instrument is played across the years. The instrument was Tonerite treated for a full week and sporadically after that. The Tonerite system provides a vibrational processing that helps align and so reinforce the musical resonant characteristics of the guitar. Much as regular playing makes a fine instrument sound better, so does Tonerite. Regular use keeps guitars “warmed up.” I treat all of my acoustic guitars with Tonerite, finding that they respond to the treatment with greater harmonic depth while their dynamic range is also improved. The results of treatment can be dramatic. As a mid-sized guitar with a short scale of 24.9 inches, the guitar is quite manageable. People with a smaller frame and with smaller hands especially will likely appreciate not just the closer finger/hand reaches, but also the looser string tension characteristic of short scale. The 000-18 and similar OM models have a much storied history that find players often gravitating to them for both performance and recording. Tonal balance and ease of use are arguments for this usage, as larger Dreadnoughts are renowned for a booming sound and a deeper bass (that you also gotta love!), which are harder to control in both performance and recording situations, while their size can be awkward, in studio, recording and onstage. Purchase includes the in-place third party rosewood armrest and a hard shell case. The guitar has been stored in the case in a smoke free, climate controlled space and has never been used for a gig. I’m revamping my sprawling collection and am sad to see this “regular” go, but I don’t have space to keep it! PRINT REVIEW Premiere Guitar, January 2013 Review of the RO-310 “…the excellent string-to-string balance, impressive projection, and articulate harmonic character can be hard to find in a guitar at any price… Imagining this guitar a decade or so down the line, it’s hard to see how it won’t be a modern, affordable classic.” Charles Saufley, Premier Guitar https://www.premierguitar.com/recording-king-ro-310-acoustic-guitar-review VIDEO w/ AUDIO SAMPLES Acoustic Guitar Magazine, March 2013 Review of the RO-310 Note that the video mentions a wider neck. The industry in 2013 still found Martin 000 guitars with a 1-11/16th” nut (the nut is the grooved piece that transits the strings from the fingerboard to the tuning machines, so helps to determine the width of the neck). Martin changed to 1-3/4” nut on the 000 model in 2014. Recording King selected the 1-3/4” nut as its standard 000 nut width as early as 2012 when this guitar was made. So in that aspect they were leading Martin in a wider neck style and new standard nut width for the 000 model by two years. Today Recording King, Martin and most other makers use the wider nut width as standard for their mid-sized and 000 and OM models. That new standard is widely appreciated and expected now by finger style players, though strumming/playing with a pick is typical as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlssynbR7IE&t=133s Specs (Cream City) -Model: RO-310 -Body Shape: 000, 14th Fret -Top Material: Solid Adirondack Spruce -Back Material: Solid African Mahogany -Side Material: Solid African Mahogany -Top Bracing Pattern: X-Bracing -Top Braces: Sitka Spruce, Scalloped -Neck Material: Mahogany -Neck Profile: Thin C -Neck Joint: Dovetail, 14th fret -Fretboard Material: Rosewood -Scale Length: 24.9” -Number of Frets: 20 -Nut Material: Bone -Nut Width: 1-3/4” -Headstock Overlay: Rosewood -Headstock Inlay: Recording King Classic -Tuning Machines: Grover Rotomatic -Body Binding: Tortoise Shell-style -Rosette: 3 Ring Vintage -Top Purfling: Black & White -Fretboard Inlays: Pearl Dots -Bridge Material: Rosewood -Bridge Shape: Belly -Saddle: Bone, Compensated -Bridge Pins: Black Dot -Pickguard: None -Finish: Natural Gloss *Martin designates the 000 has having a short 24.9” scale and the OM has having a full length scale at 25.5”. Other brands define the OM as either short or long scale and generally do not use the 000 designation. The most important issue: 000 and OM models have the same body size.

Price: 575 USD

Location: Baltimore, Maryland

End Time: 2024-12-04T18:10:14.000Z

Shipping Cost: 0 USD