In the 1930's, Recording King was known for their quality banjos and guitars at reasonable prices. This was especially important at the time because the United States was stuck in the middle of the Great Depression. The instruments were included in the Montgomery Ward catalog and delivered right to people's homes.

Now, The Music Link is reintroducing the popular Recording King instruments as accurate reproductions of the models from the 1930s. Every detail is true to the original, all the way down to the parts used for the trim and hardware. Even the tone rings are a complete reissue of the 1934 specifications. The Recording King flange is thought to be the most faithful representation of the original Mastertone type flange on the market today. The newly reissued Recording King Artist Deluxe banjo has a one-piece maple neck, 20-hole tone ring, ornate gold-plated hardware, and beautiful floral engravings, giving it the feel of a prewar instrument.

The new Recording King Professional custom banjo was unveiled in Nashville at the annual World of Bluegrass festival. It includes a reshaped neck and resonator for a crisp, clear tone. With the antique finish and the painstaking aging of the wood, most of the people in attendance could not tell the difference between an authentic 1920s instrument and the Recording King banjo. This audience included many of the top experts in bluegrass and banjo music, so if they can't tell the difference, the reproduction must be spotless.

Recording King is also planning on issuing three new guitar series: Classic, Contemporary, and Historic. These guitars will all be made with solid tops and will most likely offer the option of solid-body construction for added rigidity and resonance. The acoustic guitars will include fully-scalloped x-shaped bracing from the prewar era. This type of bracing increases the available volume inside the guitar's body and adds fullness to the tone. The new guitar series will be the most authentic reproduction of the prewar models, just like the Recording King banjos.

The most difficult challenge for The Music Link in their new production of the Recording King line of musical instruments is the obtaining of quality woods at decent prices. This has become a major problem for all acoustic instrument manufacturers due to limited supplies and transportation costs. They have solved this issue by hiring an expert in manufacturing material exports and scheduling their supply deliveries far in advance. This allows Recording King to import quality woods such as Adirondack spruce, African mahogany, and Indian rosewood.

New banjos are being added to the Recording King product line almost every other month. As long as the customers keep showing interest in reproduced prewar musical instruments, they will continue expanding. Banjos are now being produced for the Asian markets of China and Japan. There are even two new custom retail shops that can provide specially-ordered instruments right there in person. One store is located in the United States and the other in Japan to capitalize on the emerging market for Recording King instruments.

Originally posted 2008-10-27 05:58:04. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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accurate reproductions, acoustic guitars, authentic reproduction, banjo music, body construction, engravings, faithful representation, flange, great depression, guitar series, mastertone, montgomery ward catalog, music link, new guitar, piece maple neck, professional custom, quality banjos, resonator, tone ring, tone rings