NOW FOR SALE -Recording King ROS 627 - FULL REVIEW

[lw216316]

All specs and GREAT DESCRIPTION (please read- says it better than I can), (shows price also)
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Recording-King-Century-Series-ROS-627-12th-Fret-OOO-Acoustic-Guitar?sku=582866

SAMPLE AUDIO/VIDEO OF 627  (3 song list)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOLyShIqqJc&feature=PlayList&p=EECC36EBABCDA298&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=12

SAMPLE AUDIO/VIDEO AND REVIEW (of mahogany version 626 - but very similar to my 627)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9800NuuHPhs

- the 1st pic shows the 627 next to my classical (close to same size)
- the rosewood has a deep,rich  Brazilian look to it

I'll add more pics in a reply

I will add another reply to give my personal review of this guitar.

- Larry

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[lw216316]

another pic

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[lw216316]

- the side and back solid rosewood is very beautiful - deep , dark, rich...like Brazilian

- the slot head uses Grover butterbean tuners

- the bracing is scalloped and fwd shifted  - very clean work, saw no flaws or sloppy glue work

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[Blue in VT]

 

Thats a nice looking git!  I look fwd to your review.  Is it safe to assume that this is the guitar you have the neck work done on?  I know your not a fan of the V-neck...

Cheers,

Blue

[cke]

 
For my only experience with a Recording King I played a 00 size - "Nick Lucas" deep body (RNJ-16). Nice in so many ways. I have say it felt and sounded more expensive than it is.  Yours is way impressive!

Congrats on what looks like a job well done

[Queequeg]

Great looking guitar, Larry.   
I am anxious to see their new 00 and parlor, too.
Congratulations.
Enjoy it.

[ffinke]

Rosie's not thrilled but she'll get over it.

Good looking guitar. Enjoy the devil out of it.

f

[lw216316]

Rosie's not thrilled but she'll get over it.

if its any consolation to Rosie, I've not named my 627   

...and Rosie is my benchmark that I use to measure all other guitars as far as appearance, quality and playability....
Rosie's tone is 100 % on my scale too,....just a DIFFERENT tone than what my ear prefers....

Many say the Huss & Dalton OO-SP (a.k.a.  Rosie ) is THE BEST OO guitar made -  I have found none better -
....even Martin's new remake of the vintage Martin the H&D is modeled after - is not as good as Rosie in my opinion.

Is it safe to assume that this is the guitar you have the neck work done on?  I know your not a fan of the V-neck... 

yes, I had the shop I ordered it from trim down the mod-V neck profile - its almost like a ' C ' profile now-
I read on the Recording King web page that the makers in China let the nitro finish set for 8 weeks before they ship-
So I don't feel so bad now that I had to wait so long for the shop to complete the work.
They should have explained that to me.

I'm not able to play the V profile - it hurts my thumb when I play barre chords - which I do a lot of

I really like the old vintage Martin sound - the problem is all the guitars I like (and have the features I want) have the
mod - V profile. A few have a low profile neck but then don't combine that with a wide neck like I want.
So a custom order was about my only option or to look for a needle in a haystack as far as a used one with wide neck and low profile. To custom order a Martin (or Collings) like I wanted was going to be in the $4,000 to 6,000 range.


The Recording King ROS 627 (and 647) has all the features I was looking for EXCEPT -it comes with mod-v profile
and since they are made in China , I'm told you can not special order one.
So getting the dealer to modify the V was the route I took.

Great looking guitar, Larry.   nice guitar
I am anxious to see their new 00 and parlor, to

If they come up with a OOO or OO with a low profile neck  (and maybe a short scale too)
I will probably get one and sell the one I have.

My 627 is classified as an OOO but it has a depth of 4 inches -
if I recall correctly...the other OOs I've looked at or owned had a 4 inch depth -
(although the OOs usually had a lower bout of less than 15 inches, about 14 1/2 I think)
Larrivee's OOOs are BIG -- and thick ,   for OOO-50 -  lower bout = 15.375  DEPTH = 4 1/2

That extra 1/2 inch from 4" to 4 1/2 " makes  BIG difference to me as I sit with guitar in lap and play
It puts my arm at an angle that causes it to hurt after a while.
...that's why I sold my wonderful Larrivee SD-50 -  too big,...too thick...for me
My 4inch deep classical does not cause me that problem nor does my Recording King 627 with its 4 inch depth.

Yes, Larrivee's deeper and bigger OOO can give more volume BUT -
the scalloped , forward shifted bracing , pyramid bridge and nitro finish probably make up that difference on a 4 inch box.
I know some here have a different opinion about some of that - but to my ear - the guitars I've played / owned
that have those features - do have added volume/ depth/ richness of sound to them.

The Huss & Dalton OO that I owned (now adopted by Fred) is one of the loudest guitars I've ever played -
...and can hold its own with much larger guitars.

I did my homework (you guys know how detailed I am about that stuff and how many questions I ask)
and the Recording King guitars have a great reputation.
I listened to youtube recordings, dealer reviews etc
AND I played a couple of models (borrowed from an owner) before I had the dealer order me one
....and then I only agreed to do it because he said he could reshape the mod-v profile -   and he did.

Even the used guitars (Martin, Collings, Santa Cruze) I saw advertised that had the same features as the Recording King 627
cost about  3 times as much (or more)  as a new 627.

I don't list Larrivee because they don't have a scalloped, forward shifted bracing, pyramid bridge, 4 inch depth,
14 1/2 to 15 inch lower bout, 12 fret slot head  guitar for me to consider - and don't do special orders.

By the way,  this Recording King has a dove tail joint -
Collings and Huss & Dalton both use bolt on don't they ?

Some think the dove tail makes a difference in the tone and some don't -
put me in with the group that thinks it does make a difference.

Collings and Huss & Dalton both model their guitar (in this class) after a Martin -
...but to my ear - they just don't capture that true vintage Martin sound -
I think the Collings comes closer than the H&D  to the Martin sound and I've heard others say the same thing.

To my ear, my Recording King comes closer to the vintage Martin sound than the OOSP Huss and Dalton I owned
and closer than any Collings I've played.
Could the dove tail be a factor ?.......maybe....something(s) make a difference.
I'd like to know what kind of glue the Recording King ROS 627 is make with.

- Larry

[cke]

I am happy your guitar is as you desired. Vintage Martin is a great target.

In the defense of other makers, like Larrivee's Vintage series, each has their own ideas of how the guitar should sound, and 'improvements' to make.  I don't consider any of the ideas invalid; it's why there are so many of them with passionate followings.

"The ear of the beholder" and all that. 

[lw216316]

"The ear of the beholder" and all that.

Yes 

That is why you will see my comments liberally sprinkled with TO MY EAR 

...and why (for example) I still rate the Huss & Dalton as the best OO size guitar I've ever played
and use it as my BENCHMARK to compare size, quality and playability -

I will also add this DISCLAIMER -
I'm reporting on the Recording King ROS 627  *** THAT I OWN ****

and it is consistent with the other 2 627s I played before I bought this one
and sounds as good or better TO MY EAR than the ones I've heard on youtube etc..

You may go find one to play and report back that it is the worst piece of junk you've ever dirtied your fingers on
and good only for firewood 

I was asked to report - so I'm happy to do so -
Several people here have followed my adventure to find JUST THE RIGHT GUITAR for me...
Two of the guys here bought guitars I sold as I continued my search -
     a wonderful Larrivee SD-50 - which I can 100% recommend to anyone
     a Huss & Dalton OO-SP -  best of class rating by others and me too
and I sold a Larriee L-03R  - another fine guitar, to a non forum member

Maybe someone who is considering the Recording King  can get some benefit from my review....hope so.

I know when I'm shopping I like to read all the personal reviews I can find on a particular guitar.
I seldom find anyone who goes into enough detail in their reviews to satisfy me -
     so I provide a lot - and there is always the option for others to read what they want and skip the rest

I'll provide an in depth review soon -
today I took the day off work to be with my new guitar -
I've played about 2 hours already - it just keeps sounding better and better to me- hard to put it down -
as I look out my window at the worst snow storm to hit Nashville in years-

I stocked up on food and have a new guitar - what more could a picker want ? 
so...    let it snow, let it snow....let it snow 

Larry

[norton]

Hey Larry,

Maybe someone who is considering the Recording King  can get some benefit from my review....hope so.
Larry

I'm that guy!  I've been thinking about one of these for a long time, but so seldom buy anything but vintage guitars, I can't / don't keep up with what's new out there.  Of course there's nothing like having an example in your lap, but that's pretty difficult in my area.  I appreciate the thorough review! 

However, can't agree with you on the snow.  We've got more of the foul stuff on the ground than I've seen since coming to the Ozarks.  I would have been happy to have never had this experience again!  Regards, Doug

[JOYCEfromNS]

Larry thanks for your efforts. Your contibutions are very informative and a joy to read.

[lw216316]

Larry thanks for your efforts. Your contibutions are very informative and a joy to read.

I appreciate the thorough review!   

...glad it helps....I'm going to begin my review now. I may do it in parts.
...should have my first part posted within the hour.

- Larry

[lw216316]

REVIEW OF RECORDING KING ROS 627  - PART ONE

What is a 627 ?

Recording King Century Series ROS-627 12th Fret OOO Acoustic Guitar Features:

    * Model: ROS-627  - the 647 has an abalone rosette and ebony fretboard, cost about $150 more
          there is a mahogany version also - the 626  - I prefer rosewood
    * Body shape: 12th Fret OOO  -  with 4" depth - so very similar to OO size, about the size of my classical
    * Top material: Solid AA Grade Sitka Spruce - the grain and color on mine is excellent
    * Back material: Solid East Indian Rosewood - mine has deep, rich Brazilian color
    * Side material: Solid East Indian Rosewood
    * Top bracing pattern: Fully Scalloped X-Bracing  - this is a vintage feature I wanted
    * Top braces: Scalloped Spruce   ( I think its forward shifted too, but could not find it in this list )
    * Neck material: 1-Piece Mahogany
    * Neck profile: Vintage "V" - I can't play a V - it hurts, so I had custom work to smooth it down, now like a ' C ' profile
    * Neck joint: Hand-Cut Dovetail  - I prefer this,  many other brands use bolt on, my opinion- it may help vintage sound
    * Fretboard material: Ebony
    * Scale length: 25-3/8 " -----works fine for me, I would prefer short scale 24.9
    * Number of frets: 20 (12 open)  -  I prefer 12 fret, fits my small size better, and gives more volume than 14 fret
    * Nut material: Bone  -  this is a surprise on a guitar under $1,000, some very expensive guitars use plastic
    * Nut width: 1-13/16"  -  I would not buy it unless it had this wide neck
    * Headstock type: Slotted  - I prefer slot heads  - my opinion- better sound
    * Headstock overlay: Rosewood
    * Headstock inlay: None
    * Tuning machines: Grover Butterbean  - excellent, I'm liking these as much as the Waverly's on the Huss & Dalton I had
    * Body binding: Grained Ivoroid  - I would prefer wood binding but hey for under $1,000, Even martin uses plastic
    * Rosette: 3-Ring   - looks fine,  I like abalone better
    * Top purfling: Herringbone   - very nice
    * Fretboard inlays: Diamond and Square, Pattern 1  - nothing special - serve the purpose
         - also had micro side dots  - nice - I would custom add them if they were missing
    * Fretboard binding: None
    * Bridge material: Ebony
    * Bridge shape: Pyramid Style  - excellent on a sub $1,000 guitar !  - my opinion - better vintage sound
    * Saddle: Bone  -   bone on a guitar at this price !! -  wow
    * Bridge pins and endpin: Ivory with Black Dot
    * Pickguard: None  -  just the way I prefer -  those who want a guard can add one of their choice
    * Finish: Hand-Buffed Nitrocellulose  - again , you don't expect this on a $900 guitar - my opinion - better vintage sound

NOTE- the only other guitars I looked at like this,  Martin, Collings, Huss & Dalton, Santa Cruz - were $3,000 - $6,000

I had my doubts that a guitar with all this selling for $900 would have any quality to it or a good tone.
After doing extensive research, and...hearing and playing this model -
    I decided to order one and sell it if not satisfied --

My guitar seems to have excellent quality...
    time will tell if it ages well.
I will do another PART - to talk about TONE.

- Larry

[lw216316]

REVIEW OF RECORDING KING ROS 627  - PART TWO

THE TONE

This is subjective and my opinion -  your ear may vary  

FIRST- let me explain where I came from and what I was looking for

- I was a nylon string player most of my life, then decided to add a steel string for variety
- I bought a Larrivee L-03R rosewood - great guitar, great value - but learned from it that I needed
   a guitar with a wider neck - I was not able to adjust to smaller because of so many years of wide nylon guitar

-  sold the L-03R and bought the widest Larrivee - the slope shoulder dreadnaught SD-50 with a 1 7/8 nut
    it had the same string spacing as my nylon and was easy for me to play

    BUT - I learned from the SD-50 that it was too big for me - and I was beginning to have shoulder pain -
       mostly ( I think ) because the SD-50 was so thick - almost 5 inches

   I play ALL FINGERSTYLE - sitting down - most of the time sitting on the couch at home,
                                                             sometimes sitting on a stool at church

    - on the positive side, I learned that I much preferred the 12 fret SD-50 over the 14 fret L-03R
        I'm a 5' 8"  150 pound guy - and the 14 fret model is a stretch for me to reach out to the open chords
    - also positive, the SD-50 taught me I prefer a slot head rather than a paddle head guitar
     - and I learned I preferred rosewood instead of mahogany

- so I went shopping for a rosewood ,12 fret, slot head, wide neck ( 1 13/16 or 1 7/8 ) small body guitar ( OO or OOO size )

- I found some but they were all expensive  - usually $2,500 - $5,000 -
    and the real problem for me was few had a 1 13/16 or 1 7/8 nut and the ones that did had the V or MOD-V profile

         I'm not able to play a V without pain - I play classical style with my thumb in the middle of the back of the neck
         and that puts it right on the sharp of the V ----ouch ! -  5 minutes of that and I'm hurting.

- then I found a new Huss & Dalton that had been custom ordered by a dealer- but in the shop a long time
  it had the wide neck AND a low profile , was 12 fret and OO size -  a Huss and Dalton OO-SP -
     said by some to be the best OO being made -  I concur.
    The H&D was on sale for a great price - just south of $3,000 -
   
- THEN, I played a Collings OOO  ( A forum friend suggested I try one)
  I liked the tone of the Collings even better than the H&D-
   was not sure why but then read opinions that Collings sounds more like a vintage Martin than a H&D

- I sold my H&D at a price Fred could not resist - and planned to buy a Collings OOO.

- While watching for one at a price I could afford,
  I decide to play some Martins - to compare tones to the Collings and H&D.
  I discovered that the vintage Martin sound is what I prefer -  over the Collings and H&D
     they are modeled after the Martin but each maker has its own unique sound - not better - just different
      and I decided I wanted that difference

So, I went shopping for a Martin - the tone of the big Martin HD-28 was my favorite,
The problem was finding an OO or OOO size with wide neck AND low profile.
It ended up with making a custom order the only way to get what I wanted  -
and that would have been in the $4,000 to $6,000 range depending on model.

I decided to do that but I would have to wait until I could afford it.

Then I read about the Recording King ROS 627 -
It had all the features I wanted EXCEPT it had a V neck and it had the TONE I was looking for - the true vintage Martin sound.
I did a lot of research and played a couple of them as I explained in previous posts
and ordered one because the dealer said he could smooth down the mod-V neck.

The TONE of my 627 has not disappointed me.
It sounds like the Martins that I played that I liked.
I prefer the Martin D-28 type sound - rosewood - rich, deep , mellow, warm -sweet
my 627 rosewood  has that -

The trebles are clear,sweet well separted - great for my all fingerstyle playing -
They are not as snappy or responsive, or project as well as my H&D OO-SP did - but I think I prefer it that way
    The H&D rosewood is said by some to be a little toward the mahogany side in sound - many like it that way

To my ear, the BALANCE of bass and treble on my 627 is just right -
I'd compare it to the Santa Cruz - OOO - famous for its balance
or to a Collings OOO - also well regarded for balance

The bass is Martin in sound but does not overpower the treble like some Martins.

I provided sample audio/video at the start of this thread.
I'll not try to provide my own because I don't have the equipment -  only have a cheap digital camera with bad quality video mode.

BOTTOM LINE - my 627 has the vintage Martin sound I was looking for

DISCLAIMER - I play all solo finger style - with thumb pick, no flat picking, very little strumming, not in a group -
     this guitar is targeted toward the finger style market,  

Could it be used for other styles ? .....I don't know....

I was expecting to pay $2,500 to $3,500 for a used Collings or Martin if I could find one -
or else saving up to custom order a Martin for $4,000 - $6,000 -  because I wanted that TONE.

The 627 gives me the TONE for $900 -  plus whatever case the dealer provides - see the link in my first post -

ANY QUESTIONS OR OTHER DETAIL WANTED BY ANYONE ?

- Larry

[lw216316]

FOR THOSE CONSIDERING THIS MODEL - thought you might be interested in this -

I contacted another Recording King dealer and asked if he could
special order a 627 or 647 with a low profile neck or maybe a short scale -
here is his response

Hello Larry,

These models are very scarce at the moment

and cannot fill current orders.

They may do some  custom orders when they do catch up.

[gitnoob]

Great review, Larry!

I'm with you -- I love small shallow bodies with a wide nut and wide spacing at the bridge.   Slot head and pyramid bridge don't hurt either.   

Have you ever tried a Blueridge BR-361?   Sort of a Martin 0-28VS clone.   1-7/8" nut, smaller body than your 000, but nice full sound.

BTW, the new RK 0 and 00 both have a V-neck AFAIK.

[lw216316]

a couple of updates

- the nut size is 1 13/16  -  some sites and reviews mistakenly report it as 1 3/4
                                       mine measures EXACTLY 1 13/16

- the Recording King website does not list the bracing as being forward shifted  (as I thought it was)
    It is scalloped.

- the Recording king website has some information on it that I did not see before,
    including a option to custom order  - I'm checking into that - would like to get a low profile neck and 24.9 short scale

     click here for site ===> http://www.recordingking.com/whatsnew-00011-07.html

Have you ever tried a Blueridge BR-361?   

NO - I played a basic dreadnaught size - but the stores around here don't keep the kind of guitars I like in stock -
       because they don't move as fast, they carry the most popular models so they can turn them over faster

I've read good things about Blueridge -
I had a chance to actually play the Recording King 627 (thanks to a kind owner) - and was so impressed I ordered one.

- Larry

[Big Eric]

Good thoughtful review.  Have contemplated a Recording King guitar a couple of times.  Just could never pull the trigger for one reason or another. 

This review will make me examine the guitars more closely next time I'm out looking.  Which might not be a while since the Larrivee is getting a lot of attention at the moment.

[lw216316]

- the Recording king website has some information on it that I did not see before,
    including a option to custom order  - I'm checking into that - would like to get a low profile neck and 24.9 short scale

- an update on my previous mention of custom orders

- the email address listed on their web site for custom orders is no longer valid
- the phone number listed on their web site for custom orders
    will connect you to a guy who used to be a dealer and dealt with BANJO custom orders,
    he is no longer involved with custom orders and had no other information about it.

- 2 dealers I've contacted said they did not think you could place a custom order

If anyone has any additional information about this - please post

- Larry