Recording King Rd-327 Acoustic Guitar

The first thing you notice upon picking up the Recording King RD-327 acoustic guitar is just how shiny the damn thing is. From blinding gold-plated open-geared Butterbean tuning keys that surround a cascading flowery pattern on the headstock, down the mahogany neck and ebony fretboard adorned by diamond and snowflake-shaped fret inlays, all the way to the impressive body comprised of Adirondack Sprucewood with Rosewood sides, it certainly is a sight to behold. As an American company primarily dealing with acoustics and banjos, Recording King made a name for themselves selling exclusively through the Montgomery Ward department store (famously known as the company that invented Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer) during the Great Depression – a reputation that has been maintained by the company through the years and ultimately accounts for the old school vibe of the instrument. These days, the parts for the RD-327 (and indeed all Recording King guitars) are made over in China before being shipped back to the U.S for set up and assembly. This particular model lands here in Australia with a price tag of around $1,100, so essentially what we're looking at here is a relatively inexpensive interpretation of a pre-war dreadnought guitar.

Straight out of the box, the RD-327 is a great guitar to play. The wide nut lends itself to a multitude of playing styles so whether it's a gentle flat pick, an energetic strum or an acoustic finger-pick, it always sounds great. A pleasing natural reverb and even better sustain were also present when we really started getting stuck in, although the bass response was a little bit lacking at times. Another slight problem is in the projection of the guitar, as it had nowhere near the booming qualities of something like a Martin D1 - a guitar with which Recording King models are often compared. This was generally not a problem when tracking though as we used the guitar through a few different mics and found the recorded sound produced to be extremely versatile and strong. Even through a basic Shure SM-57, the RD-327 carried a big, distinctive sound and sat really well within a slightly rowdier track. With no pick-up on the body, recording versatility really does need to be this instrument's bread and butter, and the RD-327 did not disappoint. It's a fancy guitar, no doubt, and the amount of lacquer on the body gives off a slightly cheesy vibe to this reviewers eyes, but if you're looking for a dreadnought that won't break the bank, sounds great and aligns itself with that golden age of American guitar playing, the Recording King RD-327 is a great buy.