Three Recording Kings and a Gretsch - test results!

[Paul Seager]

I've mentioned in other posts that I'm fortunate to own a vintage National Tricone. However the only outlet I have for an acoustic instrument is a monthly Bluegrass meet-up and I really don't like taking it there. Reasons are, the age and value of the instrument but also the tone of a tricone isn't really "dobro-like". So as my "gig-money piggy bank" filled, I decided to buy an entry level "dobro" to have for this meet-up.

I tried in vain to find a shop within 100 km of my home that has any square-neck dobros under €1k. Eventually I decided to take a trip out to Thomann, Europe's largest music store and test these instruments:

• Gretsch G9230 Bobtail - €769
  Recording King RR-36S-VS - €399
  Recording King RR-75PL-SN Phil Leadbetter - €599
  Recording King RR-60VS - €679

The Gretsch's higher price I put down solely to the pick-up which I do not need so, I tried to evaluate it acoustically in the same price range as the RK's. Fortunately the Goldtone (€1400) was not in stock so I didn't have to deal with any temptation to go over budget. To be honest at more than twice the average price of the others, it wasn't really a contender. I could not find a dealer in the EU for Royall, Republic or Regal models. I contacted Thomann a couple of days in advance to ensure that the instruments would be in the store (it's mainly an online, warehouse operation). The Thomann team were responsive and helpful. I took an early, 3.5 hour train journey and arrived for breakfast in the sizeable Thomann restaurant. I then walked over to the shop and met my contact person. He had the instruments ready in a separate, quiet practice room.

First hitch - all instruments were tuned open D! I asked if this could be changed and he was a little nervous but came back with one guitar in open G - almost! He put it in G low bass I told him that I could work with open D and he left me alone for 2 hours of dedicated testing! I had made a list of test ideas but I am a great believer in first impressions. Here they are:

Gretsch: Dark, gutsy
RR-36S: Muddy
RR-75PL: Even, throaty - physically lighter!
RR-60VS: Even, dark

Make of those what you will! The main surprise came when I realised the Leadbetter model had a nut-width far slimmer than the others. At first this bothered me but I soon got used to it. I quickly established that the cheaper RK had no character whatsoever and parked it. Although I liked the Gretsch initially, I found it too dark and bluesy for my taste. So it was between the Leadbetter and the RR-60VS - the former's string spacing an initial blocker but I preferred it tonally. Then I hit what I guess you can call a power chord. My National really reacts pleasantly when one hits the strings hard. The Leadbetter reacted (but nothing like a National) and the RR-60VS broke! Literally it started to rattle and buzz, loud enough to annoy me; clearly I had dislodged something in the cone or tailpiece construction. I revisited the Gretsch but couldn't lose the feeling that it was a blues instrument:

My tests included different picks, different tone bars, use with a Beard capo, ease of changing tuning but primarily tone and playability. I had "rehearsed" a few pieces: a fiddle tune, some bluegrass standards, a Josh Graves tune and applied these to each instrument (albeit, adapting to open D!)

I went with the Leadbetter model because of it's tone, lighter-weight (I cycle and use public transport a lot!) As I was buying directly in house, the Leadbetter cost me €580 which basically paid for my train ticket. After a few days at home, the string spacing isn't an issue.

So there you go, that's my test results. Hope this is helpful to anyone considering these instruments.

[Per Berner]

That's good to hear. I bought a Leadbetter model a while ago, having nothing to compare it to before buying – but it's got that typical, bright dobro sound I was after, and it's quite loud. The finish was flawless, but the no-name tuning machines could do with an upgrade. Sadly, their mounting hole spacing matches no other tuners on the market...

[Brad Bechtel]

I played one of the Phil Ledbetter Recording King resonators at ResoSummit in Nashville a few years back. I was favorably impressed, especially for the price point. I didn't have any problem with the narrower neck; actually until someone mentioned it, I never even noticed!

I'm glad you were able to do a side-by-side comparison with these instruments personally. That's by far the best way to choose the right one for you.

Now if you ever come to ResoSummit or ResoGat you'll get a chance to try many different builders' works.

[Paul Seager]

I just been to my monthly bluegrass meet and was amazed at the difference of using the Leadbetter. It was far easier to hear what I was playing despite being in the middle of 20+ other players. Admittedly we were mercifully low on Banjos tonight!

I understand Per's point on the tuners but they seem to work and not slip. This instrument is definitely a keeper and if I upgrade anything later it'll be worth it!

Brad, lead me not into temptation!