Recording King: RK-O25 Madison open back

Submitted by Jim D on 4/4/2011

Where Purchased: Elderly Instruments

Year Purchased: 2010
Price Paid: 375.00 ($US)

Sound

This is an "after the honeymoon review." I always take "new, out of the box" reviews with a grain of salt. (Of course you like it... you just paid good money for it! But, what will you think after you've had it a while?)

I bought the banjo from Elderly and reviewed it in October of 2010... so this is now 6 months in. The "new" is gone.

For my comments see way below....

Sound Rating: not rated

Setup

Setup Rating: not rated

Appearance

Appearance Rating: not rated

Reliability

Reliability Rating: not rated

Customer Service

Customer Service: not rated

Components

Components Rating: not rated

Overall Comments

- I noted in the first review that in my opinion, the Madison open back leaned more toward a bluegrass sound than an old time sound. (That's not surprising. Add a tube and plate mounted resonator and you've got the RK-25 Madison, which is marketed as a bluegrass type banjo. )

So, I have "semi-Zeppified" it. I replaced the standard top coated Remo head with a Renaissance head. I replaced the presto-style tailpiece with a no-knot styled one. I changed the grover type bridge for a Moon middle weight, and the D'addario light strings for Vega middle weights. I slackened the head tension just a tad.

Those changes gave me more of a plunky tone and less of a ping... which is what I was looking for. You might prefer the brighter tone, which the banjo supplied out of the box. (BTW I think it would be a good move for Recording King to offer a more old time oriented version of the RK -O25 open back, including those changes I made, or something similar. Maybe add a scoop... call it the RK-O25 OT.)

-- I've become accustomed to the 7.5 pound weight that is the price of the deep, thick, 3-ply tone ring. I've also come accustomed to the increased volume and throatier tone which derive from it. While it's over 2 pounds heavier than either my Vega or my Supertone, I don't find the weight objectionable, just different.

- I am still pleased with fit and finish. The planetaries work well. The durn thing stays in tune for days at a time. Clarity of tone remains excellent with no muddy spots detected... of course I seldom venture beyond the 5th fret and then only to grab a single note on the 9th.

- At a street price of $375.00 with free shipping (Elderly and others), I think it's one of the best banjo deals going for anyone seeking an entry/mid level open back. You may have to tinker to get the tone where you want it… but hey, it’s a banjo, tinkering is part of the attraction.

Although it will be considered intolerable blasphemy to say so a second time, I continue to think that it's a much better banjo in all respects than the equivalent "Goodtime". YMMV!

My rating below is based on the RK-O25 open back being a $500.00 msrp banjo. Compared with a $4,000.00 something else... or even a $1,000 something else... it would not fare quite so well. But for what you'll pay it's a great banjo with no significant faults.

Overall Rating: 9

Recording King: RK-O25 Madison open back

Submitted by Jim D on 10/28/2010

Where Purchased: Elderly Instruments

Year Purchased: Oct 2010
Price Paid: 375.00 ($US)

Sound

I lean toward clawhammer/stroke style, playing old time, folk, and traditional pieces. An open back fits that choice, so the Madison was on my short list.

The Madison OB has very good volume, and good, clear, defined intonation. The sustain is a bit longer than I'm used to, but I'll live with it a bit before I start tinkering... heck I might like it. The sound is brighter (aka less "plunky") that my previous banjos. Again I can work on that with changes to head and tinkering with the tailpiece tension IF I decide to do so.

After all, tinkering to get the sound you want is very much part of owing any banjo.

My impression out of the box is that at the heart of the Madison OB is an instrument that was designed as a bluegrass banjo and modified to an open back configuration. I'm already thinking that the Presto type tailpiece may have to go.

Sound Rating: 9

Setup

The banjo only required tuning. I did relieve the tailpiece pressure somewhat as the "Presto type" tailpiece was cranked all the way down, making the tone brighter than I liked. As this was a matter of personal taste, I'll give setup full marks.

Setup Rating: 10

Appearance

The Madison has the typical high quality finish that RK is known for. The inlays are simple MOP dots, which is all that could be expected at this price range. Assembly and fit appear flawless. Many competitors that I looked at, including some US made, weren't anywhere near so well finished.

Appearance Rating: 10

Reliability

I am impressed with the hardware and the finish. It's not the absolute finest of either, but, realistically this is a banjo that arrived at my house for $375.00... shipping included. For that price, I feel that it's a super deal and equivalent or better than others that I've seen at higher prices.

Reliability Rating: 9

Customer Service

On receipt, I noted that the co-rods and 6 of the hooks had surface rust. I called Elderly and they offered to authorize my return of the piece for replacement. I didn't really want to put up with the hassle of repacking, shipping, and the 2 weeks or so of turn around. They offered to replace the hooks, but didn't have RK parts to do so. I didn't want to put non-matching hooks on a new banjo. (Let me say that while I didn't get the problem resolved at Elderly, it was due to my choice, not Elderly's willingness to do whatever they could. )

So, I sent an email to Greg Rich at Recording King explaining the issue and asking if he could provide the hooks I needed. They arrived in a few days.

Conclusion: Although I'm surprised that Elderly allowed the instrument to ship with obvious rust, I give both Elderly and RK get high marks for their response to the problem. Problems happen... it's how they're handled that makes the difference.

Customer Service: 10

Components

As stated above for a $500 MSRP banjo, I found the choice of components to be very good.

Components Rating: 9

Overall Comments

Being an open back player, I was surprised at the weight of the Madison OB. The thick, heavy 3 ply maple pot makes it several pounds heavier than either of my other OB banjos (Vega FW-5, Supertone 414). (You Bluegrass types wouldn't think it heavy, but I wouldn't want to play it standing up without a strap. Since I play sitting most of the time, it's a non issue. )
I chose the RK-O25 after a long look at what was available in the under $750 MSRP field. After receiving it and a few days of playing, I see it as a serious contender for anyone wanting a step up from entry level who, like me, is constrained by the realities of cost. I also see it as a good first banjo for those who want to skip the "junk" level entirely.

The Madison could be my long time keeper. We'll see. I hope to do an "after the honeymoon" review in 6 months or so. At this point, if I could give it a 9.5 rather than just a 9, I would.

Overall Rating: 9