JohnnySilver - Posted - 04/06/2025:  15:27:59

Hi,

Ive recently received my rk 75 elite and I think there may be shipping damage. The shipping box came beat up and inside some of the picks I ordered were crushed and or missing. The box for the tuner I ordered was destroyed... The RK box has some light damage to it.

The banjo its self has off centered thumb screws. Ive read that this can be normal. However when removing them to take the resonator off they feel as though they are cross threaded. When I try putting in the screws to the resonator they go in and come out easily so they are not cross threaded. However all the pegs are off center and tough to turn. I dont know if the box got dropped hard and did something to the banjo or what but I figure this is the place to ask. I added some photos so you can see the pegs.

Thanks for your help and advice,

Johnny

 

banjonz - Posted - 04/06/2025:  15:36:24

The off centred thumb screws may be a manufacturing issue. When I bought my RK80 (used) it had the same issue. Its not a major!

notty pine - Posted - 04/06/2025:  15:48:55

Wall lugs not aligned properly. Just astetics.

the-fish - Posted - 04/06/2025:  16:33:30

If new I’d do a claim on all of it

Screws are manufacturing oversight

Pick-A-Lick - Posted - 04/06/2025:  17:15:45

Separate the resonator from the banjo and you will see that the inner walls of the resonator are angled or sloped if you would. The lugs that are screwed into the sloped resonator walls are also angled and by association the mounting screws will be also angled outward when mounted. So there is nothing wrong with how your resonator lugs are mounted. Some resonator walls are straight and some are sloped depending upon the manufacturer.

The problem lies in the mounting of the four L shaped brackets attached to the wood banjo rim. When I received my RK-R36 it had this same issue. The fix is to remove the three small resonator L bracket screws and reposition the L brackets. This is easily done but you will have to drill new holes for the screws. When I re-positioned my L brackets I made sure they were all pushed up against the bottom of the metal flange that holds the hooks and nuts. Doing this ensures the resonator is held evenly against the banjo pot.

When you are done the four big resonator screws will angle outward but should not lean sideways. 

I have found that Recording King Banjos have mostly high quality parts but there can be inaccuracies in final assembly. 

Edited by - Pick-A-Lick on 04/06/2025 17:30:35

Pick-A-Lick - Posted - 04/06/2025:  17:40:56

Johnny,
Correction to my above post …… The L brackets have 2 small screws (not 3 as I posted).

An option is to remove the L brackets entirely and replace them with these brackets from Stewmac.
stewmac.com/parts-and-hardware...brackets/

Will Frady - Posted - 04/06/2025:  21:57:17

It looks like the flange is warped/bent, pulled in a few areas also

randybartlett - Posted - 04/07/2025:  05:18:41

quote:

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Originally posted by Will Frady

It looks like the flange is warped/bent, pulled in a few areas also

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To my eyes in that one picture, it looks like the entire resonator is crooked which makes the flange look pulled.

Old Hickory - Posted - 04/07/2025:  06:28:55

Or the lower-cost T-bracket from Sullivan.

T-brackets are simpler to install and by virtue of their design are automatically centered in the flange hole and located as close to the underside of the flange as possible. But for them to work without any issues of crookedness or mis-alignement, the wall lugs have to be precisely located and the flange has to be precisely installed on the pot relative to the neck.

RioStat - Posted - 04/07/2025:  06:31:01

OP needs to step back a little bit and take a photo with a larger field of vision.

Close-up photos make everything look overly distorted.

Pick-A-Lick - Posted - 04/07/2025:  06:54:15

As I mentioned in my first post:
“When I re-positioned my L brackets I made sure they were all pushed up against the bottom of the metal flange that holds the hooks and nuts. Doing this ensures the resonator is held evenly against the banjo pot.”
The L brackets come in contact with the resonator. The metal flange does not come in contact with the resonator. If one (or more) of the L brackets are spaced down from the bottom of the rim it will raise that area of the rim giving the illusion of a bent rim. This was the case with my RK-R36 when I first received it and it could well be the issue here.

Pick-A-Lick - Posted - 04/07/2025:  07:18:50

quote:

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Originally posted by Old Hickory

Or the lower-cost T-bracket from Sullivan.

T-brackets are simpler to install and by virtue of their design are automatically centered in the flange hole and located as close to the underside of the flange as possible. But for them to work without any issues of crookedness or mis-alignement, the wall lugs have to be precisely located and the flange has to be precisely installed on the pot relative to the neck.

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Ken, 

There are several resonator T mounting brackets on the market. I known for a fact that some of them do not extend far enough out from the wooden banjo rim to come in contact with the resonator which results in the metal banjo flange fitting directly to the resonator groove. (My Turtle Hill woody is an example). This being the case, an L bracket to T bracket conversion may require the neck notch in the resonator to be cut slightly deeper as the pot sits down into the resonator instead of being spaced above it by the L bracket. 

Edited by - Pick-A-Lick on 04/07/2025 07:23:24

banjoez - Posted - 04/07/2025:  08:00:49

Misaligned thumbscrews are pretty common on many lower end banjos and especially imports. That's one area of QC that they seem to ignore most of the time. It usually is due to either the wall lugs incorrectly spaced/angled or the L brackets misaligned or a combination of both. You can either live with it or have a luthier (or yourself if your handy) re-position whatever is misaligned. Common problem.

Edited by - banjoez on 04/07/2025 08:02:37

Old Hickory - Posted - 04/07/2025:  08:09:53

quote:

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Originally posted by Pick-A-Lick

There are several resonator T mounting brackets on the market. I known for a fact that some of them do not extend far enough out from the wooden banjo rim to come in contact with the resonator which results in the metal banjo flange fitting directly to the resonator groove. 

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Yes. That, too.

The Stew-Mac T-bracket appears to be as you describe: too short to reach the ledge. The Sullivan T-bracket is longer, so it sits on the ledge as do L brackets sized correctly for the type of rim being used. 

What I mean there is L brackets for two-piece flange are shorter since the outside diameter of the rim is larger -- and therefore closer to the resonator wall. Brackets for two-piece flange used on a rim with one-piece flange allow the pot to sit lower -- the flange sitting on the ledge -- requiring the resonator neck notch to be cut deeper as you describe.

My oldest banjo with one-piece flange was built with L brackets for two-piece flange and the neck notch not quite deep enough to accommodate the heel. In part because of the heel cap. So the flange sits solidly on the resonator ledge at the tailpiece and the gradually rises above all the the way around. Been that way since 1973, so nothing to do about it now.

The Old Timer - Posted - 04/07/2025:  08:48:05

If you can get the thumbscrews in and out when you need to, live with it. I have a number of Gibsons where the thumbscrews are VERY particular about how you angle them when you start to install. Then after you get one thumbscrew in, you have to "knock" the resonator with the heel of your hand to reposition it so that the other thumbscrews go in. (Gibson and repro/reissue resonators are almost always MUCH bigger than the flange, so there is lots of slop in the fit. I've never seen one where the flange fits snug in the resonator lip.)

If it really bugs you, return it and hope the replacement is better.

Owen - Posted - 04/07/2025:  09:22:15

quote:

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Originally posted by randybartlett

quote:

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Originally posted by Will Frady

It looks like the flange is warped/bent, pulled in a few areas also

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To my eyes in that one picture, it looks like the entire resonator is crooked which makes the flange look pulled.

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I'm about as far from an expert as it gets, but I think I'm with Randy on this one.  My thinking is that the lugs aren't positioned correctly around the resonator circumference  [more so than in/out or perpendicular/square to either the wall or the flange].   IF the resonator has to go where it has to go depending on the cut-out for the heel, then my logic/illogic/??? says the lugs are a fair bit off .... maybe even 'way off??  I'm but a putterer, but the angle on the screw in the pic would bug me no end.  But, as "they" say, YMMV.

.... if any of that ^^ makes sense.

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Edit: It's off onto a tangent, but I wonder why flanges aren't made with blanks (?)  above the wall lugs, and then a hole [1/4" ??] in that space/blank for the thumbscrew rather than using brackets and associated hardware.  Much cleaner/simpler??   

Edited by - Owen on 04/07/2025 09:31:39

Dean T - Posted - 04/07/2025:  11:58:11

quote:

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Originally posted by Owen

Edit: It's off onto a tangent, but I wonder why flanges aren't made with blanks (?)  above the wall lugs, and then a hole [1/4" ??] in that space/blank for the thumbscrew rather than using brackets and associated hardware.  Much cleaner/simpler??   

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That's how Deering does it. 

Owen - Posted - 04/07/2025:  12:27:50

Thanks Dean ... when I said I was as far from expert as it gets I wasn't foolin'.   

I "looked it up" and, yep, that's what I had in mind ... now the only thing left for me to wonder is why that isn't the "standard."  

Old Hickory - Posted - 04/07/2025:  13:40:30

quote:

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Originally posted by Owen

I "looked it up" and, yep, that's what I had in mind ... now the only thing left for me to wonder is why that isn't the "standard."  

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The other thing to ask about that should have been the standard for about 100 years now is the design of the one-piece flange itself. The bead on the flange took on somewhat of the look but not the function of the tube part of the two-piece flange. The function being the tube bears upward against rim wood to hold the pot together.

Why wasn't the one-piece flange designed so the bead extends all the way to the inside diameter of the flange so the bead bears upward against wood?  Instead, there's a step inside the flange that does that. So the rim has to be turned to meet the flange in two places instead of just one.

Guess what: That's also what Deering does! The top of the flange does the same job as the tube of a two-piece flange. Makes so much sense.

Deering flange - inside wall detail

 

Dean T - Posted - 04/07/2025:  16:54:24

After revisiting this thread, and looking at the pictures, and reading about smashed, destroyed, and missing items… for the cost of the Elite, I’d consider shipping it back for a refund. It should be perfect and packaged well. If that resonator fit is as bad in real life, as it is in the photos, it’s really messed up. If you bought it new, please don’t let a business get away with this.

Edited by - Dean T on 04/07/2025 16:55:59

JohnnySilver - Posted - 04/07/2025:  19:17:12

Dean T Yep I bought it new form Guitar Center, had it shipped overnight. They are going to exchange it and ship the next one over night as well. Its kind of a pain in the but to take it to the local store, but its what I got to do. At least I can exchange the tuner and they will ship the picks separately via the post office. Ill stop and get some cheap picks to get through that wait. Next time... Ill drive the 2 hours to Ederly and buy from there. There is literally no one in my area selling them that I can find except for one place, but their reputation is worse than Guitar Center if you can believe it. Although they are selling RK-35's for $699 new... but I'm already set on the one I got and who knows where they are getting them from or if they will even honor the price when you get there.

I bought a super snark tuner, IDK if they are all that good, I might buy something different when I am at the store. But its the wrong thread to discuss what brand tuner to buy, so Ill just search the forum and go from there.

Thank you very much everyone for your input, it helped out tremendously, I hadn't seen the bent rim in the pictures until it was pointed out and sure enough its there. It must have taken one heck of a wallop in shipping.

Thank you Pick-A-Lick and Old Hickory for looking those brackets up, I definitely gave it some thought, being its new and they offered a replacement, Ill go that route. Fingers and Eyes crossed!