Recording King Madison Maple RK-R35 Resonator Banjo with Tone Ring - Hand-rubbed Brown Satin
Recording King Madison Maple RK-R35 Resonator Banjo with Tone Ring - Hand-rubbed Brown Satin Reviews
Searching for a high-performance banjo that's rugged enough for touring, recording, and jamming alike? If so, you'll fall head over heels for the Recording King Madison Maple. This resonator banjo was built with top-shelf components, including a Mastertone-style bell-brass-cast tone ring, a 1-piece flange, a steam-bent maple rim, and a reverberant maple resonator. This banjo's maple neck and padauk fingerboard supply you with hours upon hours of comfortable playability. You also get a high-quality Remo Frosted High Crown head, along with a 24-hook brass tension hoop that enables dead-simple adjustments. The Madison Maple also comes with gleaming nickel-plated hardware, which includes a classic Presto-style tailpiece. A maple/ebony bridge, bone nut, and mother-of-pearl inlays round out the outstanding Recording King Madison Maple resonator banjo.
While this isn't an item we normally stock, we can still get it due to our great relationship with Recording King. Go ahead and place your order and we'll follow up shortly to let you know when to expect it. Estimated July 2026.
RKR-35 Banjo
This was my first of two Recording King banjos I have purchased. 2nd one being a RKR-76 Elite Hearts & Flowers banjo. The RKR-35 is a Maple version of the Madison Line of banjos designed by Greg Rich of Recording King. The quality and playability of this banjo is excellent. The tone and sustain of this banjo are excellent. Being a Greg Rich designed banjo you can't go wrong purchasing this banjo. If you are in need of a QUALITY professional banjo without breaking the bank this would be an excellent option to consider.
Excellent first banjo
I bought one of these in 2018 after learning rolls on a not so good Washburn B9 for a year. Weighs 12 pounds, has real dual coordinator rods, tone ring. Mine was professionaly set up by the seller. sounds great and is a joy to play.
Best buy
This rk 35 and the 36 are the best value on a banjo of any price hands down. These sound great out of the box. Any pro would play these. I did replace the tuners on my 35 for Gotoh tuners. I replaced the bridge cause that's what us banjo freaks do. I also put a Prucha tailpiece on because I just wanted to. I had a setup done by Richie Dotson (also the bridge). He set the head, bridge and truss rod. Also filed the nut a bit and cord. rods. All for a bit over $100. Now I can't find a better banjo to buy for any amount. Yes, I see a bunch I could buy but can't justify it for sound and tone quality. At this price they really shouldn't sound this good.
Professional Banjo
So glad Sweetwater is carrying these. If you are serious about banjo. The Recording King RK35 (maple) or RK36 (mahogany) are two of the best values in banjos. They are copies of Gibson Mastertone banjos. These Recording King Banjos are designed by Greg Rich, the authority on banjo history, construction and design tone ring alloy formulas. Be aware good banjos are heavy.
I'd suggest the RkR20 if weight is an issue.
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