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T here’s nothing quite like a bit of heritage behind a brand name, and there are few manufacturers who can lay claim to a back-story like Recording King’s. The name was initially used by the American department store, Montgomery Ward’s, throughout the 30s.

Handily enough, the instruments were manufactured by the Gibson guitar factory, which used a number of different brand names at the time. Specialising in small bodied steel string acoustics and banjos, the Recording King brand established itself a nice reputation, and made some well respected instruments.

Skip forward a few years, and the now defunct brand has been revitalised by AXL, a San Francisco-based company that has been quietly putting out authentic 1930s Recording King replicas for the past few years, and now, thanks to Westside, will be hitting the UK.

“We see the UK as a tremendous market,” says Recording King’s Travis Atz. “The Recording King line is made for any players who want a classic feeling and sounding instrument without having to find a vintage piece that one has to sell their car for.”

An admirable aim, no doubt, especially in a market where vintage looks and sound are at a premium. The instruments themselves, and the manufacturing processes behind them, have been painstakingly planned and implemented. “We designed the entire workshop where these instruments are produced specifically to make these guitars,” continues Atz.

“We pulled expert craftspeople from many sources – violin makers, folks who have been trying to perfect instrument finishes for years, as well as trained guitar builders. We've travelled the world to find the highest quality and most resonant woods available and have pieces in drying rooms right now.”

Manufacturing itself, as is so often the case today, takes place in China, to the exacting standards laid down by Recording King’s 1930s predecessors. “These guitars are built more by hand than most of the big famous name companies today,” asserts Atz. “In some factories, necks are secured by bolts and machines do the buffing of the finish.  

“In our workshop, the dovetail neck joint, which has long been a favourite for acoustic instruments from its large transference of sound from the neck to the body, is cut and fit entirely by hand.

“The buffing of the finish is done by one person gradually working through finer and finer steps by hand. It really is an unbelievable process that is inspiring to see how much care and effort goes into creating each instrument.”

Yet as with any Chinese production process, quality assurance is high on the list of priority for customers well used to Eastern manufacturing. “Many people have been concerned about the quality of Chinese made instruments, and there are only a few shops that can successfully build an all solid guitar,” says Atz.

“But the ones who have figured it out can make a guitar on par with manufacturing from anywhere in the world. We're glad to now be one of them, but it has taken some work.”

The current Recording King roster includes the Contemporary and Classic ranges, soon to be joined by a Historic line, with the instruments featuring such vintage aspects as fully scalloped forward X-bracing, 1-3/4" nut widths on the OOO models, and vintage V neck profiles. “Currently some of the best selling models are the ‘Torch’ guitars,” adds Atz.

“These are classic OOO and Dreadnaught steel string acoustic guitars with Herringbone purfling and a torch shaped inlay on the headstock. The materials are unbelievable - solid Sitka spruce tops, ebony bridges and fretboards, vintage slot-through bone saddles, one piece mahogany necks - all play a major part in their popularity. Plus I think people really dig the clean, classic look.”

The future, as well as the past, looks set to be a fertile ground for Recording King as it looks to expand its current offering with not only a Historic series, but also stage-friendly contemporary instruments.

“We're always looking to expand all of our offerings,” concludes Atz. “We continue to be inspired by the classic designs, and definitely will be bringing out some riffs on age-old designs in the Historic series, but also we're pretty excited about making some modern pieces too, with high-end pickup systems and non-traditional colours and so forth.”