Recording King Dirty 30's Harmonella

[@johnsime4644]

All guitars have something to offer - it just depends on cash and determination, I started with a £2 souvenir my sisters bought me from Spain when I was 13 and it was love at first sight - that was 70 years ago! I still play 2-3 hours a day and still finding new things about playing and performing Strum on!

[@jonislow]

Great playing! I was thinking about grabbing one of these and your playing has made room for it on my wall. Thanks

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Excellent! They're worth the small investment for a fun little strummer.

[@graemethorne4540]

love your playing,looking at getting one with the fixed bridge,keep on rocking.

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Thanks! Yes, these guitars are worth their weight in gold. Some other contenders now would be the Gretsch vintage line, very cheap - same type of materials. And of course, the Loar if you want to spend a little more. All great budget guitars to get that old-timey blues and roots sound!! Way cheaper than a Gibson L-1 Robert Johnson Tribute :)

[@ChipsHandonJr]

Nice version of "Hey Hey", I've always had a problem with the rhythm on that one.

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Thank you!

[@f1948s]

Sounds great. Thanks.

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Thanks!

[@dylaneliot3582]

Well done Sir - keep it up!

[@shaunm1983]

Nice playing, what is the second song you play? sounds like a Robert Johnson song.

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

thanks! It's kind of a hybrid of stuff I learned from listening to Kindhearted Woman and Me and the Devil both by Johnson. You caught me !!

[@jS21127]

Is that the RPH-07? Are you still happy with it 4 years later? The Harmonellas are getting harder to find now that they have the RPS series. Thanks for the video and great playing!

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Thank you. Yes, it was the RPH-07. I gave it to my niece as it fit her very, very well and she was having a hard time finding a good fit guitar for a good price. So , I no longer own it. Thanks for the compliments on my playing!

[@endlessjoy5638]

This guitar looks fantastic but the sound seems really flat. Do you have to readjust that floating bridge often? I think that would annoy me after a while.. By the way, your playing is great :)

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Thanks! Well, it sounds flat cause it's made of plywood. It has that flat, old boxy sound from the 30s recordings. Ironically, the intonation was just about dead-on! I never had to adjust the floating bridge. The strings were old and flat sounding as well.

[@ChipsHandonJr]

Plywood? It has a solid Sitka spruce top.

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Yes it does have a spruce top. The back and sides are some kind of multi-ply "white" wood likely pressed together and shaped. Which is ok, has that old boxy guitar-from-a-mail-order-catalog sound :)

[@crustyolddean]

Nice playing! Thoughts on the guitar?

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Well, it is what it is....I think Recording King has certainly found folks wanting that old boxy sears and roebuck catalog guitar sound you hear on old records. So, this has certainly got it. I was amazed at how WELL it played - the setup and intonation were great despite a rather primitive bridge. I didn't so much enjoy playing it tone-wise, I couldn't get involved in the music. But...I sure like hearing the playback of the tone! It truly sounds much, much better on the recording than playiing it - it's one of those guitars you gotta be out in front of. For example, the low end you hear? That shocked me! I heard NO low end from behind it. So just goes to show - when you go to try one out, bring someone with you who can play well and listen to THEM play it so you know what people will be hearing when YOU play. And thanks for the kind words!

[@crustyolddean]

Thanks for sharing! Was considering one of these as a beater for around the house purposes. Looks like it may do the job if I keep my expectations low.

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

I'm really curious about their custom shop. Recording King has quite the website, and it looks like although these models for $199 are lower end "white wood" and ply for the money, it's not bad....but, I grow increasingly interested in their brand, it's history, and maybe having a custom piece made someday....

[@YourOwnAdventure]

Not to upset the applecart but their Custom shop is only for banjos. I'm not sure if you have figured that out yourself yet but I believe that all their guitars are Chinese built. Not that its a terrible thing. The majority of guitars are coming out of Asia at this point anyways and there's not much to price reduce on an acoustic when compared to electric/components. Anyways, I don't think they offer any custom guitar work because at NAMM the company only had these specific guitars without any other offerings. Basically as a distributor. Though, it would be great to have a custom, or even upgraded version! Let me know if you find any info on it! Thanks

[@tniles408]

price?

[@charlesjoneswomelsdorf840]

i would like to know what tuning is best for this guitar ?

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Hi Charles, I always just tuned it to standard. The action on it was low, so for me, it wouldn't have been a good slide guitar. It was great for regular playing.

[@charlesjoneswomelsdorf840]

thank you very much your info is very honored i am looking for one and i play mostly in standard so it is groovy you took the time to help me thank you

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

my pleasure!

[@johnsime4644]

The only reason the old blues artists played these worthless pieces of wood was they were cheap and the players were often really poor. When they had more money they bought better guitars like Martins etc

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

Correct. Also don't forget the availability of instruments in rural areas. Not good. Pharmacies/drug stores = cheap dime store guitars. IF you had an address to which you could receive postal mail, you *might* be able to order from a catalog such as Sears or Montgomery Ward who sold (similarly awful) acoustic guitars. The likelihood of stumbling across a pre-war Martin in rural Mississippi, um, not so much.

[@johnsime4644]

Why oh why do peope buy these guitars these nowadays when a far better used guitar can be bought for Less than £100 ($150). Is it because they want to sound "vintage" and copy the old bluesman?

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

@@johnsime4644 yes.

[@andrewwheelerguitar]

@@johnsime4644 and, aesthetics. It’s small, just about parlor size, and I dare say recording king has become a trusted brand. They’ve worked hard to get there and I wouldn’t hesitate recommending a guitar like this to a guitar student, female or smaller-bodied, who doesn’t have much $$ to spend. Many people don’t have the time to snoop around the used market. And - beginners have no clue - they could get a nice guitar for $150 or a warped piece of garbage. They wouldn’t know until it’s too late. A new Yamaha FS acoustic will easily run you $299