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Banjo

Recording King RK-R20 Songster

Name: Recording King RK-R20 Songster
Brand: Recording King

Recording King · RK-R20 Songster

Price: 530 EUR – 728 EUR

Price history

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 2/10 (Very rare)

An entry-level bluegrass resonator banjo with a rolled brass tone ring and mahogany neck/resonator, positioned as Recording King's beginner step into resonator-style banjo tone.

Where available? Go to the best price – 544 EUR About this instrument

About the Recording King RK-R20 Songster

The RK-R20 uses a rolled brass tone ring - a simpler, lighter tone ring than the cast bell-bronze rings on step-up instruments, but still a genuine metal ring rather than the plain wood hoop found on the cheapest banjos. Resonator and neck are mahogany, with a maple rim and rosewood fingerboard carrying mother-of-pearl floral inlays and neck binding, dressed up cosmetically beyond what the entry price typically buys.

Hardware includes a nickel-plated one-piece flange, a Remo Recording King head, a Kershner-style tailpiece, and a single (rather than dual) coordinator rod - a cost-appropriate simplification versus the dual-rod construction on pricier banjos. At a 26 1/4-inch scale with a maple/ebony bridge and included armrest, it's built and marketed explicitly as an entry or step-up instrument for beginning bluegrass players.

Where to buy

Reverb 544 EUR Best price View details
Reverb 728 EUR View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/64116141-brand-new-recording-king-rk-r20-songster-resonator-5-string-banjo-with-gig-bag

Sound character of the Recording King RK-R20 Songster

The Songster uses a rolled brass tone ring - a tubular, hollow ring that produces a mellower, less piercing tone than a solid bell-bronze ring - paired with a mahogany resonator and neck. That combination targets an old-time/folk voice rather than aggressive bluegrass cut: warmer, softer-edged, with the resonator still adding useful projection.

Warm Mellow Resonant

Technical data for the Recording King RK-R20 Songster

Resonator	Mahogany
Rim	Maple
Neck	Mahogany
Fretboard	Rosewood
Tone ring	Rolled brass
Scale length	26 1/4"
Coordinator rod	Single

Price history for the Recording King RK-R20 Songster

Cheapest seen: 530 EUR · Most expensive seen: 728 EUR

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Recording King RK-R20 Songster

Recording King, a brand revived by The Music Link specifically to reference pre-war Gibson-adjacent instruments at accessible prices, positions the Songster series as an affordable path into genuine resonator-banjo tone rather than a laminate beginner toy.