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Banjo

Recording King RK-R35 Madison

Name: Recording King RK-R35 Madison
Brand: Recording King

Recording King · RK-R35 Madison 5-String Resonator Banjo

Price: 1.364 EUR – 1.364 EUR

Price history

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

Availability: 0/10 (Very rare)

Recording King's best-selling Madison resonator banjo: a Mastertone-style bell brass tone ring and one-piece flange on a maple resonator, bringing pro-level tone-ring construction to an accessible price point.

Where available? Go to the best price – 1.400 EUR About this instrument

About the Recording King RK-R35 Madison

The RK-R35's core selling point is its 20-hole bell brass tone ring, a heavier, more resonant casting than the rolled or tube rings on entry banjos, generally associated with the classic pre-war Gibson Mastertone tone bluegrass players seek. A one-piece flange (rather than a cheaper stamped two-piece design) provides a rigid rim-to-resonator connection, and dual coordinator rods add stability under string tension.

Construction includes a 3-ply maple rim, maple neck with an adjustable two-way truss rod, rosewood fretboard, and a maple resonator finished in hand-rubbed brown matte. Planetary tuners plus a geared 5th-string peg, American-threaded nickel-plated hardware, a Presto-style tailpiece, and seagull inlays on both peghead and fretboard round out a spec sheet that closely mirrors far more expensive Mastertone-style banjos at a fraction of the cost.

Where to buy

Reverb 1.400 EUR Best price View details

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Source: https://reverb.com/item/40995038-brand-new-recording-king-rk-r35-br-madison-5-string-resonator-banjo-with-deluxe-hard-case

Sound character of the Recording King RK-R35 Madison

The Madison (maple version) uses the same 20-hole bell-brass tone ring family as premium bluegrass banjos, paired here with a maple resonator rather than mahogany - maple reflects sound with more brightness and top-end than mahogany, so this version rings noticeably brighter and more cutting than its mahogany-bodied Madison sibling.

Bright Resonant Crisp

Technical data for the Recording King RK-R35 Madison

Rim	3-ply maple
Tone ring	20-hole bell brass
Resonator	Maple, hand-rubbed matte
Fretboard	Rosewood
Scale length	26 1/4"
Coordinator rods	Dual

Price history for the Recording King RK-R35 Madison

Cheapest seen: 1.364 EUR · Most expensive seen: 1.364 EUR

Cheapest seen Most expensive seen

The history of the Recording King RK-R35 Madison

The RK-R35 became one of Recording King's most consistently recommended banjos specifically for bringing genuine Mastertone-referencing tone-ring construction - the single biggest factor in classic bluegrass banjo tone - down to a price point competitive with far simpler instruments.