Recording King Model K 12 Fret 1937 - 1939 - Sunburst

Gibson built Recording King Carson Robison Model K 12 fret flat top. Impossible to say for sure the exact year but Gibson made these from 1937 to 1939. It is basically a ladder braced version of Gibson's HG-00.

The guitar was originally built as a Hawaiian lap guitar but has recently been converted for standard play with a neck re-set, the fingerboard was planed to add a 12" radius, new frets, and new saddle and nut. Action is 9/64ths at low E and 6/64ths at the high E. The guitar is housed in a Dreadnaught case that is a little big but does the job. The guitar now needs nothing and is ready to go.

Spruce top, mahogany back and sides, mahogany neck with a deep V profile, rosewood fretboard and bridge. Original tuners and awesome firestripe pickguard. Length is 38 3/4", 14 13/16" lower bout width and 4/5/16" deep at the tailblock. Scale length is 24.75" and the nut width is 1.92". Weight is 3.5 lbs.

The guitar is in remarkable condition. It has the finish crazing typical for a guitar this old but almost no pickwear or the bumps and bruises you usually find. It must have spent most of its life under a bed. It does have a tight sealed grain split next to the fingerboard on the bass side and three repaired back cracks. The back cracks have localized overspray and the guitar was buffed to blend them in. I love the unique shape of the headstock and the silk-screened logo is well centered and looks like it was applied yesterday.

Soundwise, the guitar just spits out notes. It really excels as a fingerpicker and the trebles are amazing. The bass has that nice thump Gibson's are know for. The guitar is strung with custom lights and holds them with no issue. Due to the recent work the guitar plays wonderfully as long as you can handle a big neck.