2009 Recording King ROS-697 12-Fret 000 Guitar Brazilian Rosewood Natural W/OHSC – Used
Recording King debuted the Century Series ROS-697 at ’09 NAMM, with only 10 built. They wanted to show that a high-quality 45-style guitar with custom appointments and the highest quality tonewoods can come from a Chinese manufacturer. Brazilian rosewood back and sides, AAA Sitka spruce top, solid mahogany neck, gold-plated Grover tuners, and an ebony fingerboard inlaid with a Greg Rich-designed mother of pearl Tree of Life are some of the features that make this historic 12-fret 000-style guitar a modern gem.
The guitar plays beautifully and comfortably, with a soft-V neck profile and parlor-size body. The Brazilian rosewood back and sides provides a warm tone when gently finger-picked, and a loud, balanced projection when heavily strummed. The full low end and sparkling treble that are widely attributed to rosewood guitars come through on the ROS-697, making it sound as good as it looks.
Recent bridge reglue and setup with a fresh set of 12-53 D’Addario Phosphor Bronze strings.
This guitar shows some signs of playwear, specifically the picking area. There are some hairline cracks in the gloss finish on the right side of the sound hole, as well as a nick in the finish on the lip of the sound hole. Some other hairline cracks in the finish are visible around the bridge. There are some 1-3mm nicks in the headstock near each tuning machine. On the back of the guitar, wood grain imperfections are visible near the heel and on the lower bout, with a small nick on the heel.
