Recording King RU-998 Metal Body Resonator Ukulele, Nickel-Plated

Budget-priced metal-bodied resonator ukes are tough to find, and you don't have many options. It should also be noted that the description is not quite correct. This is a CONCERT-sized ukulele, not soprano as the description suggests. The Recording King brand, which at one time was the store brand for the now-defunct Montgomery Ward, is not exactly known for high quality. The resonator is a National-style biscuit cone. That being said, this ukulele is a bit of a disappointment out of the box. The sound was very tinny and the factory-standard strings are awful. Do not buy this instrument unless you're willing to do some work on it.I replaced the strings with Aquilas ( AQUILA Ukulele Strings, Concert Regular, CRC, All Nylgut, 7U, Regular, High G ), but since they are thicker than the factory strings, they didn't sit quite right on the saddle on the biscuit. Removing the faceplate on the resonator wasn't difficult with the right sized screwdriver. The screws are very small and rather delicate. The cone lifted out easily, the biscuit unscrewed readily. Removing the saddle took some work, but wasn't too difficult. It feels like a relatively cheap wood, similar to a balsa wood. Using a small file, I opened the slots a bit until the strings fit nicely. I put it all back together, and the sound improved immensely.The second biggest problem with it are the tuners. They are extremely imprecise, and an instrument is useless if not in tune, which when combined with new, still-stretching strings proved to be a more-difficult-than-necessary process. The heads of the tuners face straight back, which to me is another drawback (although others prefer this style).The "Recording King" shield badge pops off relatively easily. That's OK for me, seeing how the brand isn't exactly something you'd want to scream to the world.The shiny nickel body picks up fingerprints and other oils from your skin very readily. Make sure you have a microfiber polishing cloth ready to go to remove them as soon as you're done or you will likely stain the metal.It is a loud ukulele with a decent sound and beautiful shine under the lights. I'd recommend this instrument, but only to those willing to do a little bit of set-up work on it.

This ukulele was a big disappointment, all the more so because Amazon shipped it promptly and it was out of the box 5 days after I bought it.The intonation was worse that a $30 Mahalo. It wasn't much louder than a solid spruce top, and the overall appearance was, well, cheap. I guess the lesson learned is that a resonator uke for $300 will be "cheap".

My husband just bought this instrument and it won't stay in tune. All the other reviews are very positive and no one else mentions this problem. Perhaps we have a lemon? He has taken it in to a guitar repair shop to see if they can adjust the tuning pegs and I am hoping we can resolve this issue without a huge expense.

For a long time, the only review for this outsanding little resonator uke has been the one-star review, which said awful things about it. So, as much as I wanted a resonator uke, and especially at this amazing price, the little thing sat on my wish list, unpurchased for a very long time. But I never quite gave up on it, and I looked at the listing every so often, trying to make up my mind.Then recently, somebody with "Ukulele" in their screen name posted a vindicating review, and it tipped the scales for me. I clicked "Add to Cart", and I'm really, really glad I did.This instrument is everything I wanted. It looks great, sounds great, and feels great in your hands. It has the solid weight of quality, with terrific plating and smooth fit and finish everywhere. The intonation on mine is just fine, and the little beast roars with a classic room-filling resonator sound. I just couldn't be happier.I honestly don't know how the one-star review guy could have had such a bad reaction to anything like the same Ukulele I received. It's a shame how many people his review might have scared off. Making the problem worse was that until now, there was only one pitiful little picture, so prospective buyers couldn't judge for themselves if the item looked "cheap". I just posted a few of my own pictures, highlighting what I think are some of its nicer features.If you're in the mood for a resonator Uke with lots of great sound and character, and at a bargain-basement price, don't waste as much time as I did deciding to buy this one!

Wonderful instrument. Would give it five stars except for note #1 below.Notes:1. The fret board is NOT ebony as advertised, it's rosewood. Not a big deal as I researched and didn't expect ebony.2. Don't be fooled by the "featherweight case" description (I was expecting some sort of canvas case), this is a very nice and solid case that will protect the instrument and comes with straps for the case.3. If you're a novice and using a clip on tuner, make sure you have it set to the "Uke" setting or buy a bunch of string sets until you figure it out.4. When you break a string, the the ball portion of the string will fall into the guitar, only to be retrieved by dismantling the resonator cone. If you're all thumbs - like me - this could scratch the beautiful surface. I'll leave it to a professional.5. With enough broken strings, this doubles as a percussion instrument. For me, this is a positive!

I bought this ukulele over a year ago, and I wanted to let folks know how much i love it. I own several ukes, some vintage, some home made, and this uke has become my favorite. Out of the box, you may be unhappy with the sound. You'll need to upgrade the strings. I changed the strings to Worth browns ( do a search) and the tone is great. Some people on uke forums have swapped out the cone (I think it's a Continental) for a National (around $60), but I'm happy with my sound. The uke is very well made and fun to play. And It has a nicely padded gig bag.

I wish the strings were easier to change. I also would like this to be easier to get a strap on it. Other than that, I love it.