Recording King

Recording King is an American musical-instrument brand associated primarily with acoustic guitars, resonator guitars, and banjos. The brand originated as a house label used by the Montgomery Ward mail-order business during the 1930s. Although the original Recording King instruments belonged to an earlier retail and manufacturing era, the name later acquired historical significance among players and collectors because of its association with affordable American-made instruments and with vintage guitars from the pre-war period. A notable historical connection is a 1939 Recording King guitar played by American guitarist and composer John Fahey. According to the brand's historical account on Wikipedia, Fahey obtained the instrument from Jon Lunberg in 1969 after it had received repair work from Mario Martello. The guitar has been described as resembling Gibson's Advanced Jumbo, a model discontinued in 1939. This association helped reinforce Recording King's visibility among musicians interested in early acoustic-guitar design, folk music, blues, and roots-oriented performance. The brand was revived in 2001 by Frederick Sheppard following John Fahey's death. The revival was followed by a disputed trademark claim, after which ownership of the trademark passed to another entity that produced instruments under the Recording King name overseas. The modern brand therefore combines historical references to pre-war instruments with contemporary overseas production rather than representing a continuous manufacturing operation from the 1930s. Recording King instruments are designed in the United States, manufactured overseas, and sold internationally. The modern range centers on acoustic and resonator guitars and banjos. Its products generally draw on vintage-inspired construction, styling, and tonal concepts while being positioned as comparatively accessible alternatives to higher-priced specialist or heritage instruments. The brand is especially relevant to players seeking traditional acoustic-guitar formats, resonator-guitar sounds, and classic banjo designs. Recording King is currently owned by The Music Link Corporation, a musical-instrument company based in Hayward, California, which also produces other instrument lines. Public reference material identifies musicians including Justin Townes Earle as users of Recording King guitars. Detailed information about the brand's current leadership, financial performance, exact product catalog, and corporate operating structure is not established in the supplied sources.

Recording King began as a house brand associated with Montgomery Ward in the 1930s. Montgomery Ward was a major American mail-order retailer, and house-brand instruments allowed such retailers to offer guitars and other musical products under a store-controlled name rather than relying exclusively on manufacturers' brands. The early Recording King identity belongs to the period when affordable guitars were distributed widely through catalogs and general retail channels. The vintage history of the name is also connected with a 1939 Recording King guitar played by John Fahey, an influential American guitarist and composer associated with fingerstyle, folk, blues, and experimental acoustic music. The instrument was sold to Fahey by Jon Lunberg in 1969 and had previously received work from Mario Martello. Reference material describes the guitar as similar to Gibson's Advanced Jumbo, a model that was discontinued in 1939. This example helped give the Recording King name a place in discussions of early acoustic-guitar design and vintage roots-music instruments. The original brand did not continue as an uninterrupted modern manufacturing business. Recording King was revived in 2001 by Frederick Sheppard after Fahey's death. The revival led to a disputed trademark claim. Following that dispute, trademark ownership passed to another entity, which produced instruments carrying the Recording King name overseas. The modern brand consequently draws on the historical name and aesthetic of earlier instruments while relying on contemporary international manufacturing. The present Recording King range is centered on acoustic guitars, resonator guitars, and banjos. The instruments are designed in America, manufactured overseas, and distributed worldwide. This operating model allows the brand to combine American design direction and historical styling with production intended for a broader price range. The product identity is closely tied to traditional guitar and banjo formats rather than to electric-guitar, amplification, or broad consumer-electronics categories. Recording King is currently owned by The Music Link Corporation, which is based in Hayward, California, and also manages other musical-instrument lines. Publicly cited musicians associated with the brand include Justin Townes Earle. The supplied reference material does not establish a complete chronology of product launches, a detailed executive roster, financial results, or a fully documented account of the trademark dispute. Those areas therefore remain limited in this entry.

• 2001

  The Recording King name is revived

  [1]Recording Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Frederick Sheppard revives the Recording King brand. A subsequent disputed trademark claim leads to a change in trademark ownership and overseas production under the name.

• 1969

  John Fahey acquires a Recording King guitar

  [1]Recording Kingen.wikipedia.org

  John Fahey obtains a 1939 Recording King guitar from Jon Lunberg after the instrument had received work from Mario Martello.

• 1939

  A historically notable Recording King guitar is produced

  [1]Recording Kingen.wikipedia.org

  A 1939 Recording King guitar later associated with John Fahey is described as resembling Gibson's Advanced Jumbo, a model discontinued that year.

• 1930

  Recording King begins as a Montgomery Ward house brand

  [1]Recording Kingen.wikipedia.org

  Recording King is established as a house brand associated with Montgomery Ward during the 1930s, placing the name within the American mail-order and catalog-instrument market.

Vintage-inspired, value-oriented string instruments for acoustic, folk, blues, roots, and traditional music applications.

• Acoustic string instruments

  Acoustic guitars

  Recording King's core modern offering consists of steel-string acoustic guitars designed around traditional shapes and vintage-inspired construction concepts. The brand's historical identity is connected to pre-war American guitar styles, while current instruments are designed in the United States and manufactured overseas. They are intended for acoustic, folk, blues, roots, and general singer-songwriter use.

• Resonator string instruments

  Resonator guitars

  Recording King also sells resonator guitars, instruments that use a metal resonator system to produce a distinctive projecting and metallic tone. These guitars are associated particularly with blues, slide guitar, bluegrass, and other roots-oriented styles. The available reference material confirms the category but does not provide a complete model-by-model catalog.

• Plucked string instruments

  Banjos

  Banjos form another principal category under the Recording King name. The brand's banjo offering extends its traditional string-instrument focus beyond guitars and connects the company with bluegrass, folk, old-time, and other American roots traditions. Specific current models, specifications, and launch dates are not identified in the supplied reference material.

• 2001

  Disputed trademark claim following the brand revival

  After Frederick Sheppard revived Recording King in 2001, a disputed trademark claim was filed. Trademark ownership subsequently passed to another entity, which produced instruments under the Recording King name overseas. The available source does not provide sufficient detail to characterize the legal parties, claims, or final legal disposition.

  Source

Read more

• 2001

  Revival of a historic instrument brandStrategy

  Background

  The Recording King name had historical roots as a 1930s Montgomery Ward house brand and later gained recognition through vintage instruments and musician associations.

  Action taken

  Frederick Sheppard revived the Recording King brand, after which the trademark was subject to a disputed claim and ultimately passed to another entity producing instruments overseas.

  Aftermath

  The modern brand continued as an internationally sold line of American-designed, overseas-manufactured acoustic guitars, resonator guitars, and banjos.

  Source

1. 1Recording Kingen.wikipedia.org