Recording King Tricone Metal Resonator Guitar Squareneck

Everything that makes the RM-991 one of the most distinctive instruments in the Recording King range — the nickel-plated bell brass body, the three hand-spun aluminium cones, the sandcast T-bridge, the open-pan soundwell that produces those chiming, bell-like overtones — is here in the RM-991-S. The difference is the neck.

The squareneck raises the strings high off the fretboard and positions this instrument firmly in the lap-playing tradition. The tricone system rewards that commitment generously. Where a single cone produces one sustained voice, three cones working together produce something richer and more complex — harmonics building on harmonics, overtones layering with overtones — and in the squareneck configuration, with the strings given full freedom to vibrate without the compromise of standard fretting height, that complexity reaches its full potential.

The two-on-bass, one-on-treble cone arrangement delivers a naturally balanced EQ, while the warmth of the bell brass body softens the attack without blunting it. The sandcast powder-coated T-bridge transmits energy to all three cones simultaneously, and the open-pan soundwell lets those vibrations ring freely within the body. The result is a sound that carries across a room without amplification, and rewards close listening with layers of harmonic detail that simpler instruments simply don't offer.

The triangular coverplate, lattice soundholes, nickel finish, and slotted headstock with three-on-a-plate tuners give the RM-991-S the unmistakable look of the pre-war originals that inspired it.