Recording King RG-35-SN Lap Steel

This is a basic but functional lap steel, with a good sound. I can’t say I am an expert on lap steel guitars but this sounds pretty convincing to my ears. This model has a single humbucker pickup that works pretty well. It looks good with its sunburst finish and perloid fretboard. This contrasts nicely with the chromed metal parts. It is produced at a very low price point and that means they have had to save money on something. That something appears to be quality control. The first guitar I received had problems with the electrics: poor solder joints and a defective tone potentiometer. Thomann dealt with the return in double quick time, so no complaints on that score. However, within a couple of weeks of receiving the replacement 2 of the machine heads started to slip dramatically: almost as though the gears were broken. I had already decided to replace the machine heads, as they felt pretty crude from the start, so rather than go through the returns procedure, I swapped them out for the cheapest set of vintage Klusons (£32). I will probably upgrade the electronics in due course, as the pots look tiny and cheap. Another thing I would like to upgrade is the plastic nut, as strings 3 & 4 bind a bit, leading to some tuning issues. This is partly due to the offset string pull but I think the plastic grips the strings a bit. I am having trouble finding a bone blank that is tall enough to replace the huge piece of plastic. In short a good value beginner lap steel but budget an extra £50 to spend on upgrades. After you have done that you will have a pretty good instrument.