1935 TB-Recording King

Gibson produced instruments under several "Private Labels" for retail distribution.  Recording King was a brand produced for sale through Montgomery Ward.  Recoding Kings included both inexpensive and high-end instruments such as batch 9779.

This banjo is similar to the Granada, with curly maple resonator and neck, and engraved, gold-plated hardware - including the arch-top Mastertone ring.  The neck is similar to a Style 6 inlay on ebony fingerboard, with binding that comes up and around the fingerboard and peg-head. 

One of the unique things about these "Style 6" Recording Kings is the additional multi-colored binding on the neck and resonator.

The tuner buttons are solid mother of pearl, and the tailpiece is the 4-hump clam-shell version used on the Granadas of the time.

Also of note is the two-piece flange construction, rare for the mid-1930's but found on a few batches of Style 6's and Florentines produced into the mid-thirties.  Batch 9779 is the last known batch of 2-piece flange Recording Kings made by Gibson.