Rogue rm100a

[banjo player]

I am halfway in the market to get a cheap mandolin to mess around with (I am a poor graduate student, so I can't succumb fully to MAS). I already have a very nice Eastman with mandovoodoo from Stephen Perry. However, I am gone a lot and my wife is the one who primarily plays it and is not willing to part with it (can I blame her?).

I came across an add for a brand new Rogue RM 100-A for only $49.99. I know there are better mandolins, and "if I only spent XXX more I could get XXX"... but what I want to know, is is this mandolin at least playable? I really just want something that will stay in tune and let me just mess around without getting too frustrated.

Let me know your thoughts.

[mandroid]

Logically, Its a craps shoot, [ie game of chance] M F ships cartons from a big warehouse, none have been opened this side of the pacific ocean. no setup before sale, could be a klinker more likely than a diamond in the rough, or a solid lump of coal.

scout used off the classifieds , someone moving up the price points, at least it then has been played by someone and you can talk about it.

if you have someone to do setup work on it where you live, and you are prepared to send back the ones that should never left the shop floor in China, .. after consulting with the fix it up guy, then you would be able to get something for about a C note. including local labor on it.

[timv]

I gave one to a young relative last Christmas and it's fine, no trouble at all. Yes--in the case of this one at least--it's a very decent legitimate mandolin. The action is playable, intonation is fine, volume is respectable.

Stays in tune? No worse than most. ("Two things are sure when you're playing the mandolin: You'll never be in tune and you'll never be making any money." --Norman Blake)

My first mandolin cost three times as much and isn't any better. And if something's wrong with the one you get, exchange it until they send you a good one.

[ELSOL102]

I started out with this Rogue and it served me well for 2 months, however I think in some ways the action was a tad high and it needed the bridge sanded a bit...I was playing for several hours in a row...so I got another mandolin with radial neck and solid top. I tried a guy's Rogue that was an F style that goes for $150 and that was easier to play. The problem is any mandolin not set up for you by the store needs to be set up...most of them the action will be high and you won't notice this unless you play a lot. A very good instrument tech told me he could take any mandolin and make it play nice, but he will charge me $65 to set up my Rogue. The mandolin has high pitch high tension and those double strings are killing my finger tips so action is important. Now when I was at the bluegrass festival I noticed the difference in the sound between my Rogue and those solid wood top mandolins and my Rogue could barely be heard compared to those others.
I found out that a really good mandolin is Rover RM75....and there is a dude who sells them for about $400....Dave Nichols...he has a myspace page and his web site is Custom Pearl Inlay....I wish I knew about him because I would have got the Rover which he sells at a 40% discount. I also ordered his DVD on how to play mandolin for $15 and it is a method for sore hands which is good for me and I can't wait to get it! If you can get up $400 you will have an incredible mandolin for the money according to this dude who is a luthier as well as musician. I googled these mandolins and they are as good as top notch mandolins and can be bought for $400 here:
Custom Pearl Inlay
177 Low Road
Malone, NY 12953
Telephone:
(518) 483-7685
Email: cpinlay@aol.com

[Caleb]

I personally wouldn't gamble my $50 on a Rogue mandolin. I bought one of their guitars many years ago (which are probalby not even made in the same shop in the same country by now) and it was pretty terrible. I had to do a major overhaul on it to get it playable. And...it still sounded like crapola after that. Save your money is my advice.

[ELSOL102]

I've been told that the Rogue guitars are high action, not great, but some folks like them for a kick around guitar. If you are used to playing a nice mandolin I don't think you will be happy with a Rogue. They don't come set up which means someone has to set them up...the sound is nothing like a solid top F style. You could get a Michael Kelly A style for $299 which might be OK and buy it from a store that sets it up for you included in the price. But really I would go for the Rover RM75 for $400...it is said that this mandolin rivals some of the best that are worth thousands....call David Nichols and ask him about it...

[ELSOL102]

Rogue mandolins are not bad for the money, but again, they won't compare to your Eastman...If I were you I'd try to get the Rover RM75 for $400 (marked down from like $699 by Dave Nichols). Mandolins are funny instruments...put it on a credit card and go out in the street, open your instrument case and busk and you will make some money to pay for it...now the very first time I busked I made $190....which blew my mind to say the least...But if you get a nice Rover RM75 F style it will be loud so maybe you can busk without an amplifier and you will be heard.

[pager]

I had the opportunity about 3 months ago, to inspect a Rogue mandolin for a student. In my opinion, that was a total waste of $50.00. The action was SO high that with the bridge all the way down, I would have had to sand 1/4 inch off the bridge. The nut was horrid. The fret job was a nightmare. Never buy an instrument that is the same price as a Travelite case.

[ELSOL102]

Well I have heard some mighty good things about the Rover RM75...and it is normally $699....and Dave Nichols who is a competent luthier who builds guitars and mandolins and sells and plays much more expensive instruments...told me this mandolin is a much better mandolin than the Michael Kelly & he recommends this mandolin if you can't afford a more expensive one and says this one is closer to the higher end quality than any others and he sells them for 40% off, $400 as opposed to $699...I googled and read reviews that say that this Rover comes much close to challenging the much more expensive mandolins...so if you are really on a tight budget...if you can get $400 up you can get a pretty good mandolin (set up in his shop) for the money with the Rover...not everybody has thousands of dollars to spend on a mandolin...I sure cannot spend thousands of dollars for one...I can say my Michael Kelly Legacy feels a lot better than the Rogue I was playing, but at least the Rogue, which I got for $35 used and set up, allowed me to play for 2 months and know that I was going to stick with it...I did buy that Rogue used and it was already set up and it was playable but still a little high action and no truss rod and the sound is not as loud as a solid wood top...you would have to sand down the bridge. I highly recommend you call Dave Nichols and ask him about the Rover & your situation with the money issues. Again here is contact info for Dave Nichols...
Custom Pearl Inlay
177 Low Road
Malone, NY 12953
Telephone:
(518) 483-7685
Email: cpinlay@aol.com

[ELSOL102]

Well here are some online reviews
The new Rover RM-75 sets the standard by which all moderately priced mandolins will be judged—and it will also make the highest priced ones extremely nervous, too! All proportions and features are exactly like vintage originals produced during the 1920’s and 1930’s that are highly collected today.
Features:
* Hand-carved solid spruce top with maple back and sides
* Multi-ply binding on top, back and headstock
* Hand-carved solid flamed maple back and sides
* Maple neck with adjustable truss rod
* Bound rosewood fretboard with dot inlays and scooped extension over body
* Dovetail neck joint
* Abalone peghead logo inlay
* Adjustable compensated stained rosewood bridge
* Nickel-plated hardware
* Shop adjusted
Suggested Retail Price: $695.00
Add a Hardshell Case for only $59.00

[ELSOL102]

Here's some interesting info I found on this Rover RM75
From what I have been able to find the Rover RM75 ranks right up there with the Kentucky KM series. Here is a review that I found.
"THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE BUY OF THE DECADE FOR AN F5!! THIS LIMITED RUN WAS MADE FROM MICHIGAN MAPLE FOR THE B&S, THAT'S A NORTHEASTERN MAPLE, AND THAT'S WHY THEY SOUND SO WARM!
THE WOOD WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FLAME MAPLE AND WAS TO GO ON THE MORE EXPENSIVE ARTIST SERIES KENTUCKY F5 MODELS, BUT IT DIDN'T HAVE THE FLAME THEY WANTED. SO, THEY DECIDED TO USE IT ON A LIMITED RUN NEW MODEL, AND CALL IT THE ROVER RM75. I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE TONE OF THE FIRST ONE I HEARD. THIS MODEL WAS BASED ON THE 1923 LLOYD LOAR, WHICH MEANS IT'S NOT YOUR TYPICAL MANDOLIN, THE WOODS ARE FINELY GRADUATED (YOU CAN EASILY SEE IT IN THE SCROLL WORK). YOU WON'T FIND THIS QUALITY IN ANY OTHER F5 UNDER $1000, IN FACT I THINK IT SOUNDS BETTER THAN ANY OF THE OTHER KENTUCKY ARTIST F5'S THAT I'VE HEARD"....
I know you stress time over time that proper set up is the most important step of purchasing a mandolin....

[banjo player]

I'll tell you one mandolin that I am NEVER going to buy... that would be the Rover RM75. #Does this guy not realize that I can see it is the same person posting over and over again??? Please do not hijack our forums for unsolicited advertising.

[lovethemf5s]

If you want to raise a lot of people's blood pressure on this discussion board just mention the name Rover. I for one don't understand why they become so incensed. I own a Rover RM50 that I paid $150 new and another $50 for a bone nut and setup. It's sound and playability is very acceptable for me. Is it as good as my Collings? No way, but I will be taking it with me to Hawaii next winter and I won't have to worry about the Collings walking out of the condo with the little cleaning lady because the Collings will be safe at home.

[Jim Broyles]

Around $400 has been the street price of the Rover RM-75 for a few years now. Nobody has to pay $699 for one as this is just the list price. That same advertising blurb was used four years ago when I bought my Rover. It was decent then, and I guess that since they have started to offer a sunburst, we can't say that the dark finish is to hide undesirable wood any more. (That was said about the Rover a while back - it wasn't good enough to be a Kentucky - who knows?)
The answer is, yes, the Rogue can be playable. I made one belonging to a friend quite playable, but if you want it to be set up good right out of the box, it will probably not be.

[ELSOL102]

Now here is a Rover A style mandolin with a solid top for $109 for sale at http://www.instrumentalley.com
I am sure this is much better than that Rogue for $49
Rover mandolins feature the traditional "paddlehead" peghead shape with the Rover logo in abalone pearl. The rosewood fingerboard is bound in white with 20 fast, low-action frets. New, deluxe nickel-plated tuning machines offer easy, accurate tuning. Each instrument is carefully shop-adjusted. Also available in gloss black finish. The Rover RM-35S is an affordable solid top mandolin for that next step up banjo!
Features:
* Hand carved and arched, all solid spruce top
* Select maple back and sides
* Mahogany neck with bound rosewood fingerboard, topped off with a newly designed "paddle-head" style peghead adorned with a beautiful abalone "Rover" inlay
* Neck is attached with a traditional "dove-tail" neck joint, unheard of in Mandolins of this price range
* Unique slimmer f-holes
* New and improved "vintage-style" adjustable, compensated rosewood bridge
* GHS strings
* Shop adjusted
1 Year Warranty

[CES]

Dude really wants you to buy an RM-75...

I understand where you're coming from...if I could find the model you're looking at in a shop or an online store that will set it up for you you could probably find a decent travel mando with one of these or a used kentucky/MK A-style. #Also, I'd avoid an Ebay purchase unless it's from a seller with an actual store...bought my 675S that way, it had issues, seller basically disappeared despite his money back guarantee. #Also, remember that "new in the box, never opened" can really mean new in the box that fell off the truck and was subsequently run over by a minivan but managed to not tear open

Another option if you primarily just want a travel mando would be to find a used Mandobird iv or viii. #I recently picked up a iv in the classifieds here for 125 bucks with no issues (except I've done a little setup). #The 4 string definitely plays differently than an 8 stringer, but for quietly playing in a hotel room/practice it's fine...CLEARLY not an all solid F-hole, and their potential issues wrt pickups, fretwork, etc are well documented on the Cafe, but they're fairly rugged and a cheap option (they're also fun to play with plugged in, but that's a different issue).

Good luck with your search, and remember that the RM-75 is always an option

[ELSOL102]

Well forgive me...I'm just trying to help out a poor student who is letting his wife have his beautiful Eastman. I don't sell mandolins...I am also on a tight budget and started out with a Rogue and ended up with a Michael Kelly Legacy. So I was just giving the opinion of this dude David Nichols who suggested the Rover for someone who is on a budget...so I don't mean to incense all you great mandolin players out there who are well heeled enough to afford the best...I wish I could afford those expensive mandolins...but I will say...I would be worried to death if I was carrying around a mandolin worth thousands of dollars...especially busking at night in the subways of Boston.
I think it's best to buy a mandolin from a shop that will set it up and buy from someone established who you know you can trust...or you can try Craig's list and buy a used one locally where you can go try it out.

[banjo player]

No worries... it did almost seem like it was a retailer and/or some automated advertisement Thanks for the suggestions.

[lovethemf5s]

People either seem to love their Rover's or think that Rover is a dog. #No pun intended. # I also know better than to post my opinion on them. #I'll plead the 5th on that one. #

I love it when people say they will not post their opinion while giving their opinion.

[pager]

I did not post an opinion. I stated that people seem to either really love them or they don't. I feel Saga does a tremendous job in offering affordable instruments in the Rover and Kentucky line. My 3rd mandolin is a Kentucky 380s. A Saga product. I love that little mandolin. If I could only say the same thing about my Collings MF5 ...

[ELSOL102]

pager it was another post that someone thought I was selling mandolins....not to worry!

[timv]

It's interesting seeing the Mandolin Cafe Effect at work here in all its glory. If the original poster had asked about an instrument that cost $500, I'm sure he'd have gotten plenty of recommendations for mandolins that cost $4000 or $5000.

I'm also a graduate student and while things aren't as desperate as they were a couple of semesters back, I think I understand where he's coming from money-wise. I've played my nephew's 100A a number of times since giving it to him and it's fine, so it's definitely possible to play one and to enjoy it even. Their return policy seems pretty reasonable if you really hate it, so the amount actually risked is probably return postage at most. And I just noticed that MF has free shipping on orders over $49 at the moment, so it currently ships for free.

But we're talking about something that costs a little bit more than I paid for my last tankful of gas after all. It has eight strings and the frets are in pretty much the right places, and if you play "Turkey in the Straw" and "Sweet Georgia Brown" for a couple of friends in a normal-sized living room, they'll be able to tell which is which.

[Hammrn]

The Rogue A is at the bottom of the list, but it can be improved if you are handy or know someone who is. The tailpiece string holders need to be filed to an eliptical shape to keep the strings from unwinding, the nut needs replacing, and a bridge made of hard maple will change this plywood contraption into something much better. Throw the original strings away and put anything else on it. The playability will be a little better with these changes although not comparable to a really nice mandolin, but I play mine quite a bit more than the others I have. The change in tone has been quite remarkable. If you don't make these changes you probably should look at something else

[Steve Ostrander]

Ya gets what ya pays for.

[allenhopkins]

Ya gets what ya pays for.

Only sometimes ya doesn't...

[1] #Ham Sandwich*: ask about any instrument and you'll get a flurry of replies as to why you should buy another instrument. #IP started out asking about spending $50 on a mandolin, and got lots of advice to spend $400. #Probably if he'd asked about spending $400, he'd get lots of recommendations to spend $1500.

*ask about getting a ham sandwich, and expect everyone to tell you that you should be getting turkey w/mayo, sprouts on whole-grain, pastrami on rye, etc.

[2] #Bottom Feeding: in the sub-$100 range, you're pretty lucky if you get something playable. #Rogue is Musician's Friend's house brand for cheap Asian imports, and I'm betting they come from a variety of factories at different times. #You get no shop adjustments from MF, which is a major "transfer point" (out of one box, into another), so there's a significant probability that the Rogue you get may need some work -- which, of course, you'll have to pay for.

[3] #Why Not Used?: for comparable cash, you might be able to score an instrument that a) you could try out before buying, b) was better made and already playable, and c) would have a history and background you could discuss with its current owner ("I bought it for my son to learn mandolin, but he ran away with the circus" or some such).

Honestly, we're all trying to help, even those of us who copy advertising blurbs and post them as if they're unbiased evaluations. #"Good cheap mandolin" may not be a complete oxymoron, but it's close. #We wish you luck.