Rover mandos

[Caleb]

I've noticed these on Elderly's site. They can be had at a great price.

Are they playable and something that would hold up or are they complete crapola?

How would they compare to a lower-end Kentucky?

Thanks

[Jim M.]

With a decent set-up, a Rover is fine for the price. They are imported by Saga, which also imports Kentucky, so you can think of them as the lower-end Kentucky.

[Jim Broyles]

The RM-75, an F style, is better than a low end Kentucky, and they are imported by the same company - Saga. All solid, pretty decent mando for the money but they are all over eBay for less than $375.00. You should watch for logcabinmusic.com to list them. I don't know about the lower priced A models. If it is all solid, it probably is quite close to a KM-150 by Kentucky.

EDIT: <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Rover-RM-75-Mandolin-w-t-Case-NR_W0QQitemZ220059357179QQihZ012QQcategoryZ10179QQ ssPageName
ZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank"> Here's a used one.</a>

[Adam Tracksler]

the RM-75 is good bang for the buck, if you NEED that F style.

[Caleb]

the RM50 seems to be a close cousin to the KM150S from Kentucky....but looks like it has a longer scale with more frets clear before the neck joint starts.

[Jim Broyles]

They are very close. The scale, neck-to-body and fretboard lengths appear to me to be identical. The Ky lists for 70 bucks more, so the better tuners and the fancier inlay and binding are probably what does it. Both all solid. Rover has a mahogany neck instead of maple. I can't tell if there's an adjustable truss rod in either one of them. The descriptions don't list one. Either one would be fine for the money, with a good set up.

[Brad Weiss]

They're KM series Kentuckys with less attractive woods and so given a darker finish. #The one's I've played sounded as good and played as easily as high end Kentuckys; they seem a very good deal to me.

[Trey Young]

I had an all solid wood a model, don't remember the exact model number, but I got it for $130 as my first mando and it lasted for a year before I out grew it...good mando for the price

[Surfdawg]

I bought my rover from atracksler afew years ago( hey Adam) and still like it,I think the key is getting a good one and the set up. I just bought an Eastman 604 from Steve Perry, upgraded with walrus fossil nut and bridge and it sounds great.... I'm wondering if Steve's voodoo would improve on the Rover sound.....anybody out there try it on a Rover?

[EdSherry]

Charlie -- I wouldn't think it would be worth spending the money to mandovoodo a Rover. I'm sure it would be an improvement, but (IMHO) the money would be better spent on a better instrument in the first place.

[James P]

I spent $100 to setup a $130 Rover. #Not sure the setup improved the tone so much as made it a lot more fun to play. #I've enjoyed having a Rover. #It's held up great so far on backpacking trips and ski-tours.

Edit to clarify:
Setup entailed cutting a new nut and planing the bridge to match the string spacing of my main mando. #They dressed some frets and beveled the fret ends. #Then they installed new strings and a strap pin.

IOW, more work than I imagine Elderly doing. #

In the end, I think the setup made it a nicer playing mando than anything I could find for several hundred more.

[Caleb]

I spent $100 to setup a $130 Rover. #Not sure the setup improved the tone so much as made it a lot more fun to play. #I've enjoyed having a Rover. #It's held up great so far on backpacking trips and ski-tours.
That's the great thing about Elderly, they'll set it up for you as part of the purchase. I'm sure some other great shops do this as well. Rovers seem like a good deal for a beginner. As far an "manovoodooing" a cheaper instrument....guess I see it much like a cheap guitar. If it will make it perform better...and if it is worth it to YOU....then it is worth it. I think it would be unwise to go overboard and spend the purchase price, but anything under $100 might actually be a good investment. If it makes it better for the player....and if the player is happy with it....then all is well and money is well-spent IMHO.....on a guitar...mando...car....wife....etc.

[halfamind]

I love the hell outta my Rover... perhaps too much... (http://www.levitarr.com/glasseye/mandoporn/index.html)

The tone is quite nice for an inexpensive instrument, and it plays wonderully. Granted, my Draleon smokes it in the weeds, tone-wise, when A/B'd, but it's just fine on it's own... and I am psychotic about good tone.

I've made arrangements to send it off to Steve for 'Voodooin', but I may just put that towards an Eastman as a back-up, and keep my Rover as my beloved beach and camping beater.

[farmerjones]

By golly back in the days of Folk-of-the-woods, there was a thread on here that had a very positive concensus. A very good bang for the buck etc. etc.

still mite get one for a traveler.

[dr.jazz]

They can be made to play well and they are not an offense to the ears.
I brought in a couple, just 'cause I hated to ship empty cases, and they were surprising - For the money!!!!

[jim_n_virginia]

Sorry folks don't mean to ruffle any feathers but Slacker wants opinions on Rover mandolins and seeing as I owned one once I'm giving him MY honest opinion.

And my opinion is that the Rovers wouldn't make good firewood, possibly good kindling though.

Of the lowest import mandolins they are on the low end of the low end. If all you have is $139.00 bucks and there is one mandolin in town and you really, really want a mandolin bad then buy one for a starter mandolin but you'll out grow it in 6 months.

I thought mine didn't sound TOO bad until the next madolin I owned after it was a Mid Mo which almost knocked me over with the sound of what a real mandolin sounds like.

And mine had a decent set up so it wasn't that.

I'm a firm believer that you should at least play a decent instrument and if you can't afford one now then you have to keep saving. It'll be all the more sweeter when you get it.

[AcidBurn]

My 1st mando was a Rover, don't recall the model maybe and RM-65. Really not sure on the model.

It was okay. I took lessons on it for 1 or 2 months and I had to replace it. It was really getting in the way of me progressing further. The amount of pressure I had to put the strings to play notes clearly was killing my fingers even after I started developing callouses. I did change the strings out and got no improvement.

That being said, I paid $60 for it from a guy on eBay and at least it was a cheap intro in playing mandolin. Helped me decide that I liked playing and when I bought my current Eastman it made it sound even better.

If you can get a good price a Rover may be a good way to go, but check out others in your price range too.

[harleymando]

I bought my xgirlfriends son a rover rm50b off ebay for 40 bucks...nice mandolin......for 40 bucks! I enjoyed playin it more than my michael kelly.

[Caleb]

Thanks for all the input. Sounds like Rovers are sort of hit or miss. #Even with a good setup, a cheap instrument is still going to be just that. You can't polish a ####.

[John Flynn]

I'm with jim_n_virginia. I have played several Rovers and would not waste a nickel on any of them. Just MHO.

If I were in that price range, I would find a used A. Elderly is listing one of the older Japanese Kentucky 180S' used for $300. Well set up, those are very decent instruments.

[Adam Tracksler]

Charlie, glad you are enjoying the rover still. I miss it sometimes. When I bought mine, they had three, I picked mine from the litter there. I have heard that Greg Boyd cherry picks his rovers, so there are no duds...

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