Is a Rogue a mistake for a beginner?

[Joekster]

Hey everyone, this is my first post and I had a quick question for all of y'all. I'm a college student looking to get into playing mandolin and I have learned that most any instrument I get will need a form of setting up before it will be properly playable. Considering I only have meager funds right now I was wondering if I should just buy one of the Rogue 100A mandolins for $50 and then try to learn how to set it up myself. I figure that I would rather mess up something cheap than a beautiful instrument that I have invested into.

Considering I do plan on playing mandolin long term though, I am wondering if this will be a mistake and I should just bite the bullet and buy a higher quality instrument.

Thank you all for any feedback!

[Tobin]

Honestly, if you can afford a better mandolin, buy the better mandolin.

I wouldn't necessarily call a Rogue a "mistake" for a beginner, as long as he or she goes into it knowing what it is and what it needs. Where it becomes a mistake is when people buy it thinking it's a ready-to-play instrument out of the box, or that this is what playing a mandolin should be like. So many people have given up on playing the mandolin out of frustration from these entry-level instruments that they should come with a warning label.

So... if you have the time, tools, patience, and know-how to do the setup yourself, a Rogue can be a playable entry-level mandolin for folks who can't afford anything better. If the only alternative is to never try the mandolin, then it's not a mistake to buy one and set it up. But if you can afford a better one, or afford a professional setup, that's the way to go.

[WoodyCTA102]

If the choice is between saving up a little money and buying something else in a couple of months vs. having to put it off for a long time, I would go ahead and get the Rogue. I think you are better off, short and long-term buying something like an Eastman 305 ($480 or so new, much less used) that will likely play and sound better than the Rouge. It makes a huge difference in how you progress.

But, you are also better off having something to play -- even if you will get something better later -- than not having anything.

There are lots of threads on the Rogue, here's one -- https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...ntucky-KM-140S

Good luck.

[Bob A]

I bought a Czech bowlback at a pawnshop in 1966. In less than a year, the cheap brass frets were too worn to play, and replacement would cost far more than the mandolin was worth.

I've had great success with buying through a layaway program. You end up with an instrument worth keeping, and if you bought it used, you can get most of your money back if you want to trade up, or if you decide the mandolin is not for you.

As a general rule, always try to buy an instrument that is above your playing level. Buy once, cry once.

[Al Trujillo]

I asked a similar question almost three years ago (buying now 'cheap' vs. buying later 'better')....some pretty smart guy on this forum told me to buy the instrument that was many steps above my abilities and an instrument that 'inspired me' to pick it up to play often. I took that advice, waited a few months and bought a much nicer instrument. I'm so grateful for that advice...and I do have an instrument that remains above my skill level...but that inspires me to play it as it deserves.

[allenhopkins]

A dedicated beginner can learn on anything; ask some Cafe members about their first instruments.

That said, you're looking at a real minimum quality instrument. If you want to learn to do your own set-up, there's this standing e-book offer from Cafe member Rob Meldrum (swell guy and great benefactor):

Just send an email to rob.meldrum@gmail.com with "mandolin setup" in the subject line and I will email you a copy for free (free to all mandolincafe members).

If you can find a Rover RM-50, or even a Rover RM-35S which at least has a solid top, you'll have at least gone beyond plywood, and they're not much more than the Rogue you're considering.

A Kentucky KM-150 is still less than $300, and it's all solid woods and carved, rather than heat-pressed. This may significantly exceed your current budget, but you're getting closer to a quality instrument.

To be fair, some Cafe members have gotten a lot of mileage out of plywood Rogue mandolins (current thread). As far as playability is concerned -- and that's what's most crucial to someone learning the instrument -- set-up is the most important factor. The mandolin should sound in tune, and have comfortable "action" (distance of strings above fretboard). Then you can learn on it, even if its sound's less than stellar.

[B381]

I bought a Rogue and it was a decent mandolin, it proved to me that I was going to continue with this pursuit and I have since invested in a Kentucky KM150 which is a fine instrument with a very pleasing tone. Check Craigslist, there's often deals on there. If you have some funds, pick this one up or continues to search the used here, they drop in price after periods of time.

Oh, I got the setup guide from on here (free for the asking) and did my Rogue in a matter of a couple hours. It's pretty good now and I keep it for times I don't want my Kentucky "in danger"....LOL.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/Ken...le-Mandolin.gc

[Br1ck]

I think almost everyone has bought a better instrument than their starter as soon as they realized a long term interest. I started with a very nice Eastman MD 505, but soon upgraded. I imagine most have moved up weather they started on a Rogue or a Weber, LOL.

You could save yourself some time and trouble starting with an all solid mandolin like the KM 150, but I live by the motto "having a mandolin is better than having no mandolin."

[MikeEdgerton]

I see nothing wrong with starting on a Rogue and getting a copy of Rob's e-book to learn the setup. I'd rather see somebody experiment on a $50.00 Rogue than a $500.00 Eastman. If you decide it isn't for you you're not out a whole lot and if you decide it is for you you're going to start buying more expensive mandolins anyway no matter what you started with.

[mandoglobal]

Highly recommend that you get the best mandolin you can possibly afford.

[Gary Leonard]

Learn on the Rogue, get one with a solid top if possible. You can kill two birds with one stone, you learn how and why to setup a mandolin, and have something to play. Then I would skip any slight upgrade later, and after saving up, getting the best mandolin you can possibly afford. By the time you spend 350-500 for an "upgrade", then another $700 for an upgrade after that, you are not far from a nice used, quality mandolin.

[Denny Gies]

You go Allen. I bought an Aria for my first one, cheap.....but I learned enough to decide I wanted to stick with it and finally had enough cash to get a 'teens Gibson A model. No regrets at all.

[Tomando]

I would compare learning mandolin on a Rogue (or equivalent), to learning to kayak on a heavy, beat up rental kayak. It can discourage one from keeping with it. Just sayin'…

[CES]

If that's all you can do, go for it and do or get a good set up.

If you can find a used KM 150, especially a recent one, it will take you much longer to outgrow. Ditto for Eastman 305. Used Big Muddies come up used for < 400 not infrequently as well...

But, if you get a well set up Rogue, it's certainly workable as a starter instrument...

[allenhopkins]

Learn on the Rogue, get one with a solid top if possible....

Don't think Rogue offers a solid-top mandolin.

[Eric Platt]

As others have said, the Rogue will work, especially if you want to try setting it up yourself. However, just going up a bit in price will probably yield a much better instrument. Besides Kentucky and Eastman, would also suggest keeping an eye open for a used The Loar. Got lucky and found a used one for $225 earlier this year when I wanted to get back into playing.

Now, everyone on this forum is going to have a favorite beginner mandolin. So take what I say with a big grain of salt.

[MontanaMatt]

13 years ago I suffered through the mando learning curve on a sub $800 gold tone, this was after I was making money playing fiddle in a band. I had many thousands of dollars in fiddles, but didn't know if I'd love the mando, so I aimed pretty low for my expectations...After about a year I was able to out pick my goldtone, and decided to take the leap. I got a pro caliber Weber, of which I couldn't wait to open the case each day. I plan to keep that mandolin for life and teach my kid how to pick it when he's old enough. I've had many students in my studio whom I've advised to go for it with purchases, none have expressed any regrets for getting an instrument beyond their current station.
You get what you pay for. $50 is approximately 6-6packs of good beer, shouldn't a mandolin be worth more than what amounts to a week or two of collegiate pee? Good luck and happy pickin!

[UsuallyPickin]

Whenever ,. wherever , always buy the best instrument you can afford. Get Rob Meldrum's setup book no matter what you buy. It's part of the mandolin continuing education program. Used Kentucky and Eastman instruments are often for sale at a reasonable price here on the Café Classifieds ..... Check them out..... R/

[HappyPickin]

I have a Rogue that I bought on sale for 49.99 shipped. It wasn't too hard to make playable. A short term later I bought a used better mandolin but I still play the Rogue when I camp and take it to work when I work graveyard shift. I learned quite a bit playing the Rogue. No one knows me here so I can admit to owning one.

[doublestoptremolo]

A good deal on a set up beginner mandolin in the $155 Rover RM-50 from Elderly.

[Paul Busman]

Don't feel pressured to buy a more expensive mandolin right from the start. I've been a college and post college student and I know how tight money can be. If what you can afford is the Rogue, buy the Rogue and learn to set it up. That's a skill all mandolin players should be familiar with,IMO. Things sometimes go awry on any mandolin and being able to tweak it yourself is very satisfying and a whole lot cheaper than taking (or shipping) it to a luthier.
If it's not too much of a stretch, that Elderly Rover is probably worth the extra bucks. It's not much more and you'd end up with an instrument that plays OK right out of the box. Learn to set it up anyway though.

[Randi Gormley]

The rogue is a perfectly fine beginner mandolin once it's set up. but it does need a setup. The nut on mine was a good eighth of an inch too high and the bridge was way out of whack. i had it professionally setup for $60 -- yup, more than I paid for the instrument. but it's good to go.

that said, you'll need new strings pretty much immediately (the ones it comes with aren't usually particularly good) and it doesn't hurt to have a tuner of some sort -- you can get a cheap one or an expensive one, a tuning fork or a keyboard if you want, but you will need something to make sure it's in tune, because one of the translations of mandolin is "always out of tune." Especially with double courses, the instrument is easy to get out of true. And the rogue, being wood (albeit plywood), will be affected by temperature and humidity.

[sbhikes]

My opinion: I traded a flute for a $100 mandolin many years ago. I played my $100 mandolin for about 10 years. I loved it. It was set up nicely, easy to play. I tried everybody else's fancy mandolins and always liked mine better. After about 8 years or so people kept telling me I deserved a better mandolin. It took me 2 more years before I started to realize maybe they were right. I sold my old one for $50. I hope it makes the person who bought it as happy as it made me.

Bottom line, if the instrument is easy to play and you like it and you care more about the good times to be had playing music than how fancy your mandolin is, then yes, a Rogue is just fine.

[allenhopkins]

...$50 is approximately 6-6packs of good beer, shouldn't a mandolin be worth more...? Good luck and happy pickin!

Or, it's one fairly high-class dinner out with your sweetie. Or a tank and a half of gas, a pair of decent jeans, going "halfsies" on PPV for the Mayweather-McGregor "fight."

Sometimes I wonder how much thought we lavish on an expenditure that would pass unnoticed in our routine daily lives. The real question, of course, is Joekster wasting $50 on an instrument that will be useless to him? Probably not -- if it's properly set up -- but as the consensus seems to be, wouldn't hurt to put a few more buxx into a better mandolin.

[SincereCorgi]

Or, it's one fairly high-class dinner out with your sweetie. Or a tank and a half of gas, a pair of decent jeans, going "halfsies" on PPV for the Mayweather-McGregor "fight."

Sometimes I wonder how much thought we lavish on an expenditure that would pass unnoticed in our routine daily lives. The real question, of course, is Joekster wasting $50 on an instrument that will be useless to him? Probably not -- if it's properly set up -- but as the consensus seems to be, wouldn't hurt to put a few more buxx into a better mandolin.

The tricky thing is that it's such a jump from a $50 mandolin, which pretty much any bubba can afford, to $200-300 for a Km-140 on the next tier up. Also, depending on where you buy it, that Kentucky is going to take just as much set-up as the Rogue. I don't know if I'd be keen on buying a budget canoe if everybody told me I'd need to get Rob's Basic Canoe Building Guide to make it usable.