Rogue RM-100A A-Style Mandolin Black

After reading reviews and getting feedback from others learning mandolin using this model of Rogue, I decided it was time to give it a shot. The price was of course the first consideration. The obvious reality that no matter what I did with it or to it, I would find a way to make the experience worth the $50, was not lost upon me. I could play it, smash it, or use it to sled down a mountain if I so chose. The reviews made it appear that I would be set up for near-instant playing, and I looked forward to getting the party started.I already have an older 1930s National electric resonator mandolin, but to be honest it is a bear for me to try and learn to play using it. I could literally end scores of zombies with it due to the size and weight of the beast, but more important the action of the strings is rather high so fretting lower down the neck becomes a challenge in ninja wrist exercises. It truly is meant to be used for lap steel style playing unless you are just that good a player. I really needed something more simple to fret and explore upon. I knew going in that I would be losing build quality, volume, electric pickup support, and more, but it was worth it.Enter in the RM-100A (black model in this case). The packing job for this instrument was pretty stellar. I am talking foam bag wrap with extra wax paper wrapped around the fretboard, extra foam wrap padding around key spots like the headstock, and more. It arrives inside its own little cardboard casket of a sort, inside the larger shipping box with more than adequate packing materials. If something happened to one of these Rogues en route to a buyer, it would have to be the fault of the delivery person or some improvised football match gone awry. I do not want to have that lost on any would-be purchasers, as just getting your item to your doorstep safely is often 3/4 of the task. Expect solid packaging and a worry-free delivery.Removing the glove-like packing from the Rogue took a while, but I was thankful for the experience as I knew there should not have been any damage done during shipping that would affect the instrument in any way. The thing that was most striking about this mandolin, even before opening it was how extremely light it is. My wife picked up the box when it arrived and did not think it was actually my delivery given her expected impression of its weight. I was very surprised myself, and upon getting the mandolin naked, saw that it was in fact ready to fly out of my hands. Suddenly my hopes of using it as a cheap zombie melee weapon were dashed. Let it be known that should you buy this instrument for said intended use, it will be a disposable weapon at best. One good shot to the zombie brain will likely crack the body wide open. You might get two kills out of this at best. If that is your desire, best wrap something metallic around it or fill it with concrete in some manner. Just an fyi. You never know...After realizing the instrument would solely be a musical-use object, I focused on my impressions of it compared to my other mandolin, as well as similar models I have seen for sale as beginner models in the music stores. I noticed several things that made me glad I chose the model. Firstly, the build quality is fair and given even my clumsy nature, it should be fine for my delicate to semi-rough handling. I am not talking superior build quality, but you knew that upon seeing the price. The tuning pegs and headstock are fairly sturdy. They are not overly cheap tuning pegs I have seen on some cheap acoustic guitars, nor are they the more expensive ones either. The strings it came strung with are adequate for the initial period, but as others stated you will want to change these out to a better quality brand at some point in the future. They feel fine to the fingers but you will see an improvement later on if you do change them out. I cannot speak on the changing process or the tailpiece cover, though I expect some manner of quirk in that regard. The finish of the mandolin is nice, though it does collect dust and sawdust exudes from somewhere (guessing from the interior of the instrument) easily. The bridge leaves something to be desired aesthetically but functionally does the job. My bridge was set as well, but not quite correctly as my low G strings were not ringing even remotely true while the other six were fine. After a bit of fine tuning the placement of the bridge, using the included instructions that explain full setup should you change strings or whatnot, I had all eight strings where I needed them. One glaring visual issue you will notice, to your sad panda gloom potentially, is the pick-guard that is installed and visible in the photo is actually screwed into the body in three places. This is a firm positioning, covering the bottom F hole of the mandolin a bit, and may strike you as somewhat gaudy. However, you may well appreciate the pick-guard versus scratching up the finish of the instrument. It is removable should you desire, but I would imagine you would have to fill and paint the screw holes that would remain. The fretboard itself is fairly smooth and usable, which is not always the case with cheap instruments. Small price to pay for cost, right? Function over beauty.Secondly, the sound quality is more or less what could be expected to come from this level of quality mandolin. You are not going to get as deep or rich a sound coming out of it (the quality and weight of the wood dictates this as much as the bridge I reckon); but, saying that, I was very surprised by the ability of this little light babby in making a racket. The build quality is sturdy so you can strum up a nightmare or delicately fret yourself a fun little ditty. I purposefully purchased a cheap leather strap for this, and I suggest you do the same. The obvious lack of weight could find you throwing this cowboy across the room with a flick of the wrist. No joke. Imagine Gambit with a strapless mandolin, and you get the idea. I notice ever slightly and low, a metallic buzz at times coming off the strings, but I believe that is due to the way I have the bridge. I could likely find a perfect settling point for the strings, but I am not that concerned with that minute sound some won't even hear. I had similar overtone issues on my other mandolin before a crack to the tailpiece fully materialized and when I had not fully gotten the strings settled adequately. You cannot help but find the string slots in the bridge though, in case you are worried. I know the sound issue is my doing, not the instrument itself as it was not audible before I moved the bridge around. The tuning of this mandolin is acceptable given the quality of the tuners, bridge, tailpiece and strings. It is a little finicky in holding the tune as well as higher quality mandolins, but I think for the price and the beater nature of this fella, you will likely get your money's worth. Fretting this beast is easily manageable at the lowest bridge height settings (you can change this height with adjustments), which was the biggest concern for me. I already can play more easily on this mandolin than the higher quality one I have that I struggled with, due to its much higher string action. Mission accomplished!Pros here would be the obvious economical savings to test out a beginner's aptitude or desire to stick with the mandolin long term, quality of build, disposable nature of this should you misplace it anywhere, overall tone (improved with bridge tweaking and better strings), volume of its voice, ability to modify in any number of ways should you get creative, and the obvious dual-use as a short-term melee weapon in any impending zombie holocausts or perish the thought, home invasion. Keep this bad boy by the bed and I guarantee the home intruder will be knocked out cold should you clock him with it.Cons here would be quality of the instrument IF you were expecting something "professional" as some people expect far too much (for what amounts to a cheap meal and some drinks at your local Mexican restaurant for a couple people), the potential for a complete newbie to get confused and take off the bridge somehow and popping off a string or two following the instructions as written (it is ready to go, don't touch a thing except the tuners unless you have to), the light weight of the instrument not being your cup of tea (or potentially allowing your wife a new weapon to put you in your place...all joking aside I do not advocate domestic battery in the home, only zombie clubbing and home intruder bashing), and potentially issues with the alignment of the screws in the body were you severely OCD (I noticed it but don't really care that much).Regardless of where you fall on the whole Castle doctrine debate, or potentially your desire to give rights and protection to the undead who truly deserve a nice, quick slam to the brain from your new Rogue RM-100A, I sincerely believe you will get your money's worth out of this investment into your musical exploration. Most mandolin cases and bags cost as much as this instrument, just to put it into perspective. If nothing else you will find out whether or not you (or your totally-knows-they-want-to-learn-mando-teenager) really want(s) to play mandolin while being out only a few bucks and some time plucking and strumming, and have a nice conversation starter and/or improvised weapon. "What is that fancy devil sitting over there all alone?", they might ask. "Let me play you a song, my friend..." *SQUACK* *SQRUM* *TWANG* *sound of rapid footsteps departing and door slamming* "No, really...don't leave!"

I've been playing guitar for about 40 years and wanted to see if I liked playing the mandolin. Years ago a friend had a similar itch, bought a really nice Gibson, played it once and it now sits in his closet. That was an expensive itch. I figured I'd try something budget-friendly and upgrade if I liked playing mandolin. I bought the Rogue in black.My Rogue arrived yesterday. First pleasant surprise was how well it was packed. Large shipping box opened up to butcher block paper wrapped around a smaller box. Opened the smaller box to find a "blanket" of puffy plastic wrapped around the mando and secured by rubber band. Opened that and the mando was encased in thin, clear plastic. The installed strings were covered by a piece of brown paper taped over them for protection. The pick guard has a sticky cover over it to prevent scratching (you remove it). The mandolin was in perfect shape, no shipping damage.The finish is gorgeous. There are two spots near the F holes with very minor marks which I think will buff and wax out. Nothing near the issues I have seen on several $400 guitars I have bought. This is going to polish up nicely. The Rogue label on the headstock is beautiful. I did a lot of research and lubricated the tuners and the nut before tightening the strings. The tuners are better/more accurate than on my $300 Martin ukulele, and it came up to tune nicely. The binding is well-done, the frets look good. In fact, the whole mandolin looks really good.I let it sit overnight. Today it's still pretty much in tune, strings need to settle (this is true with any stringed instrument I've ever owned). Intonation is a hair off - I didn't notice it by ear, but I used my electronic tuner to see that it is a shade sharp at the twelfth fret. With a floating bridge it's an easy adjustment that every mandolin requires. Height at the nut and bridge are a tad high, but even the one-page setup guide that comes with it advises you to lower the bridge and then raise it until you find the "right" height. I'm going to adjust the nut myself.The bridge sits nicely on the soundboard, though I'm going to fit mine so it is perfect. The fretboard looks a bit dry, so I'll treat it with some fret lube. If I played it as-is I'm sure I'd be happy (thrilled) with the purchase, considering the price. I'll post again after I complete a thorough setup. I have a feeling, based on what I've seen so far, that I'll consider this the best bargain instrument I have ever bought. I haven't tested it yet, but my initial playing indicates that the frets are fine (this is the one area I would not want to try to correct). Everything else is adjustable if you know what you're doing.Every other experienced buyer review said to replace the strings, so even though these don't sound as bad as I expected I am going to remove them all, clean and wax the mandolin, make the desired adjustments, put on D'Addario strings (purchased from Musicians Friend) and see how she sounds. As I said, I will make a follow-up post, but I think it will be positive.One word about Musicians Friend. *After* I made the purchase I found another Internet provider with the same mandolin on special with books and gig bag included. I called Musicians Friend, they found the website and matched the deal. Incredibly friendly easy-going customer service. For an under-$50 mandolin. They own me from now on. : )In summary, I am amazed at the quality for the price. Stunned. I can't wait for my visiting relatives to leave so I can spend some quality time with my new Rogue mandolin!*** And, a couple of days later... I have lowered the action even a little more, the frets are still fine, no buzzing. I putzed around playing a few chords after work tonight, the volume projection is outstanding, and I like the tone. It's woody, not thin. I still can't get over the value of this mandolin. Buy it now!

Everything about this mandolin is nice, at least for the price. My only complaint is that my pick guard is scratched up BAD. plus its loose.

I am a huge fan of the Rogue RM-100A A-Style Mandolin. I bought it on a whim a few years ago (I was trying to teach myself fiddle at the time and the similar tuning and fingering just made it intriguing to me) and I've been playing it ever since. Since I originally bought it I've bought a few more instruments in the same family (a bouzouki, an electric mandolin and a higher end mandolin) but I still play my Rogue. It's my go-to for travel when I want an instrument to play but I don't want to have the extra fear of bringing an expensive, fragile item around with me.I give this mando 5 stars. To be very clear, that is in context of it's price and role as an inexpensive mandolin for beginner players or those interested in trying something new. It does not compare to the mandolins you can get for 300-500 or the even more expensive ones. That said, it is a truly great value. There are not really any other mandolins for a similar cost that are remotely comparable.The rogue has a really nice sound, as some other reviewers have shared. I've restrung mine a few times and it just gets better and better. Despite years of use it hasn't had any issues with warping. There are better sounding mandolins, but not without spending twice as much or more. It will probably need tuning more often (which with double strings on a mandolin is more of a pain than on guitars or the like) than a nicer mandolin, especially with the original strings. But overall it's a perfect entry into mandolin playing.I'm going to go play mine right now!