Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar 

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

I played full time and was a luthier professionally for a couple decades. I write/record/play/tinker now.

-Out of the box-
The Rogue wouldn't intonate properly (the further up the neck I got, the more out of tune it was with itself, and flat overall) whether for open tuning slide or standard finger picking. The strings were way out of balance volume wise. The edges of the frets were ground sloping to the fingerboard and flat at their ends. There was no inlay at the 3rd frett, and the octave had a single dot on the fingerboard (?!). But it was loud and sturdy.

Changing the strings evened out the volume, but one of the tuners started binding. Pushing the biscuit with a pencil to change angle alignment helped intonation very little. Took it apart and found the biscuit to be really cheap and the saddle too thin to intonate, set sloping backward and glued. The cone had a fuller resonance than anything I had, so I didn't swap it.

Replacing the biscuit & saddle and shortening the amount of string wound on the peg (for the flattest strings) helped intonation and balance more, but not enough to play droned open strings with higher fretted ones, or frett the occasional string while playing slide for minor chords.

Replaced the tailpiece with a cheap trapeze that gets an inch closer to the bridge, and shortened the amount of string wound on the pegs more. Now intonation is tolerable, though still a little off.

These are the cheapest and least time consuming fixes I could do. I'll probably swap the wound 3rd string for a plain one to see if that helps. The neck was obviously not set right and needs to be trimmed 1/8" or so where it joins the body to be able to really make this play in tune. Maybe later. Of course, I would have to refrett it and add inlays to get the fingerboard right. But it plays ok and is still the cut-through tone I wanted at less than what I would pay for any other metal body resonator. So now I can get to adding pickups... and another strap button.

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

This is a great guitar at a very good value. It came packed nicely in a well protected stryrofoam case. It looked perfect out of the box and it tuned up nicely. The action is spot on and my purchase was ready to play in minutes. I have been able to easily coax nice slide tones from this guitar and look forward to bringing it to band practice to add this to my on stage arsenal.

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

I've been playing folk/blues/jazz for many years and I own way too many guitars, banjos and related stringed instruments. I bought this guitar with low expectations due to the price, and because I don't play enough to justify a higher end resonator guitar, but I am very pleasantly surprised by this guitar's sound, build and looks. This is my first resonator guitar but it satisfies all my vibratory needs.

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

This instrument is an incredible value for the money. The action is perfect...low enough for fingerstyle but high enough for slide work. Make sure to get a tone bar for best projection and thick, rich tone. It plays soft passages with crystal clarity, and if you dig in it positively roars. This has displaced my other acoustics. The bass is fat and articulated, the mids very solid, and the highs ring out so clearly it is incredible. I practice with a drummer and bassist and this holds its own with no amplification. My other acoustics are now slide conversions for alternate tunings. It feel like this instrument forces me to be a better player...EVERYTHING is more clear, for good or for bad. The stock strings are not as bad as other reviews suggest. They are heavy; like .16-,56, which is not for weekend warrior fingers, but they stay in tune no matter how hard or long I lay into them...heavy strings stay put and give better tone. Thing you want IBANEZ action, buy an IBANEZ. This Is about coaxing and wringing every last beautiful note from an instrument with a clear, distinctive, and LOUD voice:

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

I am a collector of stringed instruments and have been very satisfied with Rogue instruments. I recently purchased a Rogue violin bass and a Rogue 6 string banjo and am amazed at the quality and sound of each.As a result, buying the Rogue brass resonator guitar was an easy decision. The workmanship and detail is meticulous.The set up and intonation is right on.Flat picking, the sound projection is powerful and crisp. Using a glass slide, this resonator really growls with a down and gritty blues tone.The Rogue brass resonator performs as well as instruments costing twice the price. Rogue instruments continue to be a lot of bang for the buck, and this resonator is another very nice addition to my collection.

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

After playing several different resonators- one less expensive and a couple more expensive than this one, I did something I never thought I'd do: based solely on the opinions I read here, I took a chance on this guitar, and, man, I'm glad I did.

It arrived well-packaged, in perfect condition, and needing nothing by way of set up. I did change the nut to one that's 1mm taller, but that's strictly a personal preference and certainly not one that's necessary. Having 30+ years of experience with guitars & guitar players, I'd guess the vast majority of those who buy this guitar will be most happy with the stock set up.

The finish of the entire guitar- including the frets, etc., is excellent, its intonation is spot on, and it sounds great (and loud!). Indeed, it may not be a several thousand dollar you-know-what, but if you want a reasonably priced metal body reso, or for that matter, any reso in the under $500 range, I say buy this Rogue.

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

This is a great guitar for the money with the potental to an incredible guitar for the money. I took mine apart and the build quality was surprisingly nice at this price point. No gaps at the neck joint, clean bracing, I was really surprised. Even if all the chrome falls off, it's still a great value.I play slide and traditional Delta Blues, It works well.Here's some of the improvrments I plan to make. I bought the guitar on sale and the improvements are no big deal. I plan on replacing the stock cone with a Beard Resonator Cone. The stock cone is loud with no buzzes, but lacke some high end sparkle and definition. That will help balance the tone a bit better. The stock biscuit bridge needs to be cut a little deeper to improve the fingering action in the higher regesters. The neck itself is fine. Possibly a bone nut. All these improvements are less than a hundred bucks. I only paid [$] and it came with free shipping. Stock, IMO it sounds as good as Dean,Regal,Johnson and Fender resonators for about half the price. I've been playing guitar for 45 years professionally for about 30 years and can recommend this guitar for someone who wants to try a metal body resonator for little money. Is it as good as a National, no not at all, but if it was stolen, I would have no problem just getting another one.

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

You get an inexpensive, attractive looking, well-made instrument that sounds great. What else do you need to know? Here is my overall impression: Once the chrome is a little tarnished and you get tired of polishing the guitar, the strings are worn just right --- you have a friend for life. Great inspiration for my music and a great buy
The Rogue Classic Brass Resonator Guitar may be the lowest price resonator on the market, but that makes it perfect for someone wanting to expand their musical horizon. For a modest investment you get a fully functioning, good-sounding Blues/Folk instrument. Yes, I am aware of gorgeous custom resonators costing seven grand -they are worth it. But so is the Rogue Brass Resonator, if you immediately change the funky factory wires for a set of Elixir strings. Now you're ready to learn and have fun exploring the Blues and Folk music and their peculiar sounds and open tunings.
Reading all the online reviews before making a purchasing decision is good practice, but it also made me a bit apprehensive. To get to the point: I got a perfect, flawless instrument right out of the box. No sharp fret edges, cracks, dings or dents. After a very careful inspection I set the shipping box aside, knowing that I didn't need to return this instrument to MF. I own Gibson, Ibanez and Fender instruments costing a whole lot more than this resonator: The quality of the Rogue Resonator that I received is excellent -I never thought I would say this about anything made in China. But let's not get carried away: The strings right out of the box are sad -don't even bother. These strings basically will keep the neck under tension before the guitar arrives at your house. The tuners are standard issue, but they work well and are solid. I certainly don't plan on replacing them. The neck plays nice and has smallish fretwires that are finished nicely at the edge -the strings seem set up for fingerpicking, or even modest slide playing. They are currently set up a little high for my taste. The bridge and tailpiece don't allow for string adjustment - I'll have to study that a bit. The nicely cut nut and the cheap tailpiece are both adequate. The finish of the neck feels great and the (thin) chrome finish looks great, but tarnishes easily: My resonator will eventually end up looking like any other metal resonator in the South: well played, tarnished and... authentic.
The Rogue Classic Brass Resonator is definitely worth the price of admission to the world of Blues and Folk music. I even think it's worth more than what I paid for. The real value of this instrument is not in the materials, nor the good workmanship, and not even the cool looks: This instrument will open the doors to a new type of playing (at least for me). I love the sound of my overdriven Tele and the wailing sounds of my LesPaul through any of my seven tube amps... Now here comes a cheap acoustic instrument that wants to be fingerpicked and open-tuned. What a change for a rock freak like me! Again, the value is in the character of the instrument requiring you to re-think your music, harmony and technique. This is by far the most inspiring guitar I own. Yes, I'm gushing --but believe you me: This metal thing has a heart and so will you when you start learning how to play this resonator.

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

I was apprehensive at first due to some of the early reviews on this model, the "lower shelf" label, and my own indecision as to which resonator I wanted to buy, but this is a fine guitar for anyone who plays blues on a budget(and that's most of us). It's louder than my bean blossom suspended wood body resonator or indeed anything in my acoustic room. Compared to the wood body resonator, it has more midrange and low end sound and is much more active/resonant with it's biscuit style cone than my wood body resonator's spider. When playing lightly it takes on a bit of a banjo sound which isn't at all unpleasant for light country style blues fingerpicking. When you feel like doing dark and gloomy gut bucket blues it reacts accordingly when played hard and delivers an angry wail with sustain that rivals uncompressed electrics, or a crunch not unlike an overdriven electric when you play chords/crunches. It's a sound that makes the dogs run and hide under the porch in fear of the end of days, or one that drives the blues away...so they say. The neck is straight and strong enough to handle open E tuning without any scary "readjustment" noises, though I don't recommend leaving it there for long. It holds tune well due to it not reacting to weather changes as much as wooden guitars. The finish is chrome like your toaster used to be and you can see yourself in it. There are no rough edges or unpolished surfaces on the one I received and I'll add my name to the group that says they must have gotten a handle on early quality control issues. The finish on the neck looked rough in the photos and is indeed satin, but feels great when played and lacks that slimy urethane feel of more polished finishes. The intonation is about as good as you can expect from any acoustic with overtones evident above the 7th fret but not overbearing at any point(and not an issue with your slide on ). At over 9 pounds, it's very heavy. I recommend a strap to help control the beast and this would be not my first choice for long hiking trips into the woods. Overall, despite my initial reservations, eventually overcome by watching youtubes and other reviews here, I'd recommend this guitar for anyone wanting to get into slide, bottleneck or fingerpicking blues styles. It's got the right look, sound and action to handle just about anything you can throw at it and it's not too much money to scare off most moms come xmas.
Unbeatable deal!

Comments about Rogue Classic Brass Body Resonator Guitar:

Good guitar, just wasn't the same as my imagination had created. Sent it back. SOunds too tinny, like a banjo to me. I am sure with good strings or nut, etc. it might have sounded better. Personally I didn't think I would get much use out of it, one trick pony. I opted to get an auditorium style guitar. I just like the sound of solid wood acoustic guitars. This would be good for someone who has the extra $ and wants to try one out or if you play a lot of bottleneck.
Everything as described. Very nice steel body and brass.
For the price you won't find anything near it. Nice quality. I can't tell you how the neck was placed and if it is a good joint.
Great deal for the money.