Wood body and traditional shape for fantastic tone.
The die-cast spider bridge and 10-1/2" spun aluminum resonator cone give it exceptional projection and volume. Constructed with a spruce top; mahogany back, sides, and neck; and rosewood fretboard. Mother-of-pearl diamond fretboard inlays, a chromeplated bell, and brass coverplate and tailpiece give it authentic looks.
Features
- Roundneck or squareneck
- Spruce top
- Mahogany back and sides
- Die-cast spider bridge
- Mother-of-pearl diamond position marker
- 10-1/2" spun aluminum resonator
- Chromeplated bell
- Brass coverplate and tailpiece
Playing authentic bluegrass, country, or blues? Not without this resonator, you aren't. Order yours now.
Review Snapshot®
by PowerReviews(based on 123 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
82%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Pros
- Good tone (7)
- Consistent (3)
Cons
Best Uses
- Practicing (4)
- Concerts (3)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Experienced (6), Professional musician (5)
Most Liked Positive Review
Not bad for the price
This guitar is not going to make you sound like Jerry Douglas, but my guess is that if you're buying this guitar you probably wouldn't sound like Jerry on his guitar either.
T...Read complete review
This guitar is not going to make you sound like Jerry Douglas, but my guess is that if you're buying this guitar you probably wouldn't sound like Jerry on his guitar either.
This guitar will make a good platform for mods like replacing the tuners and cone, and after doing so you'll have a very nice sounding and playing guitar for relatively little money. If it's still on sale for two bills, it's a good value. If it goes back up to three, invest in a Regal.
Low end guitars these days are typically made pretty well, though they have supremely cheap hardware, and this guitar is no exception.
The wood appears to be decent luan laminates (this is different than plywood. Plywood has cheap filler wood in the core, often with a paper-thin veneer on top for appearances. Luan is made of plies of hardwood. The top was made from 3 plies, and I assume the sides and back were the same.) The finish appears to be thin (already sinking into the grain), though there were several spots where it had obviously been touched up.
The tuners are crap. The chrome hardware fits well, though has numerous little scratches that could not be buffed out. Many low end guitars have really cheap hardware that doesn't fit well, and soundhole screens are known to fall out. That doesn't appear to be the case here.
It sounds like a resonator guitar and is cheap. What more could you ask for?
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Poorest quality instrument I've ever owned but cheaper than any starter dobro
So after about a year of learning to play the resonator on this instrument I think I'm ready to give it a review.
The Good: It looks great (on the outside) ...Read complete review
So after about a year of learning to play the resonator on this instrument I think I'm ready to give it a review.
The Good: It looks great (on the outside) and sounds decent. In fact for the price it sounds awesome.
The Bad: From day one the thing has had this really terrible buzzing that would come and go. You can tell that the spider bridge is ridiculously poor quality. I tried muffling things, readjusting them and even put a piece of fleece under the tail. It didn't work but the buzzing did randomly go away for about 6 months.
The Ugly: The buzzing noise eventually came back and with vengeance. Today I totally disassembled the dobro only to uncover that this is the worst constructed instrument I've ever laid eyes on. There are jagged pieces of plywood, holes that look like they were cut out by a 5 year-old, and all manor of wood chips floating around inside that nobody cleaned out. Once I cleaned out the inside (as best I could) I gently reassembled all the pieces. While screwing the coverplate back on, I then discovered that at least 3 of the 12 screw holes were stripped.
You get what you pay for.
Typical low-end instrument
Pretty on the outside, monstrousity of broken plywood and glue on the inside.
Can't beat the price but you get what you pay for.
Reviews
Reviewed by 123 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-10
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Pros
- Consistent
- Good Tone
- Long Life
- Strong
Cons
- None
Best Uses
- Recording
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
I use this resonator for recording. I usually play a combination of fingering and slide. I tune is to whatever key the song is in. I record with a sterling ST 55 and it always sounds terrific.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
Wanted a resonator to learn slide on and this seemed like the logical choice. I bought a backup tailpiece based on a number of reviews, but I don't think it will be needed, at least for a long time.
Setup was quite good right out of the box, but I took it apart to inspect everything anyways. The spider was a bit sloppy with a lot of sharp edges where the metal leaked out of the cast, so I filed those down. There were also some splinters around the seat where the cone sits, so I sanded that down. Inside was fairly clean.
The only really annoying thing was that the head of the screw used to adjust the tension on the cone was almost completey stripped. I found a replacement at the hardware store for a few pennies. Its a M3x0.5 screw by the way.
Once the tension was adjusted correctly I had no buzzing issues.
I replaced the strings right off the bat as well.
I'm new to playing guitar, but I kind of wished there was a little more of that resonator 'twang' to the sound, but otherwise I think it sounds great.
Just recently I added a tele neck pickup and associated knobs and jack. The installation was a breeze, except for figuring out how to ground the cone, cover plate, and strings, which are all electrically disconnected from each other. Without grounding them there was a lot of 60Hz hum and RF noise. The best way I could figure to resolve this was to ground the cone from bottom of the tension screw, then attach another wire from the top of the tension screw to the cover plate. It turns out that the cover plate does touch the strings and tailpiece, so that covered everything. Now it sounds great!
Pros
- Fun to play
- Looks good
- Playability
- Quality
Cons
- Bridge
- Not Consistent
Best Uses
- Slide guitar
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
Good overall guitar and for the decent price tag you can't do much better. Sounds good and was playable out of the box. Strings felt a little cheap but nothing to worry about. The only problem came about when I was trying to bend notes on the high e and b string. The two part bridge was not set (whether by design or accident is unclear to me) but it slides around during bends forcing the gab between bridge pieces and the g and d strings unplayably close together. Other than that, great guitar for those wanting to play some delta slide.
Pros
- Good Tone
Cons
Best Uses
- Concerts
- Practicing
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
I have owned several guitars over time and when this one came in the mail, I was absolutely floored! For the money I paid I feel like I stoled it! I recently started playing Delta blues and this guitar has made me sound 100 times better. If you want a VERY nice resonator guitar, for very little money...stop here!
Pros
Cons
- Poor Tone Quality
Best Uses
- Practicing
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
I bought a new guitar thinking that it wouldn't buzz. When I called to ask how they'd take care of it they simply said they don't take care of it so I had to pay an extra fifty at home to actually have a guitar. I wish I would have known this going in. It would have been easy for the salesperson to let me know but since they didn't and wouldn't statnd behind their product, I won't recommed Musician's Frend.
Pros
- CHEAP price
Cons
- Breaks Easy
- Cheap Hardware
Best Uses
- Use Your Own Judgment
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
I own both the Rogue Spider, and the Triolian Biscuit Cone guitars. The tailpiece broke on both my guitars, within a year of ownership. Musicians Friend did not offer any help, or replacement. All I was asking for was a single replacement tailpiece. All I got was nothing. If you buy one of these guitars, and you are a performing musician, I suggest you preemptively replace the tailpiece. Search the web and you'll find this is a common problem with the Rogue resonator guitars. Otherwise, I like both these resonator guitars.
Pros
Cons
- Rattles
Best Uses
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
For a starter resonator, it was exactly what I expected. It definitely is bottom of the line. It takes a bit of work to make it sound good. Change of strings, setting up the neck to be able to play it well, as well as fixing the resonator so it isn't buzzing something horrible the entire time. If you're not tech savvy or able to fix things, I'd shell out the extra money to get a better resonator.
Pros
- Consistent
- Good Tone
Cons
Best Uses
- Concerts
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
No surprises, as described. good value. Shipped very fast. Will buy again.
Pros
- Good Tone
- Value
Cons
- Requires some setup
Best Uses
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
I bought this guitar after my new found love of Delta Blues. When I received it, I immediately tuned it up and started jammin. I was very disappointed at first. I had a buzz at the bridge on about 3 strings, and my top (lowest) string couldn't stay tuned to a "D". Being the avid DIY'er that I am, I disassembled the cone (jeweler's screwdrivers are awesome here), and found one part of the split saddle extremely loose. So I glued it and reassembled the cone. Then, I took apart the triangle cover piece on the head and decided to put a little tension on the truss rod. I figured that being the new guitar it was, it was probably shipped without any tension. Sure enough, it didn't have a lick of tension on it. So I turned it until I felt slight tension, and then turned it another 1/4 turned for good measure. I put the strings back on and sure enough, sounds phenomenal. Haven't been able to put it down since!
Pros
- Good Tone
- Well built
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Rogue Classic Spider Resonator:
I wanted a resonator, but didn't want to make a huge investment on what for me was a venture into a new style/sound of guitar. Hey, at this price point I had some concerns, but the guitar had really good reviews and I trusted MF for customer support. Bottom line: built well, looks great, sounds great. If you want to try a resonator this is the way to go.
