Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

As a guitarist, I don't know banjos from broomsticks. I know a decent instrument when I see it though and I know what sounds good. That said, this instrument is worth every penny it costs and sounds better than the price point requires. I bought this for my 8 y/o son who wanted to learn banjo so I didn't want to spend a lot of money. At the same time, being a guitar instructor, I know how quickly an inferior instrument can dampen the enthusiasm of any beginner. This was what I hoped would meet that balance.
I was at work when it came in and assumed that I would have to set up the instrument to make it playable. Imagine my surprise when I walked in the front door and heard the sound of banjo. My wife, who is not at all mechanically inclined, did the initial assembly. I did minimal intonation adjustment and tuning and the kid was up and running. It is very playable, sounds decent and looks great if you don't put it under a magnifying glass.
So far I have noted a couple minor finish issues and some of the frets high up on the neck could use work. By the time my son even notices these minor flaws he will be ready for a more expensive banjo and the B3 will owe me nothing at all.
I recommend this product and would buy it again.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

For the price you cant go wrong out of box looked a lot better than I thought it would. the strings were off the bridge and such but thats no problem overall you get your moneys worth if your a beginner and wanting a good banjo to start out with this is it!

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

The only reason I took the chance and went for this was the excellent price. However, like other people said the action is a bit higher out of the box but that does not mean it is high after a set up. The problem is that most people are afraid to touch the truss rod of instruments. I relaxed all the strings first. After I took the resonator off, I made sure all the tension j hooks were evenly tightened. I noticed few which were not. I made sure all were evenly tightened. After that I sanded about 1/16 off the bottom of the bridge. Then I relaxed the truss rod all the way. Then I measured from the nut to the 12th and doubled it. I placed the bridge right on the doubled distance. I brought the strings to full g tuning. The action was very high as I suspected. Then I relaxed the strings and tightened the truss rod fairly tight. If you are not sure what you are doing have a pro do these for you. After that I brought the strings to g tuning. The first few frets started to buzz. Then I relaxed the strings and loosened the truss rod somewhat to make the buzzing go away. Once I brought it to g tuning at the proper truss rod relief, the action on this banjo is excellent as any well built banjo should be. Long story short after a proper set up this banjo is very well built and has very good action and good twang and good resonator. If they have it on sale get one!

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

A few years ago I wanted a cheap banjo to just to mess around with, but that wasn't a total piece of junk. I looked at several, but settled on the Rogue (bought it without ever playing it) due to the price. I was pleasantly surprised by the look, feel, and playability of the banjo. Sure, it's not a professional quality instrument (and for less this price, nobody should expect it to be one), but you'll not find another for the price that is as nice or as playable as this one.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

Great value for the price. If I ever had to purchase another banjo I would get this one again. The order was processed promptly and I received the banjo quickly in excellent shape.
The B30 deluxe banjo with aluminum rim looks like a high quality banjo with aesthetic detail.
Nicely made with good sound. Came ready to play after tuning. Other instruments I have purchased required restringing with better strings, but this banjo only required retuning a couple of times until the strings were stretched.
I am very pleased with the instrument that I received for the price. It looks like an instrument a professional would use and the sound is authentic banjo. I'm estatic with the purchase.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

Impressive! Could not be more satisfied with the quality of this instrument at a price that would have been unheard of or considered miraculous a few years ago. This is a sophisticated, fine-quality instrument with a nice tone. The high-polished wood and binding is beautiful. The Remo head is above and beyond what I would have expected at this price. I'm scratching my head after reading some negative reviews for instrument. It is easily as well made and designed as some banjos two or three times the price. There were no loose or missing parts. No quality issues whatsoever. Mine was shipped, as would be expected and prudent, without the bridge set up or the strings in tune. So, as much as this is a fantastic instrument for a beginner and well-beyond, you need to know or learn the basics of setting up and maintaining a banjo, something that is technically a bit more sophisticated than what most people know of from playing a guitar. If you try to set up this banjo without any instruction and are inept at it, you could, as you could with any banjo, break a string or the bridge, or more. But if you are otherwise prudent and have common sense, no problem. I was so impressed with the price and quality of this resonator banjo I subsequently ordered Rogue's open back (quieter) banjo for playing different styles and different venues. The Musician's Friend hardshell case for banjo is a great match. Nice resonator banjo and hardshell case for less than two Benjamins? That's what I got and I'm stoked enough to be bragging about it here!

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

I received this banjo in the mail today, and opened the VERY sparsely padded cardboard box expecting the worst. Based on the dozens of reviews I've read, I was expecting and impossible to tune, half set up piece of trash in pieces.

What I found delighted and surprised me.

The banjo was strung, bridge on, and very well packed in it's "ROGUE" box. I tuned her up after a bit of letting the wood adjust to it's new home. Banjo sounds fine, like a banjo should.

I went to a prominent instrument outlet in my area and played everything from almost free to very expensive. I wanted a banjo that sounded good for an upcoming tour.

Most of the low end instruments were setup poorly and generally sup par. I did find the sound of a cheaper resonator banjo sufficient, and decided to take a leap of faith and buy an instrument sight unseen, off the internet for the first time in my life.

Bottom line, I'm going to learn the heck out of this thing. It feels great, sounds like it should, and looks pretty enough to pass off.

It's not a professional instrument. You knew that though, right?

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

The setup on this banjo was really not good. Strings were incredibly high off of the fretboard. Tuners were barely held in with screws falling out (literally fell out while tuning the first time), cracked bridge, and very loose head. Couldn't really believe that MusiciansFriend would actually let that out of their factory in the condition they did. I actually assumed it was a used instrument until I called to check. Could not COULD NOT hold a tune. Set it up and still couldn't hold a tune. Neck was strong, body was not. Maybe save your money for the low end fender or washburn instead.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

I bough this as a substitute for onethat was shipped broken from a differnt seller. This arrived well packed in great condition. My kids started playing it right out of the box. I also appreciated the great customer service at MF. THat is what has made me a repeat customer. Keep it up, MF.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

this is a great starter/novice banjo with good tone and built very well. a steal for the price.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

This product arrived with a defective 5th string tuning peg.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

My banjo arrived in perfect condition. I went over it with a fine tooth comb and found no faults. The action was good. The head was tight. The bridge was dead on. All the hardware was in place and nothing was loose. The tuning heads were tight. All it needed was to be tuned. It sounds great. I was pleasently suprised to find nothing amiss. The last time I played a banjo was almost 41 years ago. I was amazed how that once it was in my hands it all came back. Great instrument at a fantastic price.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

I have been playing guitar for 30+ years and decided to give banjo a try---I was very impressed with the build quality at this price level---I will probably upgrade the tuners at some point, but that is not unusual for me---most of my guitars have been modified in some way, and the stock tuners are usually the first thing to go. This is a great instrument---don't let the low price fool you!

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

THis is a basic instrument best suited for a beginning player. It is what it is. It's quality is in line with it's price...inexpensive and entry-level.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

I was a little worried buying an inexpensive banjo (without knowing much about them). I've played guitar for about 20 years and know the basic difference when playing a very cheap instrument. I'm sure there are banjos that are a lot better, but I'm perfectly content with this purchase. I went online and found a site that showed how to place the bridge, and went to get-tuned.com for tuning. It sounds really nice and it is a lot of fun. I have a lot left to learn, but this seems like a nice banjo to learn on. If you've never played and want to give it a try, I'd fully recommend this one.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

I'm primarily a guitarist and have been for several years. I've played around with banjos in the past but this is the first one I have owned. For the price, this thing is incredible. Holds a strong tune and I've been playing it for the past three days since I received it in the mail. Would buy it again in a heartbeat and strongly recommend it to anyone looking to learn banjo.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

I bought this banjo to learn on. For a starter, this is great! I really enjoy the sound. For a beginner this is more than I could've asked for. I love the tone, and it holds tune really well. I practice about an hour and a half a day, and when I check the tuning on my electronic tuner; it's still in tune. I can't complain.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

I have played guitar for about 30 years and mandolin for a few so I decided to give the banjo a try.

I understood that I was buying an entry level instrument. The first one that was shipped was damaged. Got a brand new replacement without incident.

The second one was fine. It is about what I expected but I had hoped for something a little more. Not the best tone (but the volume is great), and it may get better with some minor adjustments.

The string are pretty high off the fretboard making fingering a little difficult.

I would not gig with this instrument, but it seems fine for rehearsing at home or for a beginner like me. Assuming I stick with it I will be upgrading VERY soon.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

High quality, heavy banjo. Perfect for beginners/intermediate players.

Comments about Rogue B30 Deluxe 30-Bracket Banjo with Aluminum Rim:

after a year of playing this banjo started to fall apart, its okay but not a long lasting banjo.