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Rogue basses aren't really that bad, are they?
- Thread starter TroutPlayer
- Start date
Any instrument that you enjoy playing is good.
It's just that Rogue is a "budget" brand, and the quality of the wood, hardware and electrical components is less than optimal, but it justifies their low price point.
This is a gear board, and people obsess with the quality of the finest details of their instrument's construction, and Rogue basses simply don't compare well to instruments that cost more.... even just a little more.
It's just that Rogue is a "budget" brand, and the quality of the wood, hardware and electrical components is less than optimal, but it justifies their low price point.
This is a gear board, and people obsess with the quality of the finest details of their instrument's construction, and Rogue basses simply don't compare well to instruments that cost more.... even just a little more.
I did recently have to do some replacements with the battery wires, but I knew what I was getting myself into buying a cheap bass. Even after some shoddy repairs at best, it works for me.
I guess I have something of a bias, considering I own and use one regularly, but I just don't see why people avoid Rouge with a burning fear.
I think the word "everyone" in that sentence should be replaced with "some people".
From my perspective, it's not what you play thats important, it's that you play! Whether your bass cost $100 or $10,000, all that matters is your happiness!
My first bass cost $90 in 1972. I rocked it!
My first bass was a Rogue LX200BL. The bridge pickup had a weird ping to it, the pots would shift when you turned the knob, it's ugly as sin, and the headstock was vaguely phallic. But it still played well enough to get me hooked, and that's what matters in a first instrument.
I played a cheap, beat up Ibanez GIO 4-string that I paid $45 for when I first started playing. I freakin' LOVED that thing, and I played it for 3 years before buying a new bass. Now, since then, I've traded around and have had close to 30 basses come in and out of my door, some expensive, some not. I enjoyed a MIM P Bass more than an all American Rickenbacker 4003.
It's all preference!
It's all preference!
Over generalizing AND misspelling(sp?)in the same thread?!? Forty lashes w/a worn out flat wound D string. 
Rogue instruments are IME, not bad at all.
Rogue instruments are IME, not bad at all.
If the sound is appropriate, it looks like you belong with the musicians around you, its comfortable and it doesn't keep you from playing the way you want, its a good bass. Other than that is the reliability of the construction. Do you trust that it will play every time you plug it in? Can it put up with the kind of wear you expose an instrument to?
Is there a connection between Rogue basses and the old "Bass Collection" series that I remember from the late 80s/early 90s? Some Rogue models look nearly identical to some of the Bass Collection series. I had a Bass Collection SB301 P/J bass that was the easiest playing and best sounding bass I ever had. The only reason I sold it to a friend (who I think still has it) was because it was right handed, and at the time I was a lefty who played that bass upside down (strung righty), but was in the process of converting to a true lefty instrument so I could slap.
There are inexpensive basses, and then there are badly made basses that are inexpensive or expensive but just plays horribly.
Rogue makes decent basses, yes they don't use optimal circuitry and they may cut corners in other ways but they can get the job done. I have the Rogue Beatle bass and it actually plays pretty well.
I have a Mr Potato bass (lol) I bought for $60 used, I believe they were sold inexpensively to begin with in South Korea (handmade with neck through). Thing is, this "cheap" bass is better than a lot of the more expensive basses I have.
So there's a taboo that some have that to be a better bassist, you need expensive equipment- truth is, you just need an instrument your'e comfortable with and talent will do the rest. Only thing about Rogue and other basses of the same ilk is that resale value is bad, so don't expect to recoup the price you paid should you sell it in the future. Enjoy the bass, if it is comfortable and works for you, then that's all that matters. Remember when a certain bass player started playing a "cheap" budget priced bass bought in a German music store back in the Sixties? Hofner is now no longer considered a budget brand, find it funny that there are budget copies of what was once a budget bass.
Rogue makes decent basses, yes they don't use optimal circuitry and they may cut corners in other ways but they can get the job done. I have the Rogue Beatle bass and it actually plays pretty well.
I have a Mr Potato bass (lol) I bought for $60 used, I believe they were sold inexpensively to begin with in South Korea (handmade with neck through). Thing is, this "cheap" bass is better than a lot of the more expensive basses I have.
So there's a taboo that some have that to be a better bassist, you need expensive equipment- truth is, you just need an instrument your'e comfortable with and talent will do the rest. Only thing about Rogue and other basses of the same ilk is that resale value is bad, so don't expect to recoup the price you paid should you sell it in the future. Enjoy the bass, if it is comfortable and works for you, then that's all that matters. Remember when a certain bass player started playing a "cheap" budget priced bass bought in a German music store back in the Sixties? Hofner is now no longer considered a budget brand, find it funny that there are budget copies of what was once a budget bass.
I "repaired" a Rogue 5 string for a kid I know recently, and he said he got the bass for $50 I think from another kid. To be honest, I was shocked at the actual "quality" of it. After tweaking the setup only slightly, it played rather well. Sounded decent through a 2 x 15 rig I have at home. It's not a phenomenal bass at all, but for the price range, I would say it's rather competitive. I would say it's a great beginner, beater, or a backup to anyone on a tight budget.
Sorry about my atrocious spelling and quick judgement. It just seems like all bassists I come across in person really dislike the brand simply because it's budget.
However, you all seem to have a open minds. I really like that idea, that expensive doesn't equal good.
However, you all seem to have a open minds. I really like that idea, that expensive doesn't equal good.
Indeed it doesn't. Witness the multiple praise-laden discussions of SX basses.
The LX400 PRO is a completely different animal--most people are only familiar with the budget Rogues.
The LX400 is a decent instrument.
I've played a few gigs with one.
The LX400 is a decent instrument.
I've played a few gigs with one.
My first bass was a $79 Kent P-Bass copy that my parents bought me in 1964. In the 90's I bought a new Rogue for $79 that was much better than the Kent. When you consider thirty years of inflation the Rogue cost about $7.90 in 1964 dollars. Worth every penny 
I wound up giving it to a friend who used it for one set per gig to give his back a rest from his Jazz bass. He used it without a hiccup for 100+ gigs per year for 5 years.
I wound up giving it to a friend who used it for one set per gig to give his back a rest from his Jazz bass. He used it without a hiccup for 100+ gigs per year for 5 years.
I also have a Rogue VB100 (the "Beatle" bass). Though I have 2 other "better" basses (Ric & Yamaha), it's still my main, go to gigging bass. Feels right, sounds great. What else can you ask of a bass?
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I played one ... it was a low priced bass ... it may not have been worth the low price.
