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Rogue Viola (VB100) Bass Club
- Thread starter Flyingfrets
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I can't think of any place to try- you've looked everywhere I would have. Somebody that stocks Hofner parts, maybe? If memory serves, the Hofner surrounds are so high because the Hofner's pickups are surface mounted (as in, no p/u hole in the body), and the height is needed to give room for some adjustment. Other than that, though; sorry, I got nothin'....
And, as for neck dive? My VB-100 (with a slick nylon Union Jack strap) has a very slight "neck bias" - it's about like holding up an Oreo cookie. But, it's an early '90s Korean one, and the body's a little more substantial than the Chinese versions. My Chinese Starfire violin bass, with a similar strap, is slightly more neck-biased; about like holding up 3 Oreos. Old and feeble as I am, I can still manage that...but, neither of them will even begin to head for the floor by themselves. On the other hand; I have a Kramer 450B that's the Dictionary definition of neck dive. If I use a grippy strap, stand real still, and turn it loose? It will head for the floor - right now; and, it will pull my shirttail out of my pants, and try very hard to yank it over my head. Only takes about 30-40 seconds, too (I timed it once, just for grins). But, I can't picture a Rogue getting anywhere close to that - unless you're jumping around on stage like a loon...
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Those Rogue violin basses seem to have a lot of variations. Mine is pretty old--at least 15 years old. It's made in Korea, but it wasn't long after that they started being made in China. Also, it's heavier than I might have expected. From what I've been reading the newer Rogue violin basses are lighter and built more like Hofners than earlier Rogues. I'm sorry to hear that yours has neck dive, though. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I have some neck and shoulder problems from some accidents long ago. Comfort is very important to me when it comes to playing bass. I don't want to play a heavy bass, an uncomfortable one, or one that has neck dive.
I have not. When I find a suitable 1/4 to 1/2 inch material I can fashion a gasket with, I may make my own.
Put the LaBella flats on last night.
The string stops are much larger than the factory barbed wire strings it came with, and they were not fitting into the floating saddles. I began to string it anyway, just adding length to the strings. When I tuned them it "popped" and I thought "damn I broke them!!"
Turns out they just forced themselves into the saddle.
What a relief!!
I didn't see anyone warn me of this problem while researching on line. It's always possible this run is different and made to other tolerances, the same way the control panel is unlike any diagram or picture I've see on line.
Just ordered the teacup knobs!!
I've been playing seated but recently put a cheapo Ernie Ball strap on it.
The neck dove.
It's a light guitar, it's nothing to hold up while playing so it isn't an issue for me.
Besides, it isn't going anywhere with the forearm of your picking hand resting on the body.
Love the sound and especially the FEEL of flats.
Why play anything else??
The neck dove.
It's a light guitar, it's nothing to hold up while playing so it isn't an issue for me.
Besides, it isn't going anywhere with the forearm of your picking hand resting on the body.
Love the sound and especially the FEEL of flats.
Why play anything else??
In one club I beling to you just take the post number you enrolled on;
That would make you #144.
I'm interested as well.
I like the Rogue tuners better than the Hofner/Ignition but I like these knobs better.
The plastic ones are so cheap it would be worth a shot...
Labella's and tea cups.
The rest, stock.
Member #170
Case is on the way,
Saw Eight Days a Week yesterday.
Perfect timing!!
I've got a VB-100 coming tomorrow. Been toying with the idea of picking up another 'Beatle Bass' for the last couple of years. I used to own an Epi Viola about 10 years ago. It was a very nice bass, but I just never bonded with it and ended up selling it a year or so later.
I always figured I'd pick up a Hofner Contemporary at some point (never cared for the Icon/Ignition), but despite being a huge Beatles geek, I just couldn't justify spending that much on a limited-use instrument - even at used prices.
I had read a lot of good things about the Rogue over the years and when I found out the price went down to $149 on MF, I started giving it some more serious thought, but I was still on the fence. I just finished a P-bass build about a week ago (and I'm pretty freakin' nuts about it!), so buying another bass so soon felt a little gratuitous... but when an 'open-box' showed up a couple of days later for $131, I just had to pull the trigger.
Of course, this is going to be a project. I've already picked up a German tailpiece for a decent price and plan to replace the tuners and the pickups. German pups are out of the question at $150 apiece, but has anybody tried the Allparts replacement pickups? Do they sound any better/worse than the stock ones? I've also seen pickups from China on ebay, which I'm sure are the same as the Allparts (look identical, same DC resistance) for about half the price.
I always figured I'd pick up a Hofner Contemporary at some point (never cared for the Icon/Ignition), but despite being a huge Beatles geek, I just couldn't justify spending that much on a limited-use instrument - even at used prices.
I had read a lot of good things about the Rogue over the years and when I found out the price went down to $149 on MF, I started giving it some more serious thought, but I was still on the fence. I just finished a P-bass build about a week ago (and I'm pretty freakin' nuts about it!), so buying another bass so soon felt a little gratuitous... but when an 'open-box' showed up a couple of days later for $131, I just had to pull the trigger.
Of course, this is going to be a project. I've already picked up a German tailpiece for a decent price and plan to replace the tuners and the pickups. German pups are out of the question at $150 apiece, but has anybody tried the Allparts replacement pickups? Do they sound any better/worse than the stock ones? I've also seen pickups from China on ebay, which I'm sure are the same as the Allparts (look identical, same DC resistance) for about half the price.
I like these tuners better than the Hofner guitar tuners.
I do not like the bat-wing knobs.
Let me know if you find a way to replace those.
I got the case coming today!!
I like these tuners better than the Hofner guitar tuners.
I do not like the bat-wing knobs.
Let me know if you find a way to replace those.
I got the case coming today!!
I've seen pics of the plastic buttons on the stock tuners, but it just doesn't look right to me. It's easier than filling the holes, redrilling and refinishing the headstock, though, so I'm a little on the fence.
The 49.00 Musicians Friend case is a keeper too. Looks as though they fixed the problem with the neck support the VB100 now fits in there nicely...
Thanks for posting this--I have an older rectangular case (with broken strap) and was looking to see if they've adjusted the fitted one yet.
Ok, I got my VB-100 a few days ago, but I wanted to live with it for a little while before writing a review. I used to own an Epiphone Viola a few years back, so I was sure to draw comparisons between the two, but I wanted to make sure my opinion towards the Rogue wasn't unfairly biased by that.
Honestly, when I ordered it, I didn't expect it to be as well made as the Epiphone... and it's not, but it doesn't fall short by much. The Rogue loses points mostly for minor finish flaws that I just can't get that worked up about on a sub-$300 bass. Otherwise, it's a pretty damn solid instrument. I'm very surprised! I would say this bass is at least as good as any of the better Icon/Ignitions I've played (I think the Epiphone is a little better than those too).
Cosmetically, this bass looks great! A lot better than I expected it to. Paint lines are clean... No overspray... No flaws in the binding. The two-tone burst is well done and even all the way around on a BEAUTIFUL flamey veneer. The color looks MUCH better than any of the photos I had seen before buying. I knew it wasn't going to look like the gumdrop nightmare that they show you on MF (why do they still use that picture??), but all the pics I'd seen posted by owners looked much darker. Almost like a Fender 3-Tone SB, going to black around the edges (even the pics I took of mine look darker around the edges than it actually is). The burst on mine looks very rich with a dark amber in the middle and kind of an auburn brown around the perimeter. Visually, this bass was a very pleasant surprise.
I think the pickguard, control plate and TRC make the bass look cheap, though. It's real low-grade plastic with an unconvincing pearloid effect. I was disappointed that the PG is screwed right onto the top of the bass, rather than having the floating type with a bracket. I just took the pickguard off and I'll likely keep it that way. Why hide that beautiful flame?
This bass is indeed neck heavy... I don't know how it couldn't be. If you let it find its own balance, it wants to orient itself completely horizontally, not all the way down to the floor, but that's still neck dive. Even with a grippy suede strap, I can still feel the tug of gravity. As a result, if feels a little awkward to play standing up, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
The bass came with a pretty good setup too. Neck is pretty straight with just the slightest amount of relief. I don't see any reason to touch the truss rod. I played it for about five minutes with the stock rounds on it before ripping them and the stock tailpiece off and replaced them with a German Hofner tailpiece that I got off ebay for a very reasonable price (cheaper than an Allparts TP) and a set of LaBellas that I ordered with the bass (which sound awesome, I have to say! I think I'm becoming a flatwound convert!).
The only adjustment I made was to lower the bridge a little after putting the LaBellas on it, but I think I might raise it back up again. The strings tend to clank against the neck when I play closer to the neck pickup (which is what I seem to want to do most of the time). The bridge is a little rough and doesn't adjust very well, though. I think it definitely needs replacing, but I don't want to pay $65 for an Allparts one. Any suggestions?
The fretboard looks good. I was expecting streaky, low-grade rosewood, but this board was pretty dark and consistent. After treating it (and the bridge) with boiled linseed oil, it looks almost like ebony. I'm going to need to do a little fretwork, though. The 13th and 14th frets are a little high on the E-A string side. Not a big deal. Pretty much what I expect with any import guitar. Other than that, it plays buzz-free all up and down the neck with pretty low action.
As far as the pickups go, they're not great. I'm pretty sure they're the same pickups used in the Epi Viola and I wasn't crazy about them in that bass, either. Actually, I kinda like the neck pickup, but the bridge sounds like dog vomit. It's weaker than the neck pickup, despite having higher output (10.6k vs 8.2k neck) and it sounds thin and distorted, no matter what the pickup height. It was jacked up pretty high out of the box, which didn't really help it balance with the neck pickup any, so I tried lowering it to see if that would at least make the tone better... It didn't.
It doesn't sound completely terrible when dialed in about 75% with the neck at 100%. Surprisingly, it gives the bass more of an upright tone than just the neck pickup alone, but I still like the sound of the neck pickup by itself most of all. I'm not going to fall in love with it, though. I've pretty much decided to pull the trigger on a couple of Allparts replacement pickups, unless someone here has some better suggestions? (not German or boutique). If anyone has installed the Allparts pickups in their Rogue (or any other Beatle bass), I'd like to hear your opinions!
I'm also planning on replacing the stock tuners with Grover Sta-Tite guitar tuners (identical to the ones used on the German Hofners). Has anyone done this? Did you have to fill and re-drill the post holes or are there conversion bushings that work? If anyone could tell me the diameter of the post holes I'd appreciate it (saves me the trouble of removing one of the tuners to measure).
I'd like to replace the control plate with an aged pearloid plate but that's looking a little hard to find (other than buying an entire control setup from China). Might have to have something custom made, or I might try to 'age' the one I have (it's still not attractive pearl, though).
I'm also thinking about re-wiring the controls to have a master volume and a blend knob with a different cap for each switch (.022, .047, .1). I don't like the fact that the only way to control the tone of this bass is to turn pickups on and off. I'd love to hear about any custom wiring mods anyone has done.
If anyone has any mod suggestions of any kind, I'd be happy to hear them!
Sorry this review got as detailed as it did (I actually winnowed it down some before posting) and though I'm sure mine looks very much the same as everyone else's, here's the proof that it happened (the one good pic I've managed so far... More to come as the project progresses):
Honestly, when I ordered it, I didn't expect it to be as well made as the Epiphone... and it's not, but it doesn't fall short by much. The Rogue loses points mostly for minor finish flaws that I just can't get that worked up about on a sub-$300 bass. Otherwise, it's a pretty damn solid instrument. I'm very surprised! I would say this bass is at least as good as any of the better Icon/Ignitions I've played (I think the Epiphone is a little better than those too).
Cosmetically, this bass looks great! A lot better than I expected it to. Paint lines are clean... No overspray... No flaws in the binding. The two-tone burst is well done and even all the way around on a BEAUTIFUL flamey veneer. The color looks MUCH better than any of the photos I had seen before buying. I knew it wasn't going to look like the gumdrop nightmare that they show you on MF (why do they still use that picture??), but all the pics I'd seen posted by owners looked much darker. Almost like a Fender 3-Tone SB, going to black around the edges (even the pics I took of mine look darker around the edges than it actually is). The burst on mine looks very rich with a dark amber in the middle and kind of an auburn brown around the perimeter. Visually, this bass was a very pleasant surprise.
I think the pickguard, control plate and TRC make the bass look cheap, though. It's real low-grade plastic with an unconvincing pearloid effect. I was disappointed that the PG is screwed right onto the top of the bass, rather than having the floating type with a bracket. I just took the pickguard off and I'll likely keep it that way. Why hide that beautiful flame?
This bass is indeed neck heavy... I don't know how it couldn't be. If you let it find its own balance, it wants to orient itself completely horizontally, not all the way down to the floor, but that's still neck dive. Even with a grippy suede strap, I can still feel the tug of gravity. As a result, if feels a little awkward to play standing up, but I'm sure I'll get used to it.
The bass came with a pretty good setup too. Neck is pretty straight with just the slightest amount of relief. I don't see any reason to touch the truss rod. I played it for about five minutes with the stock rounds on it before ripping them and the stock tailpiece off and replaced them with a German Hofner tailpiece that I got off ebay for a very reasonable price (cheaper than an Allparts TP) and a set of LaBellas that I ordered with the bass (which sound awesome, I have to say! I think I'm becoming a flatwound convert!).
The only adjustment I made was to lower the bridge a little after putting the LaBellas on it, but I think I might raise it back up again. The strings tend to clank against the neck when I play closer to the neck pickup (which is what I seem to want to do most of the time). The bridge is a little rough and doesn't adjust very well, though. I think it definitely needs replacing, but I don't want to pay $65 for an Allparts one. Any suggestions?
The fretboard looks good. I was expecting streaky, low-grade rosewood, but this board was pretty dark and consistent. After treating it (and the bridge) with boiled linseed oil, it looks almost like ebony. I'm going to need to do a little fretwork, though. The 13th and 14th frets are a little high on the E-A string side. Not a big deal. Pretty much what I expect with any import guitar. Other than that, it plays buzz-free all up and down the neck with pretty low action.
As far as the pickups go, they're not great. I'm pretty sure they're the same pickups used in the Epi Viola and I wasn't crazy about them in that bass, either. Actually, I kinda like the neck pickup, but the bridge sounds like dog vomit. It's weaker than the neck pickup, despite having higher output (10.6k vs 8.2k neck) and it sounds thin and distorted, no matter what the pickup height. It was jacked up pretty high out of the box, which didn't really help it balance with the neck pickup any, so I tried lowering it to see if that would at least make the tone better... It didn't.
It doesn't sound completely terrible when dialed in about 75% with the neck at 100%. Surprisingly, it gives the bass more of an upright tone than just the neck pickup alone, but I still like the sound of the neck pickup by itself most of all. I'm not going to fall in love with it, though. I've pretty much decided to pull the trigger on a couple of Allparts replacement pickups, unless someone here has some better suggestions? (not German or boutique). If anyone has installed the Allparts pickups in their Rogue (or any other Beatle bass), I'd like to hear your opinions!
I'm also planning on replacing the stock tuners with Grover Sta-Tite guitar tuners (identical to the ones used on the German Hofners). Has anyone done this? Did you have to fill and re-drill the post holes or are there conversion bushings that work? If anyone could tell me the diameter of the post holes I'd appreciate it (saves me the trouble of removing one of the tuners to measure).
I'd like to replace the control plate with an aged pearloid plate but that's looking a little hard to find (other than buying an entire control setup from China). Might have to have something custom made, or I might try to 'age' the one I have (it's still not attractive pearl, though).
I'm also thinking about re-wiring the controls to have a master volume and a blend knob with a different cap for each switch (.022, .047, .1). I don't like the fact that the only way to control the tone of this bass is to turn pickups on and off. I'd love to hear about any custom wiring mods anyone has done.
If anyone has any mod suggestions of any kind, I'd be happy to hear them!
Sorry this review got as detailed as it did (I actually winnowed it down some before posting) and though I'm sure mine looks very much the same as everyone else's, here's the proof that it happened (the one good pic I've managed so far... More to come as the project progresses):
Northcoast has a Hofner replacement bridge for $35, although you'll probably need to do some sanding to get it to match the top radius.
EDIT: Turns out the Rogue control panel uses a circuit board, so re-wiring isn't practical. However, there's info on rewiring violin bass switches here:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
EDIT: Turns out the Rogue control panel uses a circuit board, so re-wiring isn't practical. However, there's info on rewiring violin bass switches here:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
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I actually came across this schematic and saved it when I was researching wiring options. I'm curious why you chose to go with 250k volume pots.
Well these are on sale at Musician's Friend for $149 so I went ahead and ordered one. I recently sold every bass I owned that was not a ubass. I've always been somewhat drawn to these violin basses. I figured why not give it a try, although I did also buy the case so it somewhat offset the price by making it more expensive.
You still got a good deal all around. I wouldn't have complained if I paid the regular price of $230. I didn't get the case, but I've already spent more than the cost of the bass (got mine for $131) in upgrades. I ain't complaining, though.
