Washburn Rover R010 Travel Guitar

[bazmaz]

Continuing my look at small guitars that may interest 'guitar curious' uke players..

It's a NOPE from me!

Washburn Rover RO10 Travel Acoustic Guitar - REVIEW

Not A Ukulele looks at the Rover 10 travel guitar from Washburn

www.gotaukulele.com

 

[Arcy]

Finally an instrument I'm ahead of @bazmaz on

I had one of these a few years ago, and it was the first guitar I sold off. Mine was better than Baz' because it was blue, but otherwise ... what he said! I did travel with it (North American carry-on rules are instrument friendly), but I also could have gotten away with something larger. Size-wise and fully acoustic it may be good for hiking out to a campfire, but I suspect some of the larger body / shorter scale ones would do better.

Loving this series. You almost talked me into the PRS parlor, but when I was guitar shopping a few years ago I didn't get along with the PRS acoustic, and I didn't want to risk it without trying it. Local store said they had the PRS in stock, but when I went to try it out they couldn't find it Instead I found a used A&L Roadhouse to match the A&L Legacy I'm downsizing from. In theory it arrives last Tuesday last Friday yesterday today. And it's blue.

 

[bazmaz]

Just staggered my how all definition and clarity in the bass strings is just lost on a strum - the top doesn't know what to do with them!

 

[clear]

Ah, a guitar I owned for a very short time. The Washburn Rover is cheap, small, cute; but it doesn't deliver where it mattered: sound. Perhaps my expectations were too high; but I'd rather take my uke than this guitar to places.

After the Washburn, I bought a Martin Backpacker. That was also a disappointment. Currently, I'm using a Martin 000jr-10 (ok-sounding) as my "travel" acoustic guitar; note the quotes around "travel". The 000jr-10 is almost as big as regular 000-sized guitars which sound a million times better (ok, maybe not a million times, but very, very noticeable better).

These small-bodied acoustic guitars (at least these cheap ones), just can't put out enough of an approximation of the real thing. I guess the steel-string just changes too much when moved to a too-small body; such that the sound is too far from the expectation.

 

[bazmaz]

Ah, a guitar I owned for a very short time. The Washburn Rover is cheap, small, cute; but it doesn't deliver where it mattered: sound. Perhaps my expectations were too high; but I'd rather take my uke than this guitar to places.

After the Washburn, I bought a Martin Backpacker. That was also a disappointment. Currently, I'm using a Martin 000jr-10 (ok-sounding) as my "travel" acoustic guitar; note the quotes around "travel". The 000jr-10 is almost as big as regular 000-sized guitars which sound a million times better (ok, maybe not a million times, but very, very noticeable better).

These small-bodied acoustic guitars (at least these cheap ones), just can't put out enough of an approximation of the real thing. I guess the steel-string just changes too much when moved to a too-small body; such that the sound is too far from the expectation.

I remember playing a backpacker - and being of the same view - I think that the lower register E and A on regular guitar tuning just needs more soundboard to give it the voice - this and the backpacker suffer similarly - the sound just loses all clarity on the lows.

 

[bazmaz]

Ah, a guitar I owned for a very short time. The Washburn Rover is cheap, small, cute; but it doesn't deliver where it mattered: sound. Perhaps my expectations were too high; but I'd rather take my uke than this guitar to places.

After the Washburn, I bought a Martin Backpacker. That was also a disappointment. Currently, I'm using a Martin 000jr-10 (ok-sounding) as my "travel" acoustic guitar; note the quotes around "travel". The 000jr-10 is almost as big as regular 000-sized guitars which sound a million times better (ok, maybe not a million times, but very, very noticeable better).

These small-bodied acoustic guitars (at least these cheap ones), just can't put out enough of an approximation of the real thing. I guess the steel-string just changes too much when moved to a too-small body; such that the sound is too far from the expectation.

I've also thought of the Taylor Baby for a review - smaller still but have played a couple and night and day fuller in tone to this Washburn

 

[bazmaz]

It's purpose is a guitar neck that you can travel with to play for practice and self enjoyment, hence the name "Rover". It wasn't built for fidelity.

Yet the shops that sell it use terms like 'rich' and 'broad' in describing the tone. Both are flawed claims.

But about the guitar neck bit - the length of the instrument doesn't, to me, make this any easier to travel with than a Taylor Baby. In fact the Baby is shorter - and also has the advantage of actually sounding like a guitar!!

 

[Eggs_n_Ham]

Continuing my look at small guitars that may interest 'guitar curious' uke players..

It's a NOPE from me!

Washburn Rover RO10 Travel Acoustic Guitar - REVIEW

Not A Ukulele looks at the Rover 10 travel guitar from Washburn

www.gotaukulele.com

Just finished watching this review and found this a rather odd quirky niche instrument. I did like the odd shape of the body but the large neck achieves that ugly duckling look. But I tend to think resonator ukuleles are niche instruments as well.

 

[bazmaz]

Yet the shops that sell it use terms like 'rich' and 'broad' in describing the tone. Both are flawed claims.

But about the guitar neck bit - the length of the instrument doesn't, to me, make this any easier to travel with than a Taylor Baby. In fact the Baby is shorter - and also has the advantage of actually sounding like a guitar!!

Or, indeed this one - smaller in scale again (a little) and whilst a bigger body - not that much bigger - yet actually sounds like a half decent guitar!

Yamaha APX T2 Electro Acoustic Guitar - REVIEW

Got A Ukulele looks at another small guitar in the form of the Yamaha APX T2 Electro Acoustic

www.gotaukulele.com

 

[Arcy]

Just finished watching this review and found this a rather odd quirky niche instrument.

The question is: what is its niche? Is there a role it fills better than the other options available?

For me, the answer was "no", it didn't fill any niche for me well enough to be worth keeping. I'm not sure what the competition looked like at the time I bought it. There wasn't anything else to compare with that I was aware of, but I don't know if I was oblivious or if they didn't exist (at least at that price point). By the time I replaced it I went up market to a Traveller MK3 Escape, which isn't comparable to the Rover in anything but size. This filled the quiet-practice niche well while I was spending a lot of time in hotels for business travel.

 

[clear]

I've also thought of the Taylor Baby for a review - smaller still but have played a couple and night and day fuller in tone to this Washburn

I hear a lot of good things about the Baby Taylor. I just can't get past its looks (screws on the fretboard).

 

[bazmaz]

I hear a lot of good things about the Baby Taylor. I just can't get past its looks (screws on the fretboard).

Those screws are hideous! But to be fair - the guitar itself is a lot of fun - and unlike this Washburn - actually plays and feels like a guitar!

 

[Rllink]

This Washburn isn't something I would even consider. When it comes to travelling with a guitar regardless, I'm taking something to play. That doesn't just mean sitting in my hotel room entertaining myself. I'm always looking for an opportunity, be it singing around the campfire, an open mic, a jam or standing on a street corner. So this little so called travel guitar isn't a travel guitar at all.

As long as we are comparing it to the Baby Taylor, I sat for an hour one day several years ago trying to choose between a Baby Taylor, a GS Mini and a Martin Jr. The Mini won out. To me, any travel guitar is going to have to do more than a Mini for me to give it much attention.

 

[bazmaz]

This Washburn isn't something I would even consider. When it comes to travelling with a guitar regardless, I'm taking something to play. That doesn't just mean sitting in my hotel room entertaining myself. I'm always looking for an opportunity, be it singing around the campfire, an open mic, a jam or standing on a street corner. So this little so called travel guitar isn't a travel guitar at all.

As long as we are comparing it to the Baby Taylor, I sat for an hour one day several years ago trying to choose between a Baby Taylor, a GS Mini and a Martin Jr. The Mini won out. To me, any travel guitar is going to have to do more than a Mini for me to give it much attention.

Quite agree with you