Rogue RA-090 Dreadnought Acoustic Guitar Natural

Most Liked Positive Review

COMPLETELY surprised by this thing! This guitar is KILLER!!!

SORRY FOR THE EXTREMELY LONG REVIEW, BUT THIS IS A THOUGHTFUL REVIEW FOR THE INTIATED READER, SO BY ALL MEANS READ ON: I have been playing for about 20 years now and I have owned and been able to play some very nice acoustics over that time, but I have gone without an acoustic guitar for the past 4-5 years, and I recently had the urge to own one again. Unfortunately due to my current economic situation, money is extremely tight for me right now. I wanted to buy an acoustic for in and around the $100 range so I could have SOMETHING to play until my finances turned around. I looked at Fenders and Epiphones, amongst others, and I played several of them, but I didn't like what I was hearing - dull, lifeless, thin-sounding acoustics with no character to the tone they produced. Then I saw the Rogue RA-090, and I decided to check it out on YouTube. There wasn't much posted, but there were two posts that revealed something about the Rogue's sound that caught my attention - a fullness and warmth, and a midrange texture that I found appealing. But I certainly had my reservations about construction quality, and consistency from one guitar to the next, as well as my ability to receive a half decent guitar that compared to what I had heard on YouTube. I figured I could take my chances and at the very least, it would be a good laugh! So I ordered one. Man, let me tell you, what I received exceeded my expectations in a way I NEVER thought possible. This is an absolute gem of a guitar! The tone that emanates from this thing is incredible. There is a depth of tone, and fullness, and a midrange that is full of warmth, clarity and complexity, as well as a sweetly balanced treble. All these qualities come together to make this guitar truly something special. This guitar also sounds extremely balanced from top to bottom - no peaks in bass, middle or treble at all. Strum or fingerpick chords anywhere on this thing and you will be rewarded with the very definition of balance. One amazing thing is the fact that there are no "dead" sounding spots anywhere on the neck. Go above the 5th fret on any other cheap guitar, and the sound quickly starts to get wooly or thin-sounding. This guitar has NONE of that, and at no time does the tone collapse the higher you go up the neck. I can play this thing above the 12th fret and all the tone, and volume is still there. Another amazing thing is just how effortless the sound comes out of this guitar. Even at very low playing volume, this guitar still throws out a very full, complex, and inviting sound that is full of tonality. This is something that is truly hard to find in ANY guitar, and is fantastic for a nuanced playing style or for playing late at night. The construction of this guitar is also something that exceed my expectations. The fit and finish is very good. The finish itself is very nicely applied with absolutely NO blemishes anywhere on the mirror-like body. The only blemish I could find in the finish was on the neck near one of the fret markers above the 12th fret - but for the price, who cares? The "whitewood" top on this guitar is very attractive and has a very nice grain pattern to it, and is actually better looking than in the picture. My guitar even has a touch of flamed figuring below the bridge! A look inside reveals that this guitar actually has an X-braced top! Guitars this cheap aren't supposed to have X-braced tops! Hell, at this price, I'm surprised it has bracing at all! (Just kidding). An X-braced top is unheard of anywhere near this price and is surely part of the great sound of this guitar. It's nice to see that someone actually put in some care and thought in regards to properly designing this thing. Also, all of the braces and linings (the ribbed part inside that helps join the top to the sides), are completely devoid of excess glue. Everything has glue right up to the inside edge of each joint, and that's it. No beads of glue, or glue drips to be found anywhere, which lends itself to a very tidy looking interior. Based purely on interior cosmetics, the fit and finish is as good as any acoustic you'll find - no kidding! You really don't expect this kind of workmanship in a guitar in this price range, let alone one that sells for THIS cheap! It's amazing to see that these things aren't just slapped together. Quite impressive. However, one minor reservation I have about the construction is that the top is a little thinner than a normal acoustic, but being that it has a laminate top, it SHOULD be just as strong as a solid wood top of any other guitar. However, the fact that it has a thinner top may also be the reason why this guitar sounds the way it does, because this allows the top to vibrate more freely. Also, maybe there is something to the whitewood used for the top and body as well? This is a wood that I have never heard of before for guitar making, but maybe this wood has something to do with the great sound this guitar produces, DESPITE it being a fully laminated guitar. There HAS to be something to it - the wood, the X-brace, or both? The bridge is nicely finished and the neck is comfortable to play. However, the description says both the bridge and the fretboard is made of rosewood, yet both are painted flat black. Maybe they aren't rosewood after all? Oh well. When a guitar sounds this good, who cares? And at this price point, these are sins of omission. The action is very nice and it takes very little finger pressure to fret notes along the fretboard which makes it effortless to play. And as cheap as the tuning machines look, they turn very smoothly and even hold tune quite well! I guess I won't need to replace them until they wear out! Who knew?! So, to wrap up, if you can't tell, I am absolutely blown away with this guitar! I don't know if I received a "ringer" (i.e. the so-called pick of the litter), but what a genuinely beautiful voice this guitar has! Utterly baffling!