Washburn Rover Travel Guitar

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

The guitar is actually pretty well made and sounds pretty good. A bit tinny maybe but that's a travel guitar for you. The scale is full length which is nice, so they had to give up body behind the bridge. The big difference between this and other travel guitars, and acoustic guitars in general, is fret access. You can reach ALL the frets because of the generous cutaway at the point where the neck and body meet. Well, not cutaway really, they joined the body to the neck between frets 15 and 16. But the net effect is: reach every fret easily. Huge bonus. The fretboard has binding all the way around it and they seemed to have used quality tuners because it stays in tune quite well. They even included a truss rod key and clear instructions on how to do the adjustments properly, and the truss rod is easily accessible through the sound hole. No truss rod cover to mess with. The case is well made, compact, well padded. Passes TSA requirements for a carry-on bag. Great so far. On the downside, the strap came without one of the ends being glued properly, as though there were supposed to have been two ingredients for the glue to work and they had only applied one ingredient. I had to glue it together myself. And I don't know if it's the glue they chose to use or what, but the whole thing smells a little like gasoline. Also the guitar is neck heavy, with the entire guitar's center of gravity being around the 11th fret of the neck, and that fact, combined with the fact that the cut for your leg is where it is, makes it kind of hard to find a comfortable position to play in. Put it on your right leg and it feels like your right arm is way out behind you, and your left arm will start to crowd your body as you get to the upper frets. Put it on your left leg and it feels like there's a mile and a half of neck out in front of you. Also it would've been good to have two pegs for the strap. Instead you have to tie the neck end of the strap to the neck behind the nut. Also, you know that feeling when you hit a baseball with the funny side of a bat and it sort of shocks your hand and leaves it numb? You'll get that with this guitar after just a half hour or so of playing. Or maybe I just got a bad luck of the draw with this particular guitar. I can only play it for short periods of time before numbing out and have to put it down for awhile. Normally, I can play for 4 hours straight without any problem whatsoever, but this one is hard to play for long without the shock. Overall, well done. I would've gotten a baby Taylor if they had sold it with a protective case, but they didn't, so I ended up with this Washburn for half the money, and I gotta say I'm pretty much pleasantly surprised overall.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I have owned this guitar for a year. I keep it hanging by my tv chair. It is VERY well made. The binding, detail, frets and gears are nice. For the money you cannot go wrong. The scale is a tad shorter than my Martin and Ovation. The case is durable and had a chemical smell for a while. I replaced the strings straight away, adjusted the truss a bit, polished it up and put a humidifier in it periodically. It in no way has a booming sound but is pleasant and easy to play and you can easily bring it anywhere.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

i've owned mine a few months now and i am quite happy with it. i drive a truck for a living and don't have a lot of room for toys and cannot live without an instrument. i tried a ukelele and a mandolin but always longed for the guitar. i've played martin backpackers and cannot keep them from spinning while playing and they only sound good fingerpicked. i've tried other irregularly shaped guitars and could not find a good balance between bass and treble. this little washburn has a good balance. it does not sound as nice as a full size guitar but i didn't expect it to. it has a shallow body guitar sound that is great for a percussive strumming style and sounds pretty good when fingerpicked. action was high when delivered but it came with an extra bridge which i sanded down to lower the action and changed the strings to a light medium guage. bottom line is that i now can carry my guitar with me, it sounds good, plays great and costs little. the included case is excellent and i use a strap that clips into the sound hole so i never encountered any discomfort playing. i've read several reviews that mention a smell mine never had one but i would simply use deodorizer. as long as you are realistic in your expectations and intelligent enough to handle the simplest problems you will love this little gem.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I was looking for something I can travel with to keep my hands moving while I'm on the road. I looked at a few of the mini guitars and felt that the quality was not as good as the full size stuff. In fact, they seem to be more like toy guitars. Not this Rover. The reviews I read were mostly positive, other than a few negs. The price was good on Black Friday so I rolled the dice and got a sweet guitar. This is not a toy. It has high quality parts and a really good sound compared to the other minis I played in the stores. Dont expect a deep rich sound because the body is only 12" long, 8" wide and 2" deep. But for that size, it has a really good sound. As someone else mentioned, there are some balance issues because of the size, but the guitar is so light its really not an issue. When sitting it really fits well. Once you add the strap, there's no question about the comfort. I liked the look of this more than the Martin Backpacker. This really has a cool look. There were lots of comments about the strap stinking like chemicals, but Wasburn must have corrected this, because mine was fine. The case is secure and light. Overall, I am super satisfied with this purchase.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

The previous ratings were helpful in making a decision to purchase the Washburn Rover. The only issue is that I received an, obviously straight from the factory, package. When first removed from Washburn's packaging much of the material promised in the listing was not in the the package. All that was included was the Guitar, The strap and the case. All three were better than I had expected in appearance and ultimately in performance. The guitar had "gunk" (not sure what it was but spray on marine cleaner wax took it off). The strings were rusted and two of them broke before ever getting to enough tension to be in tune. I replaced them first with standard phosphor bronze steel strings. Was not happy with the sound, replaced them next with Elixer Nanoweb lights and was much happier with the sound and feel. The strap is really handy and effective the guitar looks great after cleaning it up. I have been fiddling with the setup and it is getting better have adjusted the truss rod and am thinking of pulling the bridge shaving it down a bit, to lower the action but have been waiting to see how it settles out with the local humidity and the humidification that is used in the case. The case is a real plus, given this is a travel guitar it is fitted, protective, and easy to carry and pack. Guitar Center customer service was responsive and followed up about the missing items and has arranged for Washburn to send them to me. Will trust the arrive in due time. All and all a good guitar for it's stated purpose.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I bought the Rover so I could practice in the front seat of my jeep while I wait for my daughter to get out of class. It is the perfect size and still has a standard fret board, so what I'm playing on the Roger translates perfectly to a full size acoustic. It also allows you to recline in a chair and play. Only drawback is you can't steady it with your playing arm because it's so small, so you have to use the strap if you want to shift up and down the neck. Very pleased with it for what it is.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

Way out performs the Martin back packer. Shocked by the sound that this little guitar has. Great travel guitar, fun to play. I am very pleased.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I bought this guitar for a ten day trip to mammoth mountain where I didn't think a full sized guitar would make sense. As soon as it arrived I was shocked by the horrible chemical smell coming from the strap, case and even guitar. I had to leave it outside for a few days before I could breath while playing it. Unfortunately, it did not play well. The action is in a word...terrible. at the 12th fret the strings rise to nearly half an inch above the neck. Past there it is impossible to play. I don't know if this particular guitar was build poorly or if this is standard for the model but I don't recommend buying one. In fact I don't plan on ever purchasing an instrument from washburn again because of this disappointment.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I bought this little wonder to keep handy in my motorhome. Living in an RV, there's not enough room to keep a full sized guitar handy to play on a whim. This little thing fits in the corner and I grab it and play several times a day when I might not practice for days if I had to drag my Martin out of the storage bin. It might be new strings, but it seems to need tuning more often than other guitars, no big deal. The sound is more like a banjo than a guitar. Don't expect to be able to jam along with "real" guitars and sound like a conventional acoustic. However, for practicing or figuring out songs, it's fantastic. The neck is like a full size guitar and is very playable. The action is fine. The best surprise was the case, very rugged for a canvas case with hard styrofoam protecting the guitar. I'm glad I bought it.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

Upon opening the case and seeing this wonderful guitar, that's when the odor hit me. I could spend some time talking about how great this guitar is but there's no getting around the odor. The odor that is emanating is from the guitar & case is petroleum based and it will clear out a room. I read some reviews about the smell originating from the guitar strap so I disposed of it. I have been airing the case & guitar separately but the smell will not dissipate. This is not a product that should be shipping due to the hazardous smell. You do not want your children around this thing. I truly expected more from a great company like Washburn.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

This is one of those rare times when function is more important than sound for guitar. If you're expecting it to put out a sound that even comes close to a full size guitar than look elsewhere. However, having looked at and played most of these travel guitars in the sub $200 range than was the best one by far. (the sound is very thin, bright, and tinny sounding but much louder than you'd expect) Especially when you take into consideration the case (which is amazing) and all of the accessories like the saddle shims, strap, and truss rod wrench. Unheard of at this price point. It came down to this one and the martin backpacker. The martin had a slightly better sound, but the rover's shorter length, amazing case, and what felt to be a more sturdy build won me over. Did I mention how amazing the case is? It's sturdy enough I'd have no issue throwing it in my luggage or strapping it to a backpack (without the case). Overall, I'm very pleased.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I bought this so I can practice on my lunch break at work. I love the portability of this guitar!! And it's fun to play!! It doesn't sound like a full size acoustic, but that's not what I was looking for. I have a full size dreadnought (it's just too big to take everywhere). Be sure to use the strap when playing because it doesn't balance on your leg due to the small size. I love this guitar!

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

Well constructed, great case, terrific sound quality for a travel guitar

Comments about Rover Travel Guitar:

Practice, sitting in an easy chair. Pros: real easy to hold in any chair I've tried, action was nearly perfect out of the box. Cons: Strings are too light, I like medium .57 strings that will probably rip this guitar apart. The sound hole is not round and not big so my low E string is not well over it and thus sort of hard to hear. Otherwise this is a great instrument.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

Went to trade up and GC tech slid a piece of paper behind bridge and basically told me it was worthless. Only had for a few years of light playing.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I love my little guitar, it is small and easy to hold, I am a beginner and I find it so much easier to learn on then my husbands full size guitar, the action is good, but I would rather have nylon strings instead of steel, easier on the fingers. all in all I love it. ps: the hardest part is keeping it out of my husbands hands.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I'd always wanted a small acoustic for travelling, but all models had scaled down fret boards. Either that, or I really didn't like the looks of the guitar. This one looked real good in the pictures, and the reviews were very good, coming from folks who had the same need as mine. I decided to go for it, and was I ever glad I did! This guitar gives off such a nice sound that my wife suggests I use it for recordings. The fret board is everything I hoped for. I switched over from a classical background, and this Rover has a lot of room for my fingers to move. The strings are Addario, and very decent, too. No need to change anything. Really, really great travelling guitar!

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I figured I'd take a chance on this little guitar just to mess around with on a trip when there's nothing going on back in the hotel. I realized this would be a good thing during a recent stay in a college dorm for my son's college orientation. Since I received last week I can't put it down. Perfect for when you're watching the ball game, sitting out back, or just feel like practicing. It has a nice sound and fret board feels good. As far as the smell goes, it was faint at best and quickly dissipated. I ordered the red and it's nice looking. Go for it!

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

My Harley road guitar, I play lead in a cover band and this guy is my work break / travel axe. The neck is like my strat, good access to above the 12the fret, tuners suck!, tone is bad, its unique, good price, better than those other lame travel guitars.

Comments about Washburn Rover Travel Guitar:

I ordered one of these after reading the reviews and watching some demos on youtube. When I received the guitar, I found that the Bridge was already separating from the body. So I imediately had to return it. When I returned it to the store they didn't have any others in stock so I just got a refund. I then found a lightly used one on craiglist for $100 and bought that. It didn't have the issues that the other had. After messing with it a bit, you will have to live with all the limitations of a travel guitar. It sounds very metallic, and like a banjo in some cases. I changed the strings to Silk and Steel and it helped a bit but still sounds like a banjo on the higher strings. The full size neck is nice, but the small size of the body will throw you and will take some getting used to. That said, if you can't haul along your full-sized guitar, your options are limited. In any event, it meets its purpose and if you must have a travel guitar, this one is likely as good as any and about the bottom of the line pricewise. If you don't expect too much, you will be happy with it.