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Your cart is empty.All-solid Rover RM-50 is the ideal first mandolin that could very well become a companion for life. The beautiful finish and elegant look of the RM-50 are all out of proportion to its affordable price
gant fan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2017
Great mandolin for the money
wendy mailloux
Reviewed in Canada on May 5, 2017
Wonderful mandolin. Plays very easy. It was packed very well. It looks great.
Ridge
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2017
Just got this today, and didn't want to put it down. It is a beautiful instrument. The sound is very nice. The strings are good (love ghs strings). Nothing needs to be changed, just minor setup.The bridge was installed, but I had to move it a bit to correct the intonation. This is very easy to do, just take your time, I put a little smudge on the surface from sliding the bridge and being in too much of a hurry. The finish was literally flawless before I did this :( , almost unheard of with these "beginner budget" type instruments.I had a couple (literally 2) spots were the frets buzzed a little (probably because I have the action set very low). A little careful work with some very fine sandpaper and masking tape took care of it.I really love playing this mandolin. It's not hard to get a very smooth mellow tone, not harsh like some mandolins I've heard (could also be technique, I suppose if you hammer away at it, you can get it to bark like an angry Chihuahua).If I had to make a criticism, it would be the tuning pegs. More precise adjustment would make it easier to tune (but I'm sure that would increase cost).I believe this to be the best value Mandolin out there. Solid carved wood. Truss rod. Excellent craftsmanship and finish. Very pleased with my purchase.Update:I am still REALLY happy with this mandolin I've been playing it a lot and have learned a lot. I just replaced the strings with Thomastik flatwounds and it sounds and feels even better. After having a chance to play a few other mandolins now, I am really impressed with the setup on mine. The nut height is perfect. I raised the bridge a little and that has eliminated all of my string buzz.The SAD news. Because I am new to solid wood instruments and have moved to a very dry climate, my poor Rover cracked! Luckily, I was able to repair it. It plays great, but is not as pretty anymore.If you notice your strings going flat, that probably means the wood is drying out (shrinking). If the surface of your instrument starts to develop bumpy ridges (like you can more visibly see and feel the grains of the wood) this is another sign of the wood drying.ALWAYS store your mandolin in the case with a humidifier during low humidity.
FormerTexan
Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2015
Lets start with the basics, like many positive comments above, the look of the mando is very nice and for an A style beginner classed instrument in most cases it would be acceptable. However, while the bridge had been placed on mine prior to arrival, the action was not the only issue. First frets on all stings were unplayable and very hard to depress. The entire G string was a mixture of buzz as well as just flat sounding poor intonation. Would definitely need work from skilled person at music shop. That person did have the recommendations of fret work, nut customization, as well as action at a price of $75. I didn't doubt his recommendations at all, especially given several of the comments already listed in other reviews. But now your looking at a $210 total price mando. In the end, I just decided to return it for refund and probably seek a slightly higher priced model that already comes with setup and customizations. You may get lucky, but in this day and age, inexpensive does not necessarily equate to good quality.
A. Rosa
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2014
A decent beginner instrument made from good quality woods with moderate levels of craftsmanship. Much better than the Rouge garbage that MF sells. I used a jig to sand the bridge feet to match the contours of the instruments top. I also did some fret leveling which helped the action a lot. It wasn't horrible but it's proved. I will do a little more at the next string change. This is not to say that you have to do this, I have the tools and the time and look at this as a learning process. If I mess up then I get to practice with regretting. I wife the frets on my RM75 pretty bad in a year and a half and this was supposed to be the temporary reacement. I was able to level that Mandos frets and will get more use from that. It has a livelier sound than the RM75. It's a little thinner as well but the $5 is darker and woodier sounding. If I had to do it over I would buy the RM50 and save the extra cash for when you are ready for a nicer A model later on. I have both. If you are really good at saving you could spend twice as much for a nice F model later on and keep this for camp outs.
dirk621
Reviewed in the United States on July 22, 2013
Everyone I know who has owned or played Rovers likes them for what they are--well made, good value mandolins. I bought this one as a travel mandolin, for festivals, etc., but the intonation was off. My luthier told me it was because the nut was set too far back. He said he could fix it but it would cost more than the mandolin is worth. He also said Rovers are generally good. I'm returning this one and will probably not buy a replacement online so I can try before I buy and not have the hassle of returns.
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