Washburn Rover Travel Guitar
August 13, 2009 by Best Travel Guitars
Filed under Acoustic Travel Guitar Reviews
The prospect of heading to Kunming, China for three months without my guitar was not appealing. But the thought of dragging around my Martin Custom D did not enthrall me either. So I went in search of the perfect travel guitar.
It had to be lightweight, but still put out great sound. I wasn’t expecting remarkable warmth or quality, like my Martin or other full-size guitar, but I didn’t want it to sound like a ukulele either. I looked around town for something that would fit my needs but I didn’t have much luck. The local guitar store only had one and it sounded more like a banjo, like a toy. I wanted something that would give me that warm, homey feeling when I played it.
I did a lot of research online and finally decided on the Washburn Rover Travel Guitar. I looked at a couple of Martin travel guitars, but overall, I liked the features the Washburn had: 24″ scale, spruce top and nice mahogany on the neck and back just like my Martin, nice binding and inlay, and straight-forward butterbean tuners.
The reviews I read convinced me to give the little Washburn a try. And it is little. It looks a bit like a toy, but the sound is really amazing. The headstock was heavier that I thought it would be, but after playing it for a while, I got used to it. I really loved the full-scale fret board! It makes playing a breeze. I went ahead and put different strings on it, which really made the sound come alive. And it stays in tune pretty well.
This little guitar came with a strap (that I didn’t like either – went ahead and bought a different one), and a molded hard case that actually fits into the overhead storage bin on the airplane. What a difference from the last time I flew with my full-size Martin. I banged into almost everyone on the way down the aisle and got quite a few dirty looks since it took up the full space in the bin after shoving it in diagonally. The Washburn Rover was a compact little friend that caused no social discomfort.
Nice price. Great sound. Portability. I’m so glad I don’t have to sacrifice my music in order to travel anymore.
Washburn Rover Travel Guitar Features:
- Full size 24″ scale
- Solid spruce top
- Mahogany body and neck
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Quality geared tuners
- Professional binding and inlay
- Sized to fit airline overhead storage
David Sung on Sun, 11th Oct 2009 8:09 am
I love this guitar and it cost next to nothing for what you get in the package….full size neck, compact size with all the bells and whistles you need included. Just fab…. ( ;
ps. it is possible to play this without the strap if you wish.
You just have to be sitting on the floor resting against the sofa with you knee bend high… ( ;
What is the best travel guitar? | Best Travel Guitars on Thu, 22nd Oct 2009 3:08 pm
[...] Best Buzz generator and most fun – The Washburn Rover We got a lot of feedback on this guitar when developing Best Travel Guitars and apparently a lot of people have it and love it – the buzz!!! This is funny because I have 7 of these, yup 7, haha. I got addicted to buying them on eBay and every time I see one for cheap I have a hard time resisting. They are just fun to play and I love the sound. I have to confess I play the rover more then I play any of my other guitars. When my friends come over they all pick up the rovers and we jam. We can’t help it – we are sick with the washburn fever. Read the full review here. [...]
playdabooz on Wed, 17th Mar 2010 2:41 pm
The Washburn Rover guitar has a very solid and seemingly durable build quality. However, the action came quite a bit high the further up the neck I went, over 1/8th inch high at the 12th fret. I will be trying the other saddle that came with it and adjusting the truss rod. I have no doubts that it can be set where I would like it. The frets are good quality and well dressed but not finely polished. The tuners are excellent quality and stay in tune well, by the time you bought a Johnson traveler and put on some decent tuners you would be at the same price range as the Rover. I was able to get mine for $141.95 with free shipping on ebay, brand new and not a 2nd quality guitar. The sound is best described as a cross between a banjo and a parlor guitar. It seems like it would be a great sound for ragtime and finger style blues. The case is well padded and seems like it will provide excellent protection. As most people have said, I discovered that it is rather difficult to play sitting or standing without the strap. All in all, it is a great little guitar and provides a great deal of convenience and fun for traveling or around the house when you don’t necessarily want to break out the full size guitar.
ZoZo Music on Fri, 2nd Apr 2010 2:45 pm
Washburn makes some absolutely beautiful and great playing instruments and the Rover is no exception! The guitar is gorgeous and like most other Washburn guitars, it plays and sounds amazing. Great guitar for the money.
coyane on Sun, 11th Apr 2010 11:12 am
hi !
i’m writing from france
i’ve got a rover r020
what kind of nylon strings do you use ?
thank you
cheers !
what’s an amaaazing guitar !!!!