Review: Rogue RM100F F-Style Mandolin

The Rogue RM100F F-Style Mandolin is a popular entry-level instrument for folks who are just starting out learning the mandolin. It’s one of the best-selling low-end mandolins because it offers a good balance between economy and quality.

Construction of the Rogue RM100F

The RM100F is made from real wood, not plywood like you’ll find on cheap mandolins. The top is spruce, and the back and sides are made of maple. To keep costs down, the top plate isn’t carved by a luthier; rather, it’s pressed into shape on a jig using heat and steam. This isn’t a traditional method of manufacture, but it’s quickly gaining in popularity because it results in a strong, mass-produced top plate that keeps its shape.

The maple back and sides, too, are steam-pressed. They’re not as important as the top from the standpoint of tone and sustain, but it’s nice to know that they’re made of maple, a traditional mandolin wood. You won’t find the highest-quality figured maple here, but this is to be expected in a mandolin that retails for significantly less than $200 dollars. Decorative woods are reserved for mandolins that cost 3 times more than the Rogue RM100F.

Since this is an F-Style mandolin, it is somewhat more complicated to manufacture than a less-ornate A-Style mandolin. But the use of pressed wood and computer-controlled routing machines keeps the cost down. These are not hand-crafted instruments, but they’re good entry-level mandolins that perform very well for the price.

The tuners are nickle, rather than chrome-plated cast metal like you’ll find on cheaper instruments. Nickle tuners don’t rust, and more importantly, they require less lubrication than cheaper styles, and this means less chance of making a mess.

Another nice feature of the RM100F is the ebony fingerboard. Lots of inexpensive mandolins use a maple fingerboard which is dyed black. Real ebony is better because there’s no dye to collect under your fingernails as you play. And, ebony keeps its color as it wears, unlike dyed maple which quickly reveals itself as wear sets in.

Who makes Rogue mandolins?

Rogue is a brand name used by Musician’s Friend, Inc.. Musician’s Friend is based in Oregon, and they supply instruments and equipment to modern musicians in the folk and rock genres.

They distribute over 70,000 music-related items, and employ over 1000 people in Oregon and other parts of the US. Through their subsidiary Rogue, they produce and distribute low-cost, entry-level instruments all throughout America and the world.

RM100F — Want One?

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