Rogue mandolin has no braces

[Dick Hutchings]

My friend who is very good guitarist wanted to start playing mandolin so he bought a cheap $50 Rogue. He has had nothing but trouble of course. He has tried to jack the top up with inverted toggle bolts in the f-holes, genius right. He had explained this to me but I wasn't sure what exactly he was talking about so he brought in to show me. I couldn't believe it when I looked and felt around inside. No tone bars. Now I realize that being a rock player that he doesn't really care about tone and wants to step up to a $200 model with built in pickups. That said, these things aren't just tone bars, they are braces as well. How can Rogue expect a mandolin to survive more than a month without braces?

[pops1]

If I remember The Loar 700 model had no tone bars/braces.

[Dick Hutchings]

Really, and these things hold up?

[Richard500]

One of several reasons the ancient Egyptians invented plywood, 5500 years ago.

[Dick Hutchings]

The Rogue looks like it's made of pressed something, I'm not even sure it's wood.

[dhergert]

With the Rogue it isn't the wood that counts. It's the thick poly-plastic finish. Really.

[Dick Hutchings]

Ah, they may not have put enough on this one.

[John Rosett]

I have a 10 year old Epiphone MM-30a/e that has one brace running right down the middle of the top. It seems to be fine.

[MikeEdgerton]

Really, and these things hold up?

I don't recall any large number of problems but it was discussed heavily when it first came out. I'm not shocked about the Rogue.

[j. condino]

There are several hundred Breedloves from the 1990s out in the trenches that lack any braces thanks to an overworked, disgruntled former employee....

[Dave Hanson]

I've got an old Harmony ' A ' model with no bracing, when the top started sinking I inserted a soundpost, worked fine, never played anymore mind.

Dave H

[Benjamin Gieseke]

I've cut open a Rogue (long story) and as I recall it had one brace like piece of wood running straight down the middle. No idea if it would have held up over time.

I did have a The Loar Lm-400 that had no bracing of any kind. When asked, the company's email reply indicated this was by design and that the top was hand carved "like a violin" to bear the weight without bracing. The mandolin made it through two Minnesota winters before the top caved in and Kevin Schwab had to rescue it. With more attentive humidification it probably would have lasted longer but it was Kevin's opinion that at least in this climate it was only a matter of time before it gave out again. Not sure how that applies to instruments with laminate tops though.

[JimCh]

There doesn't seem to be any reason why a sufficiently thick moulded to shape plywood top shouldn't be able to sustain any reasonable load, but I have no idea whether sufficiently thick and sufficiently musical coincide in any useful way.

[Dick Hutchings]

I'm not even sure this was plywood. Maybe they paint the f-holes to hide it.

[Charles E.]

I did have a The Loar Lm-400 that had no bracing of any kind. When asked, the company's email reply indicated this was by design and that the top was hand carved "like a violin" to bear the weight without bracing. .

I have heard that before and it makes no sense whatsoever. Of course violins have a brace, its called a "Bass Bar" and yes it helps to support the top from collapse. The sound post on the treble side also helps.

[PH-Mando]

I started with one of these Rogues and used light gauge strings. Sounded tinny but the instrument held up until I was ready for a better mandolin. My next mandolin was a carved top Orpheum F Style. What a difference in sound when you go from plywood (or particle board) to solid wood!!!!

[Bob Buckingham]

Another great brand is Savannah. They are all plywood and too many poor kids learn on them, then graduate to something like a Kentucky or Eastman and think they have died and gone to heaven. If people would only be cognizant of the fact that a better starting instrument will often result in a better start.

[Richard500]

There doesn't seem to be any reason why a sufficiently thick moulded to shape plywood top shouldn't be able to sustain any reasonable load, but I have no idea whether sufficiently thick and sufficiently musical coincide in any useful way.

If we can define musicality in a clear, measurable way, we can achieve it in unlimited structures and materials.