Washburn RO10 Rover Steel String Travel Acoustic Guitar Bundle with Case, Tuner, Strings, Strap, Instructional CD-ROM, Pick Card, and Polishing Cloth - Natural

I am really glad I got this Rover. I hadn't played in years and needed to develop my quitar fingers and grip again. Most of my free time comes when I'm on travel, or at home, late in the evening when I want to be lying in bed. Rover is perfect for this. Lay back with a standard guitar and its really awkward cause of the size. Rover lets me play from the hip while lying back comfortably. I get an hour in, fingers get numb, turn over and sleep (its a seniors thing).Rover has a bright crisp tone which is great for lead riffs, string-bending and multy string chopping. It rings with harmonics that fill out the sounds of notes and chords. I was pleased by the great - close to the fret - action which makes it a joy to play anywhere on the full length neck. When I first used Rover it had a slight buzz around the 2nd - 3rd frets of the A and D strings. With rover this was no problem because the neck is constructed with a truss rod (just like the big boys). The allen wrench and instructions are included in the package - very considerate. Less than a 16th of a turn was all it took to achieve tonal perfection. (The other major brand travel box does not offer this level of quality construction). One word of advice - if yours has a slight buzz, tune the strings to standard and play it for a week retuning as you go before you try an adjustment since the string tension will improve or maybe even eliminate the situation - its a break in period. If you do adjust make it tiny and wait a week. Don't go for clarity in one adjustment - sneak up on it little by little. Such small adjustments can be made between the strings without having to remove or loosen them.The case is great. Vinyl cloth covered with full double zippered closure and double sewn in handles. It even has rings and a strap so you can shoulder the entire case. The inside is molded foam with soft furry lining and holds Rover securely in place. Since its all so much smaller its easy to toss it into the car for road trips or picnics.The bundle came with an electronic tuner - great accesory. Out of the box, properly tuned and ready to go in no time.Now that my fingers a hardening I can't stop playing it, going to sleep later and later and missing the morning alarm.also; Thumbs up to Austin Bazaar for shipping in record time - got it way before Christmas.I would recommend Rover to friends.

I bought this guitar so I could practice during a weeklong conference across the country. I chose the Washburn (without ever playing it as I couldn't find one locally) mainly because of the hard case, which didn't disappoint. I was a bit anxious on the first flight as it was full and they were measuring bags, but they didn't question the rover and when I asked a flight attendant for guidance on stowing it she said it would be fine in overhead. It fit great, though a few folks attempted (and failed) to put a standard-size overhead bag on top of it.From the factory the action was rather high. I was expecting this based on other reviews. I'd also purchased a new of D'addario Silk and Steel strings for it, again based on reviews. So my first order of business was to cut off the stock strings and sand down the bridge to a proper height. Washburn helpfully provides an extra intonated bridge and a couple shims as well. I was able to adjust the action to my liking and strung it up with the new strings. It worked great for the trip.Obviously this is not a great sounding guitar as compared to a full size - definitely has that banjo-like twang to it that you read about in other reviews. However, the thing is beautifully built and the neck feels just great. The body is small enough that I can sit comfortably on the patio in an arm chair and play...chairs with arms are always a hassle with a full-size, so the rover's become my favorite for backyard practice time during nice days. Yesterday (4th of July) I brought it out to the beach and sat in a fold-up arm chair (the kind with beer bottle holders in the arms ;) ) playing/practicing for a couple hours. It really is that much fun.Regarding the strap - yes, it's a bit stinky I guess, but it must be MUCH better these days as my experience was no where near that of some of the older reviews here. I wouldn't have noticed if I'd not read about it. So either I got lucky or they've gotten the smell well under control. That said, the end pin is way too large for the heavy plastic strap end and I could see no way to coax it on short of drilling the hole larger. Rather than do that I got a new strap and put the one with this kit on my old Roland Microcube, which fit much better. I'm looking forward to taking this along on our next family camping trip in a couple weeks. Certainly a lot easier to pack than a full-size dread!If you're looking for something to take along on a flight, camping trip, the beach, or even the backyard, I'd recommend giving the rover a test run. It's a great deal considering that it comes with the hard case, a serviceable tuner and extra bridge. (they can keep the extra strings, DVD).

I'm a beginner guitarist, but I was frustrated by the size of most typical guitars because of my short stature. The traditional shape and size is hard to reach my strumming arm around. The Washburn Rover is ideal for me. I can reach the entire neck comfortably, control the body with my right arm easily, and considering the fact that it has such a small body this guitar has excellent tone. I'm very impressed. I would easily recommend the Rover to anyone seeking a smaller guitar and doesn't want to sacrifice tone.I was also impressed that it comes with a relatively sturdy case, rather than a soft-sided bag. I think this guitar would travel well.The DVD that comes with it isn't the best educational tool in the world. There are many web sites that will have you up and learning much quicker, if you're a beginner. However, that's not really much of a bearing on the guitar itself, so I won't knock a star down just on that point alone.Even though the top is spruce, I really like the color of this guitar (I got the transparent red). It's very classy looking.