Rogue Soprano Ukulele Review

I'll be up-front: I've played lots of Rogue instruments, and they've usually had pretty good finishes. Rogue electric basses looked really good; my old Rogue mandolin, for all its problems, had a nice sunburst and a clean lacquer finish; matte-finished Rogue acoustic guitars were actually outstanding in the finish department. The woods may have been laminated, the necks may have been bowing, the tone might have been a little thin, but finish was never a big issue.

Probably due to its small size and low price, the Rogue soprano ukulele breaks with that trend in a big way. The entire body of the ukulele practically has a patina of nicks, scratches, skippers and dents. Which really is a shame, because the instrument overall is pretty handsome, with a warm brown color to the wood, white accents on the nut, tuning pegs, bridge and dot inlays, and distinctive-looking wood used in the neck.

The tone is crisp and bell-like on individual strings, and there's a surprising bark to this ukulele's chords. The stock strings seem fine, with no lack of volume or clarity, but an upgrade would probably lend an even stronger sound to the uke. Sustain is naturally not this ukulele's strongest sonic asset, with its laminated top and small size.

I have few complaints with playability either. After tightening the tuners with a screwdriver the Rogue soprano uke held its tune for several days of moderate playing. The action is a bit high, and fretting the strings too hard quickly throws the note out of tune, but after a brief learning curve this becomes less of a problem, and there are guides online that show how to set up your Rogue soprano ukulele. You can also take it to a luthier and have it done for a small cost.

Though rough in finish, the Rogue soprano ukulele is a great-sounding little instrument that plays easy. At $20-25 it's pretty much a no-brainer for a guitarist looking to mix it up, or for a casual player who wants something to strum on the beach and doesn't mind if it gets knocked around or dropped in the sand.