Rogue LX205B Bass Guitar Review – Little Known Beginner Powerhouse

Body And Neck:
Electronics:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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Rogue guitars are not something you would generally consider if you have a decent budget to work with. As a matter of fact, that brand doesn't really have much exposure in general. Their entry level bass guitars are a completely different story. Rogue packs a lot of juice in these basses, probably in an effort to set a foothold on the market as a brand that offers quality instruments. If that's the case, they are on the right track with Rogue LX205B. This particular bass is one of the few five string options available, but also one of the best you can get for the money in this segment. For more awesome basses that fit this description, check out our dedicated article.

Body & Neck

As you could expect, the body of Rogue LX205B is nothing extravagant. We are looking at another basswood design that features a common shape. With that said, the body is well made and the basswood they have used is not all that bad. Neck is a maple type with a relatively smooth profile and a standard rosewood fretboard. That lower cutout isn't as great if you're into hitting those highest notes, but it's reasonable overall.

Hardware

One of the first surprises that Rogue LX205B has for us comes in type of hardware they've decided to include. Instead of installing a standard bridge, like most other brands do, Rogue went with a High Mass unit that sports fully adjustable saddles. One of the main benefits of this design is the improved sustain which is something bass guitars in this price range desperately need. Tuning machines, on the other hand, are standard quality die cast ones.

Electronics

When it comes to producing sound, Rogue chose a pair of pretty decent single coil pickups. We are talking about a J-Bass type configuration that is wired to a set of four control knobs. You have two volume knobs – each for one pickup and two tone knobs. These pots alone significantly increase the tone shaping potential of this bass to a level which you don't often see in the affordable price range.

Sound

Sound is one aspect of this guitar that is truly worth of praise. We are not talking about anything that can compare to your average high dollar model, but it brings the level of quality and range that isn't seen that often on guitars of this type. Tone is relatively crisp, with good amount of girth once you roll off the tone knob, and the pickups have good output. In many ways this is the type of bass guitar you can use as a beginner, but also as a more experienced player.

Conclusion

For what it was designed to do, Rogue LX205B is a pure success. While this bass guitar doesn't have a logo belonging to one of the usual suspects, it definitely compensates the lack of branding with great performance and even better price. If you are a beginner looking for a solid five string bass guitar, Rogue LX205B should be high on your list. It is simply that good.

Here's a bass cover video using the Rogue LX205B Series III:

For more info about the Rogue LX205B, click here.
For the Best 5-String Bass Guitars, click here.