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How Bad Can a $110 Bass Be? - Rogue LX205B Review

The Tape Farm

1,620 views

In this video, I take a look at the Rogue LX205B 5-String Series III bass. At this price, I wasn't expecting a lot—but the real question isn't whether it can compete with an expensive bass. It's whether it's actually a usable instrument.
I'll go through the features and specs, talk about the things I like and the things I don't, and—most importantly—let you hear it. I put the Rogue through a full playing demo so you can decide for yourself how this inexpensive five-string sounds.

I also take a brief look at the history of the five-string bass and how we went from five strings being fairly unusual to being able to buy one for around a hundred bucks.

So—is the Rogue LX205B a bargain, or is there a reason it's so cheap?
Let's find out.

LINKS

Rogue LX205B 5-String Series III Electric Bass Guitar Candy Apple Red: https://www.musiciansfriend.com/bass/...

TIME STAMPS
Intro - 0:00
5 String History - 1:55
First Impressions - 2:56
Demo - 4:41
Specs - 6:05
Final Thoughts - 6:56

9 Comments

@gmartin167 7 days ago

You make it sound amazing!

@sethbrown8912 7 days ago

I have and have had many basses. I got a used 4-string P-pickup Rouge and the maple neck, dark fretboard wood, and the body are all good. Some of these very inexpensive basses have featherweight bodies with neck dive. These do not. It is easily controlled with a leather or grippy strap. My bass is also a comfortable weight. The tuners worked fine but I changed them. It was my preference and not a neccesity. The bridge? Pretty darn good! I kept it and it is just as good as a normal Squier bridge. In my opinion, they work well, this was just as good but maybe heavier. The finish and paint work was good. The pickups on the Pbass style sounded decent and the output was ok. Maybe a little low but not as much as reported here. Just a little low. They were not a problem. I didn't like the tonal range too much but if I needed it to play with a band, I would be ok with it. I ended up changing the pickups. I also switched tone and volume circuits to the larger size. I felt that with the quality of the body it was well worth my time and money. These basses have large necks compared to a Jazz bass or an Ibanez. I like that because it is comfortable. I have larger hands but I don't think that matters if you take the time to get used to it. I agree 100% that if you play it, and like it, these basses are worth buying. if you get it adjusted properly. They are especially a good value if you plan to upgrade and can do the work yourself or get it done inexpensively. Good review video and accurate!

@AllAboutBasses 9 days ago

I had one of these and honestly, with a nice setup, I'd compare it to some of the Ibanez entry models.

@Bassistking 10 days ago

I had a black Series II back around 2007 and got it around that same price just to keep my fingers moving. It had really sharp parts, rough feeling strings, sounded hollow, had crackly electronics, but it works if you just want something purely for a first instrument or to practice with for beginners to intermediate levels. Thanks for the review!