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The Washburn Rover is the ultimate travel guitar! A solid soundboard contributes to its clear and robust sound for its size. Play it anytime or any place. Bring it with you when you’re on a plan, a boat, a car, the beach, camping, hiking – anywhere!

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Washburn Rover Review: Acoustic Travel Delight (2023)

Discover the perfect harmony of guitar playing on the go with the Washburn Rover, an exceptional addition to the world of travel guitar offerings. The Washburn Rover line has redefined the concept of portable guitars with its small body and reasonable sound, making it the ultimate companion for musical adventurers.

Whether you’re a wandering troubadour, a globetrotting enthusiast, or simply seeking an instrument to accompany you wherever your journey takes you, the Washburn Rover is designed to cater to your every musical whim.

I am going to introduce you to the budget-friendly Rover RO10SK travel guitar. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll call this instrument Rover or RO10 in our review. Now, keep reading to find out how well RO10 works as a travel guitar at its price point.

Table of Contents

Washburn Rover Travel Guitar Review

In this Washburn Rover review, explore its build, sound, feel, and budget-friendly pricing for an informed decision.

Build Quality

The construction of the Rover guitar is fairly nice, considering the price. In fact, for the money, it was quite a surprise for us to see a solid spruce top. Typically, guitars in this price range are all laminated wood, so the solid top is definitely a plus for the Rover.

The back and sides are made of select mahogany, but they’re not solid, unlike the top.

The solid spruce top may also mature and start to sound better as you play the Rover guitar. This is one of the best traits of solid wood since it can actually start bringing more value for the money down the line.

Also, the Quartersawn X-scalloped Sitka spruce bracing is a game-changer. It not only enhances the sound and projection stability but also delivers beautifully balanced tones.

As for the body, the matte finish gives it a sleek look and a smooth feel. Plus, the guitar comes in four stunning colors – natural, black, blue, and red – so you can choose the one that suits your style.

Now, let’s dive into the neck. The guitar design features a slim body with a dreadnought style chunky round neck and there’s no heel at all, thanks to that unique tape at the back. A bit odd, but it works!

The satin-finished mahogany neck is attached to the tiny body at the 15th fret. Its engineered wood fretboard boasts 17 full frets, with two more on the treble side, ensuring easy access across the fretboard.

The scale length is 23.75 inches (60.33 cm) which is shorter than a standard acoustic guitar, but still long enough to provide good intonation and tension. The neck also has offset dot inlays for easy navigation.

The nut width is 1.6875 inches (43mm) which is comfortable for most hand sizes. The neck also has chrome diecast tuners that provide smooth and accurate tuning.

One thing to note is that it might feel a bit neck-heavy, but using a strap and attaching it to the headstock solves that issue. It takes a few minutes to get used to for an experienced player, but for some beginners, it may take a longer time and can turn out to be a major issue.

Sound Quality

In terms of tones, you are going to get the warm and punchy sound of mahogany combined with the clear notes of spruce. Nothing spectacular here, though the sound of this guitar is pretty nice for the buck.

With that said, the compact form factor of this guitar affects not only the dimensions – it also affects the sound. High-end travel guitars have a sound that is no worse than in full-size guitars, but this doesn’t apply to cheaper guitars like Washburn RO10. But hey, that doesn’t mean it lacks character.

It’s more in line with what you’d typically find in parlor and travel guitars. The Rover still delivers a clear, twangy, and overall fun sound.

Still, it’s essential to set your expectations right – don’t expect the full, rich tones of a performance guitar. This little gem is more suited for intimate settings like campfires, campus areas, hotel rooms, or even airports, where it shines bright.

If you want good sound at this price point, then you should just purchase a full-size guitar.

When I got my hands on this guitar, the action was a bit high, but I soon learned that it’s intentional to boost the volume. If you’re mainly playing chords from the first couple of frets, it’s perfect. However, if you want to explore more frets, you might need to adjust the action.

All in all, the Washburn Rover may not be the star of the stage, but it certainly has its unique charm and versatility for those on-the-go musical moments.

Compact Size

The highlight and main reason to buy the Washburn RO10 guitar is its size. This guitar is very narrow, which makes it space-saving and convenient for travel. But despite the narrowness, this guitar has a full 23.75-inch scale length – pretty standard for acoustic guitars.

Now, needless to say, you are going to sacrifice some sound quality and range to get such a compact musical instrument . However, if you truly need a travel-friendly guitar, then you’ll have to live with the sound.

Unless you are willing to spend a lot of money on a high-end travel guitar, you will need to sacrifice tone quality. That’s the trade-off of the compact body – there are going to be consequences if you remove material from a guitar and make it smaller.

Finally, another good reason to buy the Washburn Rover travel guitar is its wallet-friendly pricing.

This is a budget guitar, so it’s suitable for those who don’t have the money or just don’t need a spectacular sound. Though the pricing can vary depending on factors like the seller, product condition and availability.

From my research, the average price range for a brand-new Washburn RO-10 falls between $249 and $300. Keep in mind that the higher-priced options may include a deluxe gigbag, adding extra value to the package.

If you’re on a tighter budget, keep an eye out for used or discontinued models , which might come with a lower price tag, depending on their quality and rarity.

Pros & Cons

As a recap, here are the pros and cons of the Rover steel-string travel acoustic guitar.

• Affordable price tag
• Compact travel-friendly sizing
• Solid top – will sound better as you play more
• Boasts the warm tones of mahogany and the clarity of spruce
• The compact form factor will limit the tonal range of the guitar
• A little top heavy
• No electronics

Washburn RO10 Review: Key Specs

• Model: Washburn Rover 10SK
• Style: 6-string Acoustic Travel Guitar
• Body Shape: Miniature dreadnought
• Top Wood : Solid spruce
• Back and Sides: Mahogany
• Neck Material: Mahogany
• Fretboard & Bridge: Engineered Wood
• Strings: D’Addario EXP16
• Electronics: None (no built-in pickup)
• Overall Length: 35.25 inches (89.54 cm)
• Weight: Approximately 2.8 pounds (1.27 kg)

Washburn Rover Review: Video Demo

Alternatives Of Washburn Backpacker Guitar

When exploring alternative options to the Washburn Rover, the music industry offers a selection of great sounding and portable travel instruments that cater to the needs of musicians on the go. Two viable alternatives in the same price range are the Martin Backpacker and the Enya NOVA Go.

Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar

• Solid Spruce Top
• Solid Tonewood Back and Sides
• Unique Contour Neck Shape
• Features 24-Inch Scale Length

Renowned for their craftsmanship and high-quality instruments, Martin delivers the Backpacker Travel Guitar as a solid contender. This compact acoustic is designed for portability and features a unique shape that easily fits into backpacks.

Despite its size, the Backpacker boasts a surprisingly rich tone, thanks to its solid spruce top. Its slender body enhances resonance, making it a great choice for musicians seeking a balanced and clear sound while traveling.

Enya NOVA Go Carbon Fiber Travel Guitar

• ♫ WHY CARBON FIBER - Nova Go SP1 is made of carbon fiber composite material, which means it's impervious to temperature and...
• ♫ WHERE THINGS GET INTERESTING - The absolute differentiator of this guitar is that it’s equipped with the SP1 pickup system....
• ♫ A PRODUCTIVITY WORKHORSE - SP1 pickup system not only allows you to have tons of fun unplugged. But if you plug it into an amp...
• ♫ SOLID BUILD & EASY TO PLAY - The body of this Nova Go SP1 carbon fiber acoustic-electric Guitarra is 1/2 sized (35 in.),...

For those seeking innovation in travel guitars, the Enya NOVA Go stands out as an excellent option. Crafted from carbon fiber, this guitar offers exceptional durability and is impervious to weather changes, ensuring reliable performance in any climate.

Its ergonomic design provides a great feeling while playing, and the combination of carbon fiber and a round edged body contributes to enhanced projection and tone. The Enya NOVA Go’s small body with modern aesthetics and affordability make it an attractive choice for musicians looking for similar items to the Rover RO-10.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is washburn a good guitar brand.

Washburn appears to be a solid guitar brand to buy from, especially if you are a beginning or amateur player. The brand offers plenty of pocket-friendly guitar options, and its models have universally good feedback online.

Where are Washburn guitars made?

Washburn guitars appear to be primarily manufactured in China. Before 2017, Washburn had its instruments manufactured primarily in Korea – now, it seems that most of its guitars are made in China. This isn’t an issue in terms of quality, but buyers who prefer to buy American-made products may find this problematic.

Final Words

In conclusion, the Washburn Rover is a solid guitar, perfect for convenient transport during your travels. It offers fair enough sound quality, making it ideal for playing finger style or flat picking on the go.

However, if you prioritize fuller tones and space isn’t an issue, opting for a full-size guitar might be the better choice.

About the Author

Gustavo Gusmão Beroth

Gustavo is a music teacher and classical guitar player from Brazil, currently residing in Dublin, Ireland. He holds a graduate degree in Classical Guitar Performance from the Federal University of Pelotas. In 2020, Gustavo successfully completed a Master's degree in Sound Engineering from the Academy of Sound in Ireland.

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Washburn Rover Travel Guitar Review 

Today’s article is reviewing the Washburn Rover, a parlor travel guitar featuring an eye-catching and rather unexpected design. It’s also a budget offering that, despite its shorter body, actually has a fully-sized fingerboard for classical acoustic guitar players .

Washburn is a medium-sized company and a medium-sized name in the musical instrument industry. Their offers revolve around good value models, typically easy to find and recommend, but nothing too special.

Bear in mind this is a travel acoustic guitar. That means the main feature of the guitar is its lightweight. The idea is to attract players looking for a compact and travel-friendly instrument, albeit don’t confuse the Washburn Rover with a toy.

It wouldn’t be fair to continue this article without highlighting the Delta King , a semi-hollow guitar by Washburn, which is one of the best electric guitars of its kind .

Washburn Rover RO10TB Acoustic Guitar Review

The Washburn RO10TB is a travel acoustic guitar. That means it’s compact, which you can tell by the shape of its body. It’s also fairly lightweight, with a 6.69 pounds weight average.

Even though it comes with a good performance and specs, the remarkable feature of the RO10 is its ultra-compact body. This guitar is the result of careful craft and creative design.

Also, it has a quality sound, plus a projection that’s well above its small body. The sound coming from the Washburn Rover belongs to a full-sized acoustic guitar, although the tone is neither too loud nor too refined. Instead, the tone is generally appealing and smooth.

The Washburn Rover is an instrument series featuring ultimate travel guitar models. Moreover, these guitars are easy to play and thus friendly to all skill levels.

The guitar series has Solid Spruce Tops with premium Mahogany on the back and sides, plus a 23.75’’ scale length.

Lastly, there’s an attractive variety of color options because, after all, these are instruments designed to make you look good in front of your friends and family.

In particular, I’m sharing a bundle with a Deluxe Gigbag for safe and easy travel.

Built quality

The travel-friendly Washburn Rover features a unique design that ensures portability, looks, and sound.

Body & neck

Let’s start by highlighting the body. The shortened body is made of solid Spruce on the top with a sawn scalloped bracing on the soundhole.

Then, it has laminated Select Mahogany on the back and sides of the body.

In particular, the Quarter Sawn Scalloped Sitka Spruce bracing greatly influences the sound and the projection stability of the guitar. Overall, the feature is about providing balanced tones. Bear in mind bracing patterns are not that common at this price range.

I should add the dimensions of the guitar are small, so it ensures you can place it on your car’s trunk or an airplane overhead compartment.

However, it still has a 24.75’’ scale length, which means it’s a full-sized guitar. Your guitar playing won’t suffer in any way, and so if you’re an acoustic guitar player , the Washburn Rover will feel familiar.

The neck has a 15th fret neck joint, and its material is mahogany with an extra sating finish. It packs a rosewood fingerboard with 17 full frets, plus 3 frets sharing the treble side only. All of the frets are easy to access thanks to the slim body.

Also, the rosewood board is smooth and free of sharp edges or imperfections. It allows players to move their fingers easily across all of the frets.

The guitar has a matte finish all over the body for a smooth feel. Also, the satin finish of the neck improves the overall looks and feel of the guitar.

Lastly, the guitar has four color choices, which are natural, black, red, and blue.

Sound quality

The mix of Spruce and mahogany tonewoods kickstart the sound signature of the guitar. They produce warm and rich sounds, over and over, and the result is the same on the Washburn Rover despite its size.

That said, the tiny body produces a lower output than what you’d expect. The tone is neither full nor rich, which is something to expect from parlor and travel guitars. That said, you could do worse: most travel guitars could sound much worse and tinier than the Washburn Rover.

Nevertheless, the Rover guitar still sounds clear, twangy, and generally fun. What it lacks is low-end power and projection.

It’s certainly not a performer guitar, although no one would take the Rover to a stage. For campfires, campus areas, hotel rooms, and airports, it’s the sound you need.

So, people looking for a loud guitar might be disappointed. The Washburn RO10 is not a stage-ready guitar and not a home studio option .

The sound has a moderate output, neither too low nor too high. For example, you could play the Washburn Rover in your hotel room without disturbing the next room.

With its decent sound, you could also expect and ask more to the guitar than simply a sound-on-the-go. For example, professional players could use it for practice and songwriting.

Regarding the tone, it’s warm and punchy thanks to the tonewoods combination. There’s nothing too spectacular or catching, but it’s still pretty nice.

Now, whereas high-end travel guitars can sound just as good as a full-sized guitar, the rule doesn’t apply to budget alternatives like the Washburn Rover RO10TB.

In the end, I would describe the sound of a Rover similar to a zither. In other words, it has a “Middle-Eastern” kind of vibe. Better yet, think of the Middle East meets the Mississippi River.

Feel Quality

With most said and done, I can add the Rover feels great on your hands. It’s light and compact, but it’s not a toy. With its fully-sized frets.

When it comes to hardware, there’re solid choices on the guitar as well.

First off, it has a good set of die-cast tuners. They do a great job retaining the sound of the guitar, and so I have nothing to complain about the matter.

You’ll also find an ABS nut nearby, plus a solid rosewood bridge on the body.

Lastly, it has a set of extra light D’Addario EXP-15 strings, which are phosphor bronze and steel material. That’s a plus, as even beginners can play without injuring their fingers.

Another plus is the foam-line case that ships with most bundles. It’s a fine bag capable of protecting the guitar on your travels.

Downside & Alternatives

As I said, the Washburn Rover lacks output, so you might look for a stronger travel guitar . If you’re looking for some extra quality, I can give you other options, although the Rover still affords a lot of value and portability for its budget.

First, I can recommend the Baby Taylor guita r. This is a parlor model made by a top-tier manufacturer. The Baby BT2 is the cheapest Taylor model you could find, so consider it as the entry-level Taylor experience.

Also, it has a gorgeous tone.

A cheaper option is the Gretsch Jim Dandy, which is everything a small guitar should be. It’s gorgeous, great-sounding, fun to play, and kid-friendly.

A similarly priced guitar is the Yamaha JR1 . As everything coming from Yamaha, the JR1 is a top value alternative. However, the target goal is kids because of its size and sound projection.

Lastly, I can recommend the Martin LXK2, which is a unique Hawaiian-sounding guitar. It’s like the quality offspring between a ukulele and a guitar.

Washburn Rover RO10TB Specs

• Design: travel ultra-compact body
• Body tonewood : Solid Spruce Top with laminated mahogany on the back and sides
• Neck : thin neck
• Neck joint: bolt-on
• Neck tonewood : mahogany
• Scale: 24.75’’
• Fingerboard tonewood : rosewood
• Tuners: chrome
• Bridge: rosewood bridge

Should you buy the Washburn Rover?

The tiny body of the Washburn Rover is made for traveling and easy storing. That makes it incredibly easy to carry around, although the neck is still robust, or standard.

And while the tone is somehow quiet and not too special, it’s still very good for the price and design of the guitar.

For its budget, the Washburn Rover is one of the best travel guitars in the market.

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Experienced Guitar, Bass, and Gear Reviews Written by a Real Person Who Uses The Gear(TM)

Washburn Rover Travel Acoustic Guitar Review – Still travelin’ with me to this day!

I first wrote this review on august 5, 2008. it still travels with me to this day. the sturdy case and ease-of-play make it a great way to think and play while you’re on-the-go… superb, washburn rover acoustic travel guitar review.

My family and I went to Montana for a week’s vacation out in the beautiful mountains of the Grand Tetons and Jackson hole. Thing is, my son and I went through serious guitar withdrawals. We even went to a little local pawn shop to look for something cheap to buy… No luck there… We learned our lesson about traveling without our six-stringed friends…

Washburn has been making nice acoustics for years. I’d love to see more from them.

I did a lot of research, playing thinking, and reading. I went out and found a travel guitar – to be sure my son and I wouldn’t go through withdrawals on later trips. Among the many entries in the travel guitar world, I chose the Washburn Rover. Here’s why:

Quick Opinion: The Washburn Rover is a good bargain that has lots of nice features, decent build quality, and great playability. I absolutely enjoy playing my Rover – for years now… And it has a GREAT travel case!

Before you read on, let me explain something very important: A travel guitar is not a warm and brassy hand-made high-end guitar. Travel guitars ( ALL of of them) aren’t right for recording your next piece for a Pixar film or for playing in a back band for James Taylor or Randy Travis (big fan of both!). A travel guitar is made to feed your playing jones while you’re on the road and don’t want to tote your Gibson Songwriter around in a jet-powered puddle-jumping tuna can…

You can read more about the Washburn Rover and get pricing information (and a “love your guitar” guarantee!) here at zZounds.com

The Washburn Rover is an excellent all-around choice. It plays great (for something so small) and sounds reasonable enough to make you smile when you sit on the porch, look at the mountains, and play your tunes… Kick back and enjoy your Rover… It has brought music to many adventures. It looks and feels like a nice full-size neck with a little curvy body on the end…

Features: The Washburn Rover is chock full of features for such an inexpensive guitar in such a small size. Let me list out a few for you:

Fully bound body and neck; Solid (!) spruce top; Mahogany neck, back, and sides; An actual, fully-useable 24″ scale; Reasonable build quality; Reasonably well-dressed and set frets; Compact enough that it fits in many (probably not all, these days) airline overhead bins – I’ve done this plenty (and the neighboring passengers can still cram their entire household-in-one-overstuffed-bag bag next to it or under it); and GREAT simple old-fashioned butterbean open tuners.

Feature-wise, the Rover is rich. It comes with a strap and an allen wrench. It even comes with an excellent lightweight zippered fabric-on-foam case that is very sturdy and very lightweight. I’ve carried mine TONS of places and have never felt bothered by carrying around our Rover (we named it “Rover” – surprised?). It is by far the best bargain for the money, given the features alone.

Quality: The quality of my particular Rover is excellent. It rivals most basic acoustic guitars, and even a few middling ones. It isn’t the perfect detail of a Yamaha student guitar, but it is very close. Overall, you will probably find a few flaws in the finish, or a bumple or two in the binding.

However, the neck is straight and comfortable, the finish feels really quite good on the skin, the neck is finished very well, and the tuners are actually quite nice. Overall, the build quality exceeds many $300 guitars. Perfect? No. Excellent for its cost? Absolutely.

The tuners are the exposed-gear variety. They’re not sealed 18:1 Grovers or super-cool Klusons. They’re basic. However, they stay very close to being in tune the entire time I’m playing on the porch. That’s good enough for me. From an intonation perspective, the Rover is very close to being a near-tempered in-tune instrument. Sometimes you have to sacrifice between tuning for a nice clean D Major chord and a clean warm C Major chord. Using a sweetened tuner like the Peterson StroboSoft or Strobing hardware tuner makes things sound better.

Playability: From the perspective of action, neck feel, and string spacing, the guitar plays awesome – just like a champ. Close your eyes and your fretting hand won’t know it is holding a little travel guitar. The action is as smooth as butter (I like 11s in some sort of bronze, usually Ernie Ball Earthwoods of some sort or Martin phosphor bronzes.) It really plays much easier than my larger guitars.

The downside? With any tiny-body guitar (not just the Rover, but all of them), you can’t sit it on your leg and relax sitting down with it. If you want to be comfortable and not have to clamp the guitar to your chest, install the included canvas strap. Once the strap is on and around your neck, the guitar actually plays pretty effortlessly. If you don’t wear the strap, you’ll find yourself fiddling with it all the time (no pun intended, or, maybe pun intended?).

Sound: I’ve played tons of travel acoustic guitars. Plug-in electric-earbud guitars, very inexpensive no-name imports, and some from the very big brand names. I love the Martin, truly… but the Rover is warmer and less tinny sounding. Even though I’m a huge Martin and Taylor fan, the little Washburn won my ears over immediately.

So, what does it sound like? It sounds like a really nice guitar that is played back through an inexpensive stereo with little bitty speakers. It is fun, not too hard on the ears, and actually has an admirable flavor and character. Bear this in mind: none of them sound big, boomy, warm, and growly. The Washburn Rover is definitely the best of them (in the low-cost range). The Rover actually is more warm (with 92/8 phosphor bronze strings) than some of the expensive boutique travel guitars. The strings REALLY make a difference. Don’t cheap out on the strings. Just don’t expect it to sound like my Big Baby Taylor or my cedar-top Tak.

Value: The value exceeds its current $149 price. It is less expensive than its cousins and even comes with a good case. It is definitely worth much more. It is a high-value, very fun-to-play instrument.

Wishes: Washburn already answered my one wish for this: They now come in neat transparent colors and a new natural and a new blue color.

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Ewan McGregor wouldn’t shave off any years. That mustache? Another story.

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Ewan McGregor is swiping through his camera roll, looking for the picture that explains why he will never grow another mustache — unless a job requires it. And even then, he’d probably argue that the character should be clean-shaven. Dalí without a mustache? Surreal.

Before our conversation, I had resolved not to ask McGregor anything about facial hair. It seems that most of the interviews he’s done to promote his terrific Paramount+ With Showtime limited series “A Gentleman in Moscow” have spent an inordinate amount of time focusing on the mustache he grew to play Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, a Russian nobleman sentenced to house arrest in a luxurious hotel following the 1917 revolution. Over four decades (and eight episodes), the good gentleman learns to let go of formalities and appreciate simple pleasures and embrace family.

But he never shaves off that damn mustache.

A model of restraint, ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ is unlike anything else on television

Ewan McGregor stars as a Russian nobleman under house arrest after the 1917 revolution in the Paramount+ with Showtime adaptation of Amor Towles’ novel.

March 27, 2024

McGregor keeps scrolling. He’s in Atlanta, shooting “Flowervale Street,” a movie so secret that when he mentions its name, he immediately panics. “Oh, no. I’m worried that I just blew the title.” When I tell him it’s out there, he’s relieved. He wrapped shooting at 6:30 this morning, and here he is with me on Zoom, 4½ hours later. “I’m somewhat upside down, but it’s all good,” he says.

And he’s not that out of it, because when I tell him all I know about “Flowervale Street” is that David Robert Mitchell (“It Follows,” “Under the Silver Lake”) wrote and directed it, and it’s a mystery, and it might be set in the 1980s, and it might have dinosaurs, he says, smiling:

“Well, I’m not at liberty to discuss that in any way, so it could be in the ’70s with, you know, rodents. But it’s great fun.”

He finds the photo. He’s with his son, Laurie, who was just shy of 3 when it was taken. McGregor’s hair is light brown. His mustache is blond. He grimaces, saying, “There’s something about my blondie mustache that doesn’t look good on my face.” The picture was taken last year during the actors’ strike, which interrupted the filming of “A Gentleman in Moscow” with eight days remaining on the schedule. During the break, McGregor kept the mustache, grew a beard and waited. When shooting resumed in January, he finished his scenes and shaved it all off five minutes after production wrapped.

“There’s me in the makeup chair,” McGregor says with glee, finding another shot in his camera roll.

The experience of making this show is why I wanted to be an actor.

— Ewan McGregor on ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’

“I’m getting the feeling you’re never growing a mustache—”

“... again,” he interrupts, finishing my sentence. “Once it goes white, maybe. Then I think it might look good. Like, for instance, you’d look great with a mustache.” Which is funny because the last time I grew a beard, my kids, then little, called me Obi-Wan.

“There are worse things they could call you, believe me,” McGregor says, laughing.

McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the three “Star Wars” prequels and returned to the role for the 2022 Disney+ limited series. Shortly before we spoke, he surprised fans attending a 25th-anniversary showing of “The Phantom Menace” at the Atlanta Film Festival. He likes doing these kinds of drop-ins. A few years ago, he showed up at the El Capitan in Hollywood at 2 in the morning between films in a “Star Wars” marathon.

“They’re all in sleeping bags and blankets,” McGregor says. “It’s a good laugh. And it’s good for the ego when they give you a big cheer when they weren’t expecting you.”

Critics mostly hated “The Phantom Menace” when it was released, but the George Lucas-directed movie has been reassessed as the years have passed.

“We made the film for kids, but we didn’t hear from them then because they were kids and there was no Instagram, no social media. They didn’t have a voice like they do now,” McGregor says. “All we had was the critics and the noise of the people who didn’t like it. But those kids have grown up, and those movies are now their ‘Star Wars’ trilogy. It’s nice for me, that. Because at the time, the reaction was rough.”

We get to talking about the idea, explored in “A Gentleman in Moscow,” that less is more and the contentment that comes from casting aside what no longer serves us.

“You realize what things are not you,” McGregor says. “I’m 53. But I’ve got lots of friends who are about to be 60. And I keep noticing, watching shows on television, young people referencing 60 like it’s really old!” He stops, laughing. “You’re like, ‘Wait a minute.’ But it’s also learning about who you are, isn’t it? And you let go of the things that you don’t need.”

The funny thing about McGregor, though, is that he’s someone who picks up hobbies quickly, becomes obsessed with them and then moves on to the next thing, never quite letting them go. He can ride a unicycle. He can play the guitar. He can blow a few tunes on the bagpipes. There’s always something going on. It used to be that he’d beat himself up over knowing how to do a lot of things moderately well as opposed to mastering a single talent. Now he just accepts that’s how he is. He can go out to his shed, look at the unicycle he hasn’t used for three years and know that someday he’ll give it another go.

“What about the bagpipes?” I ask. “Are they in the corner somewhere, gathering dust?”

“They are at the moment,” McGregor says. “But they will get blown again.”

It turns out McGregor is even more interested in talking about the bagpipes than about his “Moscow” mustache. It wasn’t that long ago, in fact, that he broke out his bagpipes. This last year, he was in his native Scotland for Hogmanay , the country’s new year celebration. He was out with his brother, who repeatedly called out for songs that McGregor didn’t know. “C’mon, shut up. I don’t know that one,” McGregor kept telling him.

When he was a kid, McGregor was a drummer in a pipe band. He never thought he’d be a piper because as a drummer, that would be, in his words, “going over to the dark side.” But when he was shooting the 2011 film “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” in the Scottish Highlands, he met a piper and, inspired by being home, bought some bagpipes and found a teacher in London. He took the pipes with him to the set of his next film — he won’t name it, but it was a “miserable” experience (“f— slow, like I was under house arrest”) — and asked the transport guy to put his trailer next to the generator.

“I’m the first actor in history to ask that, because usually you want to be as far away from the generator as possible because it’s so noisy,” McGregor says. “But it was perfect because I could blow my bagpipes for hours on end and no one could hear it because I was next to the drone of the generator.”

Hearing these stories, it’s easy to see why McGregor loved “A Gentleman in Moscow,” a series that asked him to learn how to do a number of different things — age a character over decades, play a father and a lover, explore the inner life of a man well versed in grief and loss who never loses his zest for living.

“The experience of making this show is why I wanted to be an actor,” McGregor says. “It’s such a beautiful piece; it leaves you thinking, ‘God, I hope there’s another one out there somewhere in the future.’ But who knows?”

“He’s so charming, but I resist using that word because it’s reductive,” says “Moscow” showrunner Ben Vanstone. “There’s so much thought and skill that goes into his performance, all of his performances, really.”

Vanstone says McGregor’s count ages 31 years in the series, not including what we see of the character in childhood flashbacks. But because the character’s mental burdens grow lighter over time, McGregor believes he becomes more relaxed and, in many ways, younger. He learns to live.

Circling back to what he said earlier about young people calling his friends almost ancient at 60, I ask McGregor how old he feels these days.

“I feel 53. I feel exactly where I am,” he replies. “I don’t want to be 35. I want to feel the age that I am.”

Is that because, I ask — adding that I’ve known him for so long now, almost an entire hour, so I can presume some insight — he wouldn’t trade the wisdom and experiences he’s accumulated to shave off a few years?

“No, I wouldn’t,” McGregor says. “I’m not afraid of aging. I’m not afraid of getting older. I’m not afraid of dying. I’m just so happy. I’m a lucky, lucky man.”

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