Travel Guitar

[Cbouty]

Hey all,

I have a couple of unusually long trips coming up at the end of this year (2-3 weeks away from home) and have decided that I just cant live without a six stringed instrument for that long. I’m going to bigger cities where I could just become a fixture at a local guitar shop and be “that guy” who hangs out in the store for a few days with no intention of actually buying a guitar, but buys some strings because he feels guilty. So, instead, i’ve been looking at mini traveling guitars. I’m thinking I’ll get a used SE and take my chances with it getting damaged... This will solely be for couch/practice amp use...

So, the question... Does anyone have a travel guitar they love? Does anyone have the opinion that a cheaper SE is the better way to go?

 

[rugerpc]

SEs make excellent travel guitars. I'd look for a used SE semi-hollow. They are lightweight, play like you'd expect a PRS SE should and in a quiet setting, you can just hear them acoustically if you want to just noodle and not plug in.

 

[Rider1260]

I've been thinking about what I could take as a travel guitar as I travel very often, I sadly sold my Honer ( Steinberger ) that was the perfect travel guitar as it was a small real guitar.
I have been thinking about buying a nice case that would fit my Core Mira and use one of the iPhone apps

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Fernandez made a smaller bodied, full scale guitar, a few years ago...pretty sure about the scale, anyway.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

IDK... pick one, all SE’s a pretty rad. Like Bill recommended, I brought my SE semi on vacation last year without an amp and it did a good job of keeping my occupied.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Oh, and for anyone looking for a little amp to travel with or just for fun, I can’t recommend the Blaxkstar Fly amp enough. It’s tiny, sounds good, has delay and Bluetooth for beaming music from your phone to it, and can take batteries (AA, so you can borrow them from tv remotes in a pinch). The battery life is pretty good too, my son has been carrying it around the house for months inadvertently turning it on, and I still haven’t had to replace them. Plus, it’s dirt cheap, like around $100.

 

[Andrew Paul]

I was at the music store yesterday purchasing a flute for my daughter and drooling over a Core Artist Cust24 hanging on the wall... as if I didn't have enough PRS's. Anyway the young sales lad recognizes me (from trying out different amps and PRS's) and has me try out this amp Boss Katana Air. Perfect for the living room and traveling, totally wireless. Check it out. Sorry it's not a PRS product but its so cool, small, and convenient. I will be buying one. As for a cool light PRS SE the Zack Meyers Semi-Hollow would be cool for travel. Backpack gig bag, two thumbs up.

 

[veinbuster]

I’ve tried a few travel guitars and never really been satisfied with them. I either take my SAS in a gig bag or my HB in it’s tuxedo case.
I either play acoustically or plug into a tiny Zoom effects box that is about the size of a standard pedal.

 

[WA Paul]

I had a Strobel Rambler and played with headphones with one of the iPad apps. Guitar sounded ok, app sounds were meh. I don’t travel as often now so I sold it.

I agree with everyone else’s more practical suggestions here.

 

[László]

My family keeps me hopping when I travel. Never much time to sit down. So I haven't taken a guitar on vacation in a long time, like, 20 years.

 

[Andrew Paul]

My family keeps me hopping when I travel. Never much time to sit down. So I haven't taken a guitar on vacation in a long time, like, 20 years.

Ain’t that true... same here! Cheers!

 

[Alnus Rubra]

My family keeps me hopping when I travel. Never much time to sit down. So I haven't taken a guitar on vacation in a long time, like, 20 years.

You could always take your “Frog Green-burst”

Hey all,

I have a couple of unusually long trips coming up at the end of this year (2-3 weeks away from home) and have decided that I just cant live without a six stringed instrument for that long. I’m going to bigger cities where I could just become a fixture at a local guitar shop and be “that guy” who hangs out in the store for a few days with no intention of actually buying a guitar, but buys some strings because he feels guilty. So, instead, i’ve been looking at mini traveling guitars. I’m thinking I’ll get a used SE and take my chances with it getting damaged... This will solely be for couch/practice amp use...

So, the question... Does anyone have a travel guitar they love? Does anyone have the opinion that a cheaper SE is the better way to go?

How about a PRS One or an early Santana, certainly in the UK, they are very reasonably priced. Couple this with an amplug type device or iPad/iPhone app and you can’t go wrong.

You’ll probably end up with a gig bag that is light and safe!

And you can mod the heck out of it when you come home and give us a NU(mod)GD

 

[ScottR]

Oh, and for anyone looking for a little amp to travel with or just for fun, I can’t recommend the Blaxkstar Fly amp enough. It’s tiny, sounds good, has delay and Bluetooth for beaming music from your phone to it, and can take batteries (AA, so you can borrow them from tv remotes in a pinch). The battery life is pretty good too, my son has been carrying it around the house for months inadvertently turning it on, and I still haven’t had to replace them. Plus, it’s dirt cheap, like around $100.

+1 they are killer little amps for cheap.

 

[pac90]

Kinda depends if your flying or not. The steinberger spirit is great guitar, but i had to spend money on it to upgrade pickups, electronics and to convert its headstock for normal strings. But its small as anything so best for travelling light. 14in radius though...

I would (whistle whistle) pop into a generic big guitar store buy one and return no questions asked come trip end.

Kinda like an extended test drive? And you may end up bringing it home with you if you bond.

 

[RaySachs]

If I fly, I don’t take a guitar. I don’t fly much anymore though, and haven’t flown anywhere for more than a week in about five years. If I drive and it’s a short trip, I take my Gretsch Jim Dandy, a funky little $170 acoustic that’s a blast to play and sounds like a scratchy old blues record. If we’re gonna be gone a week or more I probably bring my Martin. And when we go down south for three months in the winter I take the Martin and 1 or 2 electrics, my little Blackstar HT-1R amp and my pedal board. Because that’s more of a temporary relocation than travel and I do a LOT of playing down there - it was our first time down there that got me back into playing again after 30 years of rarely picking up a guitar...

 

[Steve's addiction]

Just saw this morning (can't remember who) has made a travel guitar that will fit in a backpack. Neck comes off for travelers and storage. Can use amp or headphones. Also has built in effects (I think). Coming out soon $350

 

[Mike Duncan]

https://instagram.com/p/BjTZO32FUHV/

DGT in an SE bag, pedal, and Roland Micro Cube. Travels like a champ.

 

[shinksma]

A music colleague ordered one of these, after getting a recommendation from another music colleague:

http://voyageairguitar.com/shop/songwriter-series/vaom-04

I honestly don't know how you can fold a guitar repeatedly and expect reasonable (precise and maybe even accurate) action and playability every time, but I guess it works.

I've asked about travel guitars here before, and never did buy myself anything. I have found that I rarely get a chance to sit and play/practice while on travel (for work or pleasure), so I finally recognized the pointlessness of buying one.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

https://instagram.com/p/BjTZO32FUHV/

DGT in an SE bag, pedal, and Roland Micro Cube. Travels like a champ.

Have DGT? Will travel! (Your advert has been placed)

 

[thequadfather]

I have a LX1 Little Martin acoustic that I travel with - great little guitar.