NGD TheBone "acoustic" Travel Guitar

[jdobrick]

I am a new guitar player and I need to travel overseas fairly regularly. I was finding after a week or two away from home being unable to practice was frustrating. Frustrating because my playing regressed a bit and also because I just like playing everyday. I started looking for a guitar I could take with me on business trips. The catch is, I travel light and I don't check luggage as a general rule. I needed a guitar that could fit in my carry-on luggage.

Because of the carry-on requirement, I passed on Voyage-Air and the Journey guitars. Both look interesting and the carbon fiber Journey 0F660 was particularly tempting but both are too big. Yes, they pack into the size of a carry-on suitcase (Voyage-Air is a little too big for international) but I still need to fit in a week of clothes and a laptop.

Most travel guitars I found were to large to meet my requirements. Most take up too much volume, or are too long, or both. A few options I found were designed with a very short scale < 20in which did not appeal. I ended up finding a few options and settled on TheBone Mosquito-W.

This is a headless guitar with a detachable neck and the body is a detachable folding aluminum frame. This is really an electric guitar billed as an "acoustic model" because it has an under saddle pickup rather than the Humbucker on the "electric" model. The guitar needed to be ordered from Switzerland and took about three weeks to arrive.

Initial impressions. For what it is, it is well engineered, everything fits together nicely. The frets are smooth and the body frame works fairly well. I ordered the optional onboard headphone amplifier. It works as expected but the sound is quite electric. Plugged into an outboard amp, the guitar sounds pretty good to my ears. The saddle is high and I'll probably get it adjusted as some point but the strings are light gauge electric strings so it still plays easily. The guitar does not stay in tune between disassembly and assembly but once assembles seems to stay in tune reasonably well.

In terms of downsides, the first and most concerning is that in its case the guitar is too large to fit in a carry-on. It is close but maybe an inch too long. I'll need to pack the guitar out of its case and use some velcro ties or make some kind of sleeve to manage the strings. I guess having a full sized scale is a selling feature but I think they could have gone with a slightly shorter scale and then the guitar could pack in its case and fit in a carry-on. The other downside is the price. I guess it is a fairly niche item not made in large quantities but in my opinion it is expensive for what it is. On the other hand there isn't much out there like it and I'm at a stage in my playing where being able to practice at least a bit each day is helpful. I'll be curious to see how it holds up after several trips.

A few pictures to show the guitar and how it would fit in a carry-on suitcase.

[Playguitar]

Thanks for the review. You are right they should of sized it correctly for carry on. I bought this Traveller guitar for airline travel. It fits diagonally in my checked baggage. https://travelerguitar.com/ultra-light/
It is certainly a compromise compared to my regular acoustics, but I can fly with it so I don't miss any practice days.

[jdobrick]

I have now taken the guitar on a few business trips. I was worried over how the strings would hold up since the guitar in its case can't fit in an carry on bag. I have been using a neoprene sleeve used for cable management that I wrap around the strings. The strings have been fine with the guitar tucked in with my packed clothes.

My most recent week overseas in my carry-on, I had the guitar, work clothes for the week, workout clothes, and a pair of sneakers. My initial reservations have proven unfounded, and I am really enjoying having a guitar with me on business travel and still being able to avoid checking luggage. The thing isn't perfect but there isn't much (anything) else quite like it either