Help me pick a travel guitar please - Page 2

lowrider · #16 10-29-2018, 03:18 PM

I'm about to take my first trip with my Martin Dread Jr. I'll find out how it goes on Thursday when I go from JFK to Grand Bahama. My wife and I usually check one big rolling duffle and then each carry on a roll-aboard and a large backpack. I put both up top and she puts the roll-aboard up and the backpack on the floor in front of her. This time I'll skip my roll-aboard and carry on the guitar in the gig bag and the backpack. Hopefully, I can put the guitar above with the backpack in front of it to protect it from someone else trying to squeeze something in there.

Anyway, the Dread Jr is a great little guitar. It feels like playing a 00 and it has that nice Martin tone. It's miles ahead of a Little Martin or any 3/4 size guitar. If it was the only guitar I had, I could be perfectly happy.

Nick84 · #17 10-29-2018, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frets4fun

Martin LXK2, much better than the Baby Taylor. Tough little guitar with pretty good sound, especially for fingerpicking. $329

Another vote for a all HPL little Martin. Tough as old boots + I actually really like the tone of mine since I’ve set up with bone saddle and pins, filed the nut slots down a little and strung with Martin Retros.

Nice and small and easy to take anywhere

ljguitar · #18 10-29-2018, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mattyfatz

…Guitars I’ve considered (but not limiting to) are:

Art & Lutherie Roadhouse
Baby Taylor
Yamaha JR 1
Something in the Traveler Guitars lineup
Fender PM-TE

Thanks for your thoughts

Hi mf

I searched for a suitable travel guitar for about a decade, bought half a dozen small and/or undersized instruments, and it ended up being a Voyage Air VA0m-06 for me.

Full sized OM, solid top, which packs in a back pack, is a full 25.5" scale, full OM body, full 1¾" nut (shallow C) and goes in overhead bins.

The backpack has full sized (the size of the guitar's body) pockets to put stuff into including cables, capos, strings and a preamp. Super tone and awesome playability.

The reason I landed on it, is the full-scale and same width nut (1¾") & neck profile as my main three guitars. So when I practice on it, I am ACTUALLY practicing on the same neck as my main guitars. The undersized, and nearly-full sized instruments sounded boxy and compromised the neck width and profile.

The superior tone of guitars in that size/realm was a bonus.

It goes in the RV, the SUV, planes, trains etc.

lowrider · #19 10-29-2018, 04:30 PM

I'm surprised. I just went to voyage air website and they don't show the OM. They now have 3 electrics and 2 dreads.

https://youtu.be/y1T-pxB-v0A

gordyt · #20 10-29-2018, 04:49 PM

+1 for the Journey guitars! I have an OF660M and it's been really great. I pack the body full of clothes (socks, underwear, t-shirts) and roll-up and fit in extra clothes around it. I can do pretty well on a 4 day trip with just that and my laptop backpack. As others have mentioned, the Journey's fit easily into overhead. My laptop backpack goes under the seat in front of me.

--g

Dickey Clapton · #21 10-29-2018, 05:18 PM

I just purchased a McPherson travel touring carbon guitar last week
It is a parlor size and comes with a hard case and also soft case.
Went to “the acoustic Shoppe” in Springfield MO to purchase a journey of660
Was no comparison in workmanship or sound to the McPherson
More $$$ but USA made so well worth the difference
Intending to submit aNGD soon

Steadfastly · #22 10-29-2018, 05:41 PM

Myself and others have recommended the AP60 or AP70 when asked this question. The ones who have purchased them have really liked them. It is small, has quality components, great build quality and sounds bigger than most parlour guitars.

Steve Zitelli · #23 10-29-2018, 08:14 PM

The Traveler headless acoustic guitar,full scale neck and nut width and not much bigger in the gigbag then my wife’s concert uke in it’s gigbag.

ataylor · #24 10-29-2018, 09:55 PM

I found a great deal on a Baby Taylor for my daughter’s birthday and I have really enjoyed playing it when I’ve picked it up. I’m seriously considering picking one up for myself — in the mahogany flavor.

The Yamaha Jr is nice for the money too, I nearly got that one for her, but the playability and fuller tone of the Taylor felt like a better investment — plus she really wanted a guitar that looked like her dad’s

Downhillblur · #25 10-30-2018, 10:30 AM

Check out Swiftlessons on youtube. He does an "unboxing" of a very nice Journey OF420. The guitar was as impressive as it was clever. I would think the detachable neck and the subsequent rectangular case makes it the perfect true traveller because it looks like any other small carry-on.

Pat Hedderman

VTexan · #26 10-30-2018, 10:40 AM

Two days later I took it back and exchanged it for a GS Mini. Everyone's tastes are different, but my tastes told me it wasn't a full guitar. It FELT lesser than a guitar to me, and wasn't really impressive as a guitar in any way.

Fresh1985 · #27 10-30-2018, 03:01 PM

Not sure of its in your price range but the furch little jane looks and sounds amazing and the design is really innovative.

https://youtu.be/Iwogs4cuTuY

jseth · #28 10-30-2018, 09:08 PM

Check out the little Washburn all-koa travel guitar... shoulder bevel, "hidden" cutaway... nice little box for $300~ sounds much more like "a guitar" than a Baby or Big Baby T...

Little bit smaller than the GS-Mini, but not a lot... nice hard-shell gig bag, too...

Beakybird · #29 10-30-2018, 09:45 PM

Another option is the Yamaha SLG-200S Silent Guitar. When it is put away in its case it is very compact, probably smaller than most travel guitars.

This guitar has these advantages:

1. Compact for travel
2. Can be enjoyed at loud volumes with headphones
3. Has reverb and chorus
4. You can play without disturbing neighbors and even among family members while they're doing their thing.
5. Some musicians use this instead of a real guitar for stage because it doesn't have feedback issues

The disadvantages IMO:
1. While it sounds like a nice guitar recording, it doesn't have the presence and vibration of a guitar with a sound cavity.
2. The neck is a little thin, evocative of an electric neck.
3. If you want to play with others, you have a to travel with a small amp.

Ukulele_Eddie · #30 10-30-2018, 10:55 PM

Blackbird Savoy is 3/4 size due to its efficient body shape. Very full tone. And as it is made from “eKoa” (a flaxseed linen based composite), it is worry-free.

Also as another recommended, a guitalele might be an option. Romero Creations just came out with some that are based on Pepe Romero’s custom ones. The guitalele is typically tuned A-A instead of E-E and will have a 17 in scale. Here’s a video from the good folks at Hawaii Music Supply (known as The Ukulele Site):

https://vimeo.com/287243884