Voyage-Air VAOM-06 trip report

[Dreadfulnaught]

My recently acquired Voyage-Air OM guitar accompanied me on a short trip to Guadalajara. It fit fine in the overhead of both an Airbus A320 and an Embraer 170. I like it a lot, it sounds and plays wonderfully. TSA and counter personnel did not bug me at all, just let me board and place it up there. My nightmares traveling with dreads and even a jumbo have been chronicled on this forum in the past, but no problems this time.
I’ve made a few changes to it. I added a Baggs Lyric, and replaced the ugly pickguard (black with a point or horn or whatever) with a tortoiseshell OM size, cut to match the outer ring of the rosette. This left room for my D’addario soundhole tuner, which I favor in all my guitars. I used another 9v battery holder, a clip rather than the little bag that comes with the Lyric, and I put the battery where I can access it in a hurry. There is an exposed unfaded area on the top which the original pickguard, being larger, covered. That does not bother me.

Just could not stand that pickguard, it assaulted my eyes.......

[TacomaDR20]

When I ordered mine I had Harvey put a Tortis pickguard on it to start.

[Dreadfulnaught]

Originally Posted by TacomaDR20

When I ordered mine I had Harvey put a Tortis pickguard on it to start.

I guess we have similar tastes. I suppose they wanted to give their guitars a distinct appearance but that point on there....yuck.
Mine is not a current model, I bought it used, so ordering it that way was not an option for me or I would have done so. It is a great little OOO size, though!

[The Growler]

The VA are a nice guitar. I like mine. Good to hear it fit in the Embraer. I wouldn't have thought that it would.

[Dreadfulnaught]

Originally Posted by The Growler

The VA are a nice guitar. I like mine. Good to hear it fit in the Embraer. I wouldn't have thought that it would.

I had a few reservations, but there was no problem. The overhead compartment was a bit more narrow than on the Airbus, there was height to spare, and the door closed easily. This eliminates a lot of problems with baggage and counter people, and I can also grab it and disembark much faster. I’ll never travel by air with anything else from now on.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Dreadfulnaught

I had a few reservations, but there was no problem. The overhead compartment was a bit more narrow than on the Airbus, there was height to spare, and the door closed easily. This eliminates a lot of problems with baggage and counter people, and I can also grab it and disembark much faster. I’ll never travel by air with anything else from now on.

Hi d-naught

I love my VAOM-06! It's flown and ridden around the country for the past 9 years.

I know one guy who stuffs clean socks, T-shirts & underwear in his for 2-3 day trips (and discards them along the way after wearing them during his trips) rather than carrying a suitcase. His computer etc go in the back pouch.

When I travel I wrap then neck heel with microfiber towels to give it a bit of extra reinforcement, and balance a strap and NeckUP on top of the neck which then go into the case's neck cavity.

I have a K&K dual source in it, and carry a belt-pack preamp & small DI box when I travel. In the RV I also carry a small UltraSound AG-15M amplifier.

[RogerPease]

To the OP;
As long as you’re doing mods, consider upgrading the tuning machines.
I replaced stock ones with Gotoh minis, forget the exact model.
A little bit lower tuning ratio and *way* smoother.
I didn’t have to drill any new holes, dropped right in.
The buttons look just a bit different though. Totally worth it.

If you’re interested but stuck I can try to pull up the exact Gotoh part number.
Pretty sure it was suggested by WHM, here on the forum.

Just a suggestion. Cheers, _Roger

[Dreadfulnaught]

Originally Posted by RogerPease

To the OP;
As long as you’re doing mods, consider upgrading the tuning machines.
I replaced stock ones with Gotoh minis, forget the exact model.
A little bit lower tuning ratio and *way* smoother.
I didn’t have to drill any new holes, dropped right in.
The buttons look just a bit different though. Totally worth it.

If you’re interested but stuck I can try to pull up the exact Gotoh part number.
Pretty sure it was suggested by WHM, here on the forum.

Just a suggestion. Cheers, _Roger

Thanks Roger, yes, I forgot to mention it but the tuning machines are not smooth and it’s difficult to get the strings exactly in tune though it can be done (I use a digital soundhole tuner). I would definitely like that part number. Tortolloid buttons would be nice if they can be had.

[RogerPease]

The tuners I used are Gotoh SGS510Z-S5-C. -S5 is zinc butterbean buttons. -C is chrome.

I would have liked to get the Schaller-like -A07 buttons for a closer match but no one seemed to carry them outside of Japan.
If you look at the Gotoh website (g-gotoh.com) there are a ton of options not listed online
by Stewmac and AllParts.
Mine are non-locking and (I believe) standard length posts, but measure yours and check it twice. :-)

Gotoh makes tortoise look buttons, -P8, so maybe you can special order.
It looks like All Parts sells Gotoh buttons.

Notes:
PSA: Stewmac currently is having a 15% off sale on tuning machines.
Check out this website if you're willing to order from Japan: http://gotoh-tuners.com/Default.asp
This is not a recommendation, I've never dealt with them. I just searched online. I'm sure there are
other suppliers, too. It all gets complicated in a hurry...

Good luck!

[Dreadfulnaught]

Originally Posted by RogerPease

The tuners I used are Gotoh SGS510Z-S5-C. -S5 is zinc butterbean buttons. -C is chrome.

I would have liked to get the Schaller-like -A07 buttons for a closer match but no one seemed to carry them outside of Japan.
If you look at the Gotoh website (g-gotoh.com) there are a ton of options not listed online
by Stewmac and AllParts.
Mine are non-locking and (I believe) standard length posts, but measure yours and check it twice. :-)

Gotoh makes tortoise look buttons, -P8, so maybe you can special order.
It looks like All Parts sells Gotoh buttons.

Notes:
PSA: Stewmac currently is having a 15% off sale on tuning machines.
Check out this website if you're willing to order from Japan: http://gotoh-tuners.com/Default.asp
This is not a recommendation, I've never dealt with them. I just searched online. I'm sure there are
other suppliers, too. It all gets complicated in a hurry...

Good luck!

Thanks Roger, I’ll look into this forthwith.

[Dreadfulnaught]

Originally Posted by Dreadfulnaught

Thanks Roger, I’ll look into this forthwith.

I did order the Gotoh minis when they went on sale. Thanks again Roger. I’ll let you guys know if they are indeed a drop in fit. The old ones were maddening, I’d start out with the string slightly flat, and then it would jump to slightly sharp. The tuning action was not smooth and even, had a bit of a grinding feel. I imagine I will have a better ratio with the new Gotohs as well as being smoother.

[Dreadfulnaught]

Originally Posted by Dreadfulnaught

I did order the Gotoh minis when they went on sale. Thanks again Roger. I’ll let you guys know if they are indeed a drop in fit. The old ones were maddening, I’d start out with the string slightly flat, and then it would jump to slightly sharp. The tuning action was not smooth and even, had a bit of a grinding feel. I imagine I will have a better ratio with the new Gotohs as well as being smoother.

Gotoh mini 510s are indeed a direct drop in for the tuners on my Voyage-Air. The supplied screws are a little longer so I used the original screws. The Gotohs are orders of magnitude above the noname originals. The originals seem to have a 14 to 1 ratio and the Gotohs are 18 to 1. They are more precise and far more smooth.