Travel Guitar?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dom Franco
  • Start date Start date

Your Favorite Travel Guitar ?

  • Washburn Joey

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Martin Backpacker

    Votes: 5 16.1%

  • Baby Taylor

    Votes: 10 32.3%

  • Travel Guitars Suck!

    Votes: 16 51.6%
  • Total voters
    31
Dom Franco

Dom Franco

New member
I have to do some traveling this next month.... and I just hate to have those Airline bag boys throw my good guitars around. (One trip to Australia broke the neck of my favorite vintage accoustic!)
So I went down to Guitar Center to try out their selection of small guitars... Martin Backpacker, Washburn Joey, Yamaha... YEECH..... None of them sound better than my old Mickey Mouse Club Plastic Guitar.
Now I knew they wouldn't sound as good as my Jumbo, but they didn't even play in tune (Bridge/Nut Intonation) and the sound is so uninspiring I just don't think I could write any songs while on this trip.
So I'll have to take one of my older guitars, loosen the strings, put extra padding in the case and pray that the baggage handler just fell in love with the girl behind the ticket counter.

Any of you like those travel guitars?

Sincerely;

Dom Franco
 
Hey Dom,

I just wanted to share some info with you. This past December I was invited to New Orleans to play and was realy fretting (pun intended) about having to put my guitar in the belly of a plane knowing full well of who has to put it there.

Well guess what. I was actually able to take it on the plane with me. It fit quite nicely in the overhead compartment. There were a few airline people that kind of gave me a hard time about it, but I assured them that it would fit. I think the only planes you might have a problem with would be some of those little communters.

I hope this helps. There is nothing like playing your favorite guitar. Not to mention the money you will be able to spend at your destination because you did not have to spend it on a travel guitar

Peace
Joe
 
Just Carry it on eh?

I have heard of guitarist's doing this, but I have been afraid that they would take it away from me at the gate and make me check it in!
I am also carrying on some other important items; a small digital recorder/mixer, SM58, Cables etc.... I just can't bear being away from my studio, without some way of making recordings on the road.

ummm now lets see.... I could cram an ADAT in my suitcase....and aaa.... I don't really need to change clothes....effects and compressor....

Dom
 
Most planes have some sort of storage closet at the front of the cabin that they use to put coats and other oversized things in. I have seen people put pretty large bags and cases in these closets without problem. I am almost positive that you could use these closets to store your guitar in. Thats kinda what they are for.
 
I bought a Steinberger copy made by Hohner about 10 years ago; fit comfortably in the overhead luggage bins, plus attracts lots of good questions ("Is that a gun?" "Yeah, I slipped the guy at the metal detector a $20 if he'd let me bring it on board.")

And to top it off, it was a very good overall guitar, very decent sound and very playable, I still use it today.

Currently you can get these Steinbergers (now carrying the Steinberger name) from musicyo.com for a ridiculously low price, like less than $250.
 
KingNothing, glad you didn't get quaked......I think Brad was asking about you in the cave earlier...


Dom,
I don't own one, but a friend in Austin has the martin backpacker....I thought it sounded pretty good and was very playable......by "pretty good" I guess I mean, I could strum around and pick and amuse myself.... but I thought it was cool, because I don't think I could ever bring myself to put one of my regular guitars on an airplane, and it's way better than not having a guitar at all....which I suppose is the whole point of it ever being marketed......gibs
 
A buddy of mine actually got his Ibanez soundgear bass in it's hardcase to fit in the overhead compartment of a plane once with about 1/2 inch to spare. It was the original thin shelled leatherette & plywood type case, not a heavy flightcase though. Yup, the flight attendants tried to give him a hard time but he just kinda insisted that they let him try to fit it. My 19 1/2 inch, 2 space rack bag fit under the seat in front of me too.
 
Just for reassurance I will add my 2 Pence (ha ha pence, haha) I have brought my Ibanez electric over from South Africa to Scotland. Two changeovers etc. and I had it in hand all the way. The stewardesses actually offered to put itfor me.
 
About 3 months ago I got a Baby Taylor for $249. Nice thickly padded gig bag, wonderful action, great sound! It really kicks ass, especially for the price. I thought the Backpacker had terrible action and intonation, even after trying lots of 'em. The Taylor stood head and shoulders above the Martin. Check them out!
 
I caught one of the last days of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts exhibit - "Dangerous Curves - the Art of the Guitar" last Friday.

Wow.

Something about being surrounded by things like Jimmy D'Aquisto's last completed instrument - a Centura - and John Lennon's first guitar (like everybody's first guitar, except it had a brass plaque on the headstock that quoted his aunt Mimi - "You'll never make a living doing this..."), and a 1700 Stradevari in perfect condition - that makes an impression on a fellow.

They had a Chrysalis prototype on display, and one for sale in the gift shop. (A mere $ 6K). I played it. The concept blew me away, the quality was extremely high, but I found the tone to be unremarkable. Given that the soundboard was a mylar balloon sitting inside a carbon fiber web, I suppose that is remarkable in itself. The whole thing breaks down and folds into a briefcase. You can reassamble it to pitch faster than a .45.
 
I was looking at those travel guitars and decided on buying a cheap, $130 Fender classical nylon string guitar instead. It sounds a whole lot better than any travel guitar, and the body is kind of small, so I have no problems at all carrying it on in a gig bag. And if something were to happen to it, my heart wouldn't be broken. I mean it was only $130.

H2H
 
The one I played had some kind of internal transducer and was plugged in to a Trace Elliott 50 watt. So I was listening to a "plugged" sound. I didn't have much time to do anything analytical, tweak the e.q., and so forth, and it might have made a big difference. We were passing it around a curious crowd. It sounded like a basic blend-style small acoustic / electric. Completely plain vanilla plugged sound. I just don't know what the sound is as a true acoustic.

The example I heard during the narration was different and had a distinct edge to it, a characteristic and punchy, clear kind of sound. Might have had to do with the fact that James Taylor did the exhibit walkthrough on the headphone thing they issued us, and he closed the presentations with that guitar, so he went into some J.T. signature fingerpicking. For some strange reason, the bus didn't run as well with me at the wheel...

I expect the cost was a first edition signature kind of thing. It looks like a $1,800 mass market design, once they get the thing tweaked.



---------------

Just looked at the site. Looks like they've been tweaking nonstop! And I underestimated the price ($2,400), at least until Guitar Fiend gets the distribution.

Dammit. Now I want to go back and play that thing again. New Boston is closer than Old Boston... Hmmm...
They do sell direct...

Dammit!
 
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I went and saw that exhibit a few weeks ago myself, and played the Chrysalis guitar. I tried to fiddle with the EQ and they yelled at me. I was amazed with the guitar though. Strange how the back was made of fabric and could be pushed in. I thought it sounded ok, but not worth the 6 or 7 grand they wanted for it. even $2,400 is pushing it by my means. If they got it under a thousand, and put it into production, they might have a winner. Also my 2 cents on travel guitars:

I like the Fernandes Nomad. It plays decently enough, and has the whole built in amp and effects thing going, which is a huge plus (at least for me). Some of the stuff actually osunds pretty decent. I borrowed one from a friend, and was quite impressed. If I ever need a travel guitar, I'll get that one.

Jake
 
Yeah,
For a travel electric, I like the Nomad too. My wife got me one for Xmas a couple years ago. I have the one without the effects, just the amp. I took the amp out of it and built a talkbox with it, the put a Seymour Duncan JB pickup in the guitar. Its great for the "what the hell is that?" factor when i whip it out at gigs. It plays pretty well, though. The neck is nice and it doesn't really sound too bad for what it is. (plugged in, of course). I'm going to San Francisco next week, and its coming with me, which means I probably wont play it at all...... Hah!

Here's a shot of it.(Custom painted with the help of my almost 2 year old son.)
 

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I work for an airline, and I can tell you that me and the boys just love to throw guitars around. ;) Actually, if you want to travel with your guitar, there are a few things you can do.

If you carry it to the gate, carry AT MOST 1 other SMALL bag. If the flight's not full, and if you ask nicely or cry, you can sometimes carry it on ( See baove ). If you have to check it at the gate, insist on a gate claim tag. This means that you carry it to the door, and the guitar is hand carried to the bin, loaded in the door, and hand carried back to you on arrival. Almost all damage occurs on the tarmac, bag carts, belt systems, etc., not in the aircraft bin. I own a few nice guitars, and so far no problems. (Knocks on wood.)

If you have to check it, there are heavy-duty travel cases (Anvil?) for this purpose, but as a rule, I would go with the gate check route.
 
The baby Larrivee is a small travel guitar with a big bright sound. You might want to add it to your list.
 
I vote for a Fernandes Nomad. I have had one for about four years and it is a good solid guitar. My wife has a fender electric violin and she carries one of those little battery powered Marshall amps when she takes it on the road. That little amp is also a nice addition for the Nomad if you need some additional volume.

The really neat thing about the Nomad is that the carryingcase, makes it look like you have an AK47 slung on your shoulder. :D
 
You can take the guitar to the gate and ask for a special handling or something like that. It will at least be the last thing on the first thing off. You will pick it up right as you get off the plane. I did this with an electric on American and it was fine.

I have also played around on a baby taylor. They are not bad and will actually hold a tune. They have an interesting tone and can actually be usefull for recording if you need a fake dobro or something.
 
I've got a baby Taylor and I love it. I take it on every vacation and camping trip I go on, and it stays in tune and sounds just fine for what it is.
Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
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