There are a number of
good travel guitars to choose from. Which is right for you
depends upon which features you feel are most important. Because
they are not full size, none of them will sound like your full size
guitar, but some do have an excellent sound all their own! Most
professional players insist on one key requirement: a full size
fretboard and good action so that their playing style isn't thrown off
by the smaller neck dimensions. They are willing to trade off
better sound for this. In fact, some players mount pickups to
their travel guitars and use them on stage because their small size
minimizes feedback problems.
Go-Guitars
"Go"
instruments are handcrafted from high quality solid woods. They
are built in the USA, and are made within the confines of limited
production. They pride themselves on taking the time to ensure
every guitar is better than what you expect.
Martin Backpacker
Martin
offers two different styles of
Backpacker Travel Guitar:
Nylon String
and
Steel String.
The Martin has a very small body size (giving it a weak guitar sound),
but it offers a full size neck with 15 frets and 24" scale
length. The steel string neck width is 1 11/16" (same
width as their dreadnoughts). Even though it doesn't advertise a
Spruce top, it uses all solid woods for the top, sides and back
(mahogany back, sides, and neck). Also, the neck and sides are
one continuous piece.
Baby Taylor
One
of the best sounding of the travel guitars. Taylor offers
two
Baby Taylor
models: one has a solid mahogany top with a darker warm sound and
the other is a solid sitka spruce top with a brighter sound. In
both models, the back and sides are mahogany veneer and the back is
arched for additional strength. This guitar is built to a
22 3/4" scale with a mahogany neck and ebony fretboard.
The fretboard has 19 frets (14 to the body). It
comes with a molded Hard Shell Case. The list price is $398, but the
street price is usually well under that.
Tacoma Papoose
The
Tacoma Papoose
was not really designed to be
a travel guitar, but is frequently put into this category due to it's
small transportable size. It was actually designed to be a whole
new instrument in a category of its own. If you capo your full
size guitar at the 5th fret (A tuning), then you can hear what
the Tacoma Papoose will sound like and play like. This
guitar has a 19" scale length and has the frets sized to what you
would have at the 5th fret of a regular guitar, but still has 21 total
frets with 15 clearing the body. This unique design allows you
to play 6 semi-tones above a standard guitar. It has a solid
Cedar top and mahogany back and sides. The fretboard is rosewood
and the neck mahogany.
Traveler
Escape
The Traveler Escape
is
a full-scale acoustic travel guitar built like no other. With its ergonomic body design
and full-scale neck, the Escape truly preserves the organic playing
experience of a full-size guitar, yet fits easily into airline
overhead compartments. The Escape is equipped with a Custom Shadow
Piezo pickup system & preamp so you can play through an amp or plug
headphones directly into the guitar and play anytime, anywhere.
Yamaha Silent
Series
Yamaha's Silent Guitars
are unique instruments that
bring together Yamaha’s vast knowledge and experience in the making
of quality guitars together with its innovative design and quality
electronics. As a member of the “Silent” family, the SLG100S is a
great instrument for those times when you’d like to practice
privately. But more than that, this steel string Silent Guitar
offers great versatility, being just as at home in the studio or on
stage as it is in your living room or dorm room. It also makes a
great travel companion as its detachable frame lets the entire
instrument fit into a compact carrying case that’s easy to
transport.
