Sam Radding in San Diego. He used to run a guitar repair shop years ago where Bob Taylor hung out and learned how to make guitars. Sam is now making small travel guitars, and he has a traditional parlor guitar on the drawing boards that is soon to come out. Preliminary reviews are glowing.

He makes the travel guitars to order, and only a limited number per month. They're small, 33" long and 8" wide, and they look like a cross between a guitar and a canoe paddle. Kinda funky looking, but don't let that fool you. The workmanship is absolutely outstanding. Clean inside and out, and all the joints are flush and undetectable to the touch. Spruce soundboard, mahogany or walnut back and sides, two body sizes (depth), standard or "Grande," your choice.

Last year I ordered a Go Grande Walnut guitar, nylon string model. When it arrived, I took it out of the packing box, removed it from its plush, puffy gig bag, and tuned it up. I was amazed! It sounded like a full-size guitar! Although it's not quite as loud as my full-size concert classic guitar, there is no doubt that this is a real guitar, despite the fact that it looks a bit like a cricket bat with strings.

Most travel guitars I've heard sound more like dulcimers than guitars, but this is not one of them. Some people do use them on stage, and one of the options is a Fishman Matrix pick-up. I ordered mine without the pick-up, but I would have no qualms about using it in a small venue like a coffeehouse or house concert—or anywhere there's a house microphone.

I've had mine for a year, and I like it so much that I recently ordered a steel-string model. I just got an e-mail from Sam that he shipped it yesterday and it should be arriving on Monday. Also, Sam is a great guy to deal with.

Check 'em out.

Don Firth