|
11 Apr 08 - 09:31 AM (#2312898) Subject: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Cool Beans My wife and I have a great time singing and playing with a couple of far-flung friends whenever they come to visit (I do all of the playing). This year we are flying out to California to meet them and drive up the coast to Oregon. I don't want to take my precious old D-28, although it has survived flights in its original hardshell case, and I don't feel like spending $900 for a Calton case that can survive World War III. A backpacker guitar might be the solution. What's been your experience with them? Which brand? Will airlines allow them as carry-ons? Thanks in advance. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 09:39 AM (#2312905) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: matt milton This probably won't be much help to you, because Troubadour is based in Scotland, but I recently bought a Troubadour Blondel II. It's the best travel guitar I've ever played. Has a really nice sound and is surprisingly loud. Cost me £100. I play blues on it and it sounds great. I don't think they have many left either and I don't think they're planning on making any more. They do nylon string too. Highly recommended. Re. planes, I'd be surprised (and would protest a lot!) if you weren't allowed to take a travel guitar as hand luggage. I travelled to Tokyo with my violin case, and that was bigger than a travel guitar. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 09:47 AM (#2312913) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: GUEST,leeneia I own a martin backpacker with nylon strings. I ordered nylon because guitar isn't my main instrument and steel strings hurt my fingers too much. The backpacker fits in an overhead bin all right, but the sound is soft - more like a lute or other instrument than a guitar. Nonetheless it plays in tune, helps people keep together when they sing, and makes you look like a musician. I also have a half-size classical, an Austin which cost $125 at my local classical music store. Nylon strings again. I play using a thumbpick, and it is amazing the sound that comes from that small guitar. I don't know if it would fit in an overhead bin, but you could measure... I haven't told my friends it cost only $125. Let's keep that our little secret. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 10:03 AM (#2312924) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: GUEST,Jeff Go to a local pawn shop(s) and find a good, solid top old Alvarez, Aria, Yamaha, etc. for under 250.00. They usually come w/a hsc. I have a Yamaha that I bought for 250.00 at a pawn shop. It's a Guild F50 copy and w/a solid top, actually sounds pretty good. Good intonation, etc. I use it as a travel guitar. The backpackers and the like are crap. Better off learning to play mandolin as they fit easily in the overhead. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 10:05 AM (#2312925) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Midchuck What Guest, Jeff said if your budget is limited. If you can spend more, CA or Rainsong. Peter. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 10:11 AM (#2312930) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: matt milton oh, and also of the name brand travel guitars I've played that would be available in the US I quite liked the Washburn. I preferred it to all the others, including the Martin. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 10:24 AM (#2312940) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Suffet Greetings: Forget about the Martin Backpacker and get one of the Little Martins, either the LXM, LX1, or LXE1. These regularly sell for $280, $300, and $360, respectively, and you may be able to get one for less. Each comes with a very heavily padded gig bag. With an overall length of just 34 inches, these guitars easily fit into the overhead bins on any commercial aircraft other than the small puddle jumpers. These guitars don't have the volume of the larger models, but the tone is surprising good, and is much better than from the Backpacker. The action is great and the intonation is true. I bought one of the Felix the Cat limited editions of the LXM, so it cost me a little more, but the sound is just the same as on the inexpensive regular version. Click here for a video of me playing that LXM at the Jacob's Ladder Folk Festival in Israel last year and judge for yourself. --- Steve |
|
11 Apr 08 - 10:39 AM (#2312954) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Cool Beans Thanks, all, and an added thank you to Steve for the history of "Railroad Bill" (watch his video!) Keep the tips coming. I'm taking everything under advisement. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 10:59 AM (#2312966) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: GUEST,Jonny Sunshine I'd recommend a parlour guitar rather than a travel guitar. No-one ever player a backpacker-type guitar for the sound! I've an Art & Lutherie "Ami", which is very small, weighs next to nothing and gives way more tone and projection than you'd expect for its size. It's also very competitively priced. Never taken it on a plane but in a soft case it fits the overhead storage on a coach. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 11:27 AM (#2312993) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: charles92027 I've travelled all over the world with my baritone uke, but you'll never catch me putting it in the overhead. The problem is all the people trying to cram a suitcase that's too big to carry on in with it. What I did was sew a strap and coat-hanger hook into my gig bag, and i hang it in the coat closet at the front of the plane. That way it travels between the pilot's coats and I never worry about it. A baritone uke my be a good solution for you as a travel guitar. They're tuned the same as a guitar (sans the bass strings) but they're smaller, more compact, and a lot less expensive than a travel guitar |
|
11 Apr 08 - 11:54 AM (#2313028) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Georgiansilver Takamine Travel Guitar |
|
11 Apr 08 - 11:58 AM (#2313031) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Georgiansilver Martin Backpacker |
|
11 Apr 08 - 11:59 AM (#2313035) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: GUEST,leeneia That's a good idea, but not all planes have coat closets. You also want to guard against people emptying the closet and letting the guitar tip over. If I were putting a guitar in an overhead bin, I would add bubblepack to the soft case for extra protection. Always remember that the end with the tuning pegs is heavy, so that a guitar is unstable when stood upright. Try not to stand it upright. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 12:02 PM (#2313039) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Stilly River Sage Don Firth posted quite a bit about backapck-type portable guitars on a thread a few years back. You might do a search on his posts or on the subject. SRS |
|
11 Apr 08 - 02:09 PM (#2313140) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Don Firth Hi! I just tuned in! I've been playing high quality classic guitars all my life, so I'm pretty picky (if I can use that word in this context) about playability and quality of sound. When I had to take to a wheelchair some years back, I found, to my general upset, that holding a fill-size guitar while sitting in a wheelchair is very awkward. The lower bout of the guitar and the right wheel of the chair want to occupy the same space and it throws the guitar way out of position. So I figured "I need a smaller guitar; maybe a travel guitar," and went googling to see what was available. After investigating a whole bunch of them—and reading reviews by owners—I settled in on one that I spotted early on but had dismissed because it just didn't look all that much like a guitar. It looked more like a canoe paddle with strings. But after reading a bunch of reviews on Harmony-Central, I went back to the web site where I found it and ordered one Go Guitars I ordered a GO-GW with nylon strings. Walnut back and sides and slightly deeper body (fuller sound). How did I like it? Well, let's put it this way: I now have three of the things! The first one I got was Sam's standard nylon-string model, and after playing it for some time, I found the slightly narrower fingerboard a little inhibiting for playing classic pieces. The 1st and 6th strings are close to the edge of the fingerboard and had a tendency to slip off the edge in some classic pieces (Sam said that he gets a lot of orders from jazz guitarists who use nylon strings and prefer the narrower fingerboard). Sam makes these guitars to order, and he is willing to customize them, so I asked him to make me one with a full-width classic fingerboard (2"), which he did. Works fine. And just for kicks and a variation of sound, I ordered a third one, also GO-GW but with steel strings. I friend of mine played it once and was mightily surprised. She said, "It has a really solid feel. And the fingerboard feels and plays like a Taylor!" How do they sound? Well, I've used them in performance a number of times and they have been plenty adequate. A bit surprising, in fact. Because of the smaller body, the bass may be a bit weak compared to a full-size guitar, but the sound is sufficiently full and rich that you hardly notice it. After a couple of performances, one in a room that seats about 500 people and another in a church that seats about 200, I've asked a few people who were in the audience how the guitar sounded. They all answered, "Just like a regular guitar." One fellow said, "I didn't see any wires coming out of it. Where was the amplifier?" "No amplifier," I told him. He was flummoxed. "But how could something that small sound so big? It sounded as loud as Bob's guitar!" This was at Bob's and my concert in October 2007, and Bob was playing his full-size vintage Martin classic. (You can get one with a Fishman Matrix pick-up if that's your bag.) It will take a couple of weeks after ordering to receive it because, as I said, Sam makes them to order. If you want something special or customized, just tell him (extra charge, of course: the wider fingerboard cost me an additional $50). He answers his own e-mail, and I've talked to him on the phone a couple of times. Good guy to deal with. Check "Our Products" and "Options" on the Go-Guitar web site to see what all is available. And here's a list of owner reviews at Harmony-Central: CLICKY. By the way, if you decide to get one of these, get the "Puffy" gig bag as well. Good, well-padded protection when packing the instrument around, and it comes with a adjustable carrying strap that can be removed from the bag and attached to the guitar. You will need to use a strap when playing the guitar. Good luck and good hunting! Don Firth |
|
11 Apr 08 - 02:19 PM (#2313150) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Cool Beans Thank you, Don. I'd never heard of Go Guitars. I went to their Web site and between your recommendation and the guitars on the Web site I'm already impressed. This may be exactly what I'm seeking. Marty |
|
11 Apr 08 - 02:51 PM (#2313168) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: GUEST,number 6 Check out the Baby Taylors ... airlines allow them as carry on ... a friend of mine who does a lot of business traveling takes his everywhere. biLL |
|
11 Apr 08 - 02:53 PM (#2313171) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: GUEST,number 6 here's more info .... Baby Taylor |
|
11 Apr 08 - 04:11 PM (#2313224) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: McGrath of Harlow I've got this one I bought from Hobgoblin. It's very pleasant to play, and for a bigger sound it does well when plugged into an amp. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 06:24 PM (#2313321) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: SharonA Cool Beans, if you're just looking for something with 6 strings to take on a plane, do a search on eBay for "backpacker guitar" -- there are some bargains there (some under $30 including the shipping) so even if one of those gets mashed on the plane, you haven't lost much. Another option: have you considered renting a guitar while you are out in California/Oregon? That would eliminate the whole problem of air travel, and you could find a fuller-sounding model than you'd get in a small guitar. Or you could shop for a guitar while you're out there, and have your friends keep it at their place for your future visits. Perhaps one of your friends would learn to play it in the meantime! |
|
11 Apr 08 - 06:39 PM (#2313327) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Melissa or you could buy a guitar and have it sent there instead of to your home...then you'd have packing materials to mail it home from there if you wanted. |
|
11 Apr 08 - 06:43 PM (#2313330) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: SharonA Now why didn't I think of that? Very smart, Melissa! |
|
11 Apr 08 - 06:50 PM (#2313333) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Les from Hull Maggie loves her Baby Taylor and takes it out as her main guitar! (It's a lot less to carry) And it fits in an overhead locker on a 'plane. |
|
12 Apr 08 - 09:42 AM (#2313648) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: MickyMan When I do backpacking trips I use an original "Macnally Strumstick", but that's because it only weighs 1 lb and it's worth relearning the dulcimer-like chording because of that low weight. If you don't have to carry it with you 24/7 I suggest that you just get a smaller full body guitar. All the travel guitars have such a horrible sound that you should really just consider a parlor guitar that will fit on a plane. |
|
12 Apr 08 - 10:16 AM (#2313658) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Dan Schatz I like the Baby Taylors - much more than the little Martins - that I've played. The "backpack" guitars are not, I think worth the price. When I went on a trip a few years ago and just wanted something to take with me so I wouldn't go bonkers - just to noodle around on, not to perform with - I looked at a bunch of backpack guitars and gave up in frustration. I finally went to Sam Asch, or one of those places, and picked up a 1/2 sized $30 ukulele shaped guitar. Pure plywood, but a relatively deep soundbox. I got it home, strung it up four frets high, and have used that ever since. Sure, the intonation isn't perfect, but it's not too bad, and I never have to worry about it. If it gets shmooshed in the overhead, so be it. It was only $30. I'm thinking of getting some more for friends' kids - it makes a nice starter guitar for a small child. Another possibility is to look for a laud - which is like a high strung 12 string built onto a mandolin body. You play it like a guitar but it sounds like a cittern. One of these days I'll get Nick Apollonio to make me one of his - like all his instruments, they're phenomenal. Dan |
|
12 Apr 08 - 10:45 AM (#2313669) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: GUEST,leeneia Thanks for the link to Go Guitars, Don. Your recommendation certainly stirs interest. I've got to say, though - If I were trying to sell guitars, I would put sound samples on my site. Something like 'Click here to hear someone playing this guitar.' |
|
12 Apr 08 - 11:31 AM (#2313695) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: GUEST,iancarterb I haven't seen any mention of the Tacoma Papoose. It's the size of a baby Taylor but it's an 'A' guitar - like sawing it off at the fifth fret and puting the peghead back on there. That can be a problem for particular tunings, but a fine solution to many problems. Played a Tacoma mandolin with a friend playing Tacoma Papoose for years commuting on a Seattle ferry. The cases are almost the same size, for travel reference. It comes with a lousy gig bag, but they make a hard case for it. I bought the hard case for my mandolin about fifteen minutes after returning from a coast to coast airplane trip which had included a commuter leg, NO OVERHEAD COMPARTMENT, and no choice. They were very careful with it, and it survived in my heavy duty Levy gig bag, but my heart was in my throat until they handed it to me and I opened the bag! Carter |
|
12 Apr 08 - 09:33 PM (#2314011) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Ebbie A flight attendant once gave me a tip that I've used several times now: When you put an instrument in the overhead, put it in the one across the aisle, rather than above you. It lets you have a good view of what else is going into the space. |
|
13 Apr 08 - 08:35 AM (#2314186) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Ernest How about those little mandolin-bodied six stingers (whatever you want to call them). Elderly has one now (made by GoldTone)here Best Ernest |
|
13 Apr 08 - 10:35 AM (#2314232) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: Grab CB, re the carry-on thing, airlines (at least in the UK) now have specific height/width/depth restrictions for carry-on items. To quote a BBC link I found in a quick seach: "The dimensions of hand luggage must not exceed 56cm x 45cm x 25cm (22in x 17.7in x 9.8in approx), including wheels, handles and side pockets." I found that my tenor mandola *just* fitted the limits. Anything guitar-like (of *any* style) is never going to make it through - not even a Papoose or a Martin Backpacker. Most violin cases won't fit either. Generally they'll let you through if it is something that size, sure. But if they ever decided to enforce regulations, your instrument is travelling suitcase-class and there's nothing you can do about it. Graham. |
|
13 Apr 08 - 07:53 PM (#2314611) Subject: RE: Travel/backpack guitars: advice needed From: McGrath of Harlow Anything guitar-like (of *any* style) is never going to make it through Not strictly true. I've got a small guitar which has a detachable neck - when broken down it measures 21 inches by 12 inches by 2 1/2 inches. I use nylon strings so they won't kink when bent, the way steel strings would - and anyway they sound better on it. A small sound but pretty - I tune it a tone high to allow for the short neck. It's a bit of a pain having to dismantle it and reassemble it, with a bolt that needs unscrewing, but it doesn't take that long. Here is a picture of it - and here is another showing the neck joint. Maybe someone should look into producing a more easily dismantleable version with air travellers in mind. Maybe someone has already done that. (I've no idea where this one came from before it ended up in the charity shop where I found it.) |