Cheap travel acoustic

[TRex]

Hey guys, some opinions are needed on these smaller guitar options.

Im looking to maybe pick up a cheap, likely used guitar to take on vacations or anywhere i cant lug my Seagull around to.

The Seagull is too large to fit in our car on family trips, and i always end up wanting to play during the longer trips.

Yamaha and Gretsch have Guitarleles, which are like tiny guitars tuned to A standard. Sound more like a ukulele in nature though. Tiny!

Ibanez has a piccolo guitarlele like thing. Its steel stringed, so its more like other guitars than a normal guitarlele. Tiny!

The next step up in size are those martin backpackers and Washburn Rovers. The martin is known to sound strange from what i hear. Full guitar though.

Is there a better option that im missing?
Anyone tried any of these? Whats something small that i can strum on?

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Cheap travel acoustic

I mentioned on another thread; I've taken a cheap Strat copy and removed the neck to make it portable. Fits fine in a lot of bags; keep the strings on, just screw the neck back on, tune up and either play un-plugged or through your iPhone.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Cheap travel acoustic

Sounds like you need a larger car. You, family and luggage fit in your current ride...bit no room for a guitar? Might tell the wife that second suitcase or my guitar...rock, paper, scissors her for it.

 

[TRex]

Re: Cheap travel acoustic

Sounds like you need a larger car. You, family and luggage fit in your current ride...bit no room for a guitar? Might tell the wife that second suitcase or my guitar...rock, paper, scissors her for it.

Working on that as well! Hopefully my dad will be going from a ford fusion to escape here soon. A bit more space should help.

(Im 17 l, so this is my parents car and family vacations.)

The strat idea is cool, but i would think it would wear out fast. Not to mention i would prefer to go acoustic. Might have to give it a try if nothing else works out.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Cheap travel acoustic

Ehh, you'd be surprised that you don't really need to crank neck screws down at all; just don't cross-thread, tighten a notch over where they seat firm and you're good. If the neck holes do strip you could just dowel them.

I've toyed with buying a $60 eBay Strat just to do this with, not because I'm worried about the neck wearing out but because I know the guitar will get beat in other ways if I take it on a trip.

 

[Liko]

Re: Cheap travel acoustic

My recommendation will depend on which of the terms you care more about; "cheap", "travel" or "guitar".

If you just want an inexpensive ****box to take places you wouldn't risk something more expensive or otherwise precious, GC has a wall full of them; pick your pricepoint and go. The Mitchell "house brand" isn't a terrible guitar and they sell for the $100-$200 range.

If you want something inexpensive that really travels, the Martin Backpacker or Traveler AG105 are the ticket. These run in the high $100 range and are very small, yet playable. But, you'll be lucky to get a good ukelele sound from them, even plugged in, and with a scale length so short, the ergonomics will be nothing like your main guitar.

As one option for a compromise between all three descriptors, the Taylor GS Mini is something like a 3/4 scale version of the x14 series GA body style. They used to be available new as cheaply as $350; like everything else recently the prices have gone up considerably, and the base-model spruce/sapele now sells for $500 (though as these have been very popular, I'd expect Reverb to have a few gently-used examples for a better price). I've played a couple, and sound-wise they are very impressive. The smaller size doesn't feel small, like the backpacker would be, but an inch here and there will be useful getting it into a trunk or airline bin.

If you don't want to compromise on any of your descriptors here, your best bet is Voyage-Air. Last time I looked at them, they were focused on making the best travel guitar in the world, and they succeeded, but with a price tag to match; a Voyage-Air would only be considered "cheap" if your main axe were something in the $3k-5k range. In the last couple years though, they've introduced a few lines that are downright affordable. Their Transit series is a lambox, available in "mini-dreadnought" or "OM" body styles, starting around $430. Yeah, you could get a standard lambox much cheaper, but it won't fold in half at the neck joint and then fold back out and be playable as if that had never happened. If you want a little more sound for not that much more money, you can upgrade to the Songwriter series with a solid top for about $110 more. They do still offer their all-solid Premiere series for about $1250, comparable to a Taylor 3-series or Martin PA, but like I said, that's only "cheap" if your main player was hand-built by Bob Taylor himself.

 

[NecroPolo]

Re: Cheap travel acoustic

The Ibanez mini would take my vote, partly because all Ibanez axes I've ever owned were awesomely built for their price range (I've been (ab)using a super cheap V70 for ages for my daily work of teaching) and partly because it has a normal guitar layout. I have nothing against ukluleles, though. I'd just prefer the 6-string EADGBE layout.

 

[TRex]

Re: Cheap travel acoustic

Those voyage-air guitars are cool as hell. Cant belive they work as well as people claim.

I need something small if im gonna get something. I am thinking the Ibanez looks like a decent strummer, which is all i need. A small, cheap strummer. Not sure how i like the look in context though..looks too uke..

Ill see if GC stock em to try out.

 

[treyhaislip]

Re: Cheap travel acoustic

Martin Backpackers are really fun. Tacoma had a travel guitar called a Papoose that were cool also. Baby Taylors play and sound very good for a travel guitar.