Thursday, March 28, 2024

Travel Guitars

Here is the only complete guide to electric Travel guitars. Who makes Travel guitars? What sizes are Travel Guitars? Where can I find a travel guitar? Can I build my own travel guitar?  We will answer these questions. Find the only travel guitar length comparison sheet on the web right here.

Travel Guitars should be small, compact, short and easily taken on vacation. They should fit easily in an airliner overhead compartment. You find most of the popular models here. Also, this is the only site where you find a comparison of the overall lengths of these Travel Guitars. There are also links to some DIY sites.

When you travel you will probably really miss playing. Bringing a full-size guitar on vacation can be an issue. This page is the result of my research into travel guitars. Not all the guitars on this page are still produced but you may find one used for a great deal.

The famous Chiquita has been around for quite a while since 1979 I believe. The first thing you’ll notice is that most manufacturers of travel guitars do not quite understand the concept. A travel guitar must small enough to fit in an airplane’s overhead compartment. Ideally small enough to fit in a backpack. So far the concept winner is the Lapstick 

As a guide, the overall length of a Fender Strat is about 40”.

Lapstick travel guitar
Lapstick travel guitar

Lapstick uses a rather clever concept. Instead of being tuned to E, the guitar is tuned to A. It’s as if you had a capo on the 5th fret. Although this is limiting, they can keep the overall length short. Most of my favourite soloing positions are here anyway.  There are some YouTube videos where the player has tuned his Lapstick to E with excellent results. The overall length is 19.9″.

Hofner shorty is a bit long at 32.5″ This model was discontinued and recently re-issued. The least expensive of the lot.  The Hofner shorty web site

 The Palm is 26″ and weighs in at 3.4 lbs.   The Chiquita is 27.5”  Chiquita   These are the first travel guitars to have ever come out. You might remember Michael J Fox playing one in Back to The Future.

The lap axe is the latest contender 20.3″ and it looks like a close competitor of the Lapstick

Washburn Maverick BTM is just shy of 33″ a bit long but still compact.

Traveler

 I like their recent model the Ultra-light. It’s 28″ in total length but it’s very compact. The list price is reasonable.

traveler ultra light travel guitar
The Traveler “Ultra Light”

 

Some others that don’t focus on being “Travel Guitars” are made by Lazer and Steinberger. The Steinberger SS-2F is 31.75″ a hair shorter than some of the so-called “Travel guitars”.

( Note: I recently bought a used Traveler Ultra-light. It was left-handed but I easily reversed the nut and the saddle. The piezo pick-up’s wire was damaged so I replaced it with one that cost me about $1.50. It was sold as a pair for less than $3.00US shipping included. It was slightly too long so I cut carefully. I still have to bore holes in the side to accommodate the metal bar. )

I recently found the Vorson models. Over is 27″ and like the Lapstik it is tuned to A. Prices vary between $139 to $300 US. Do your shopping before buying one.

The Ministar & Microstar line may have gone bankrupt as their website is for sale. Aliexpress based in China has a whole slew of Ministars for sale for around $200 US with free shipping. You can one named “Ministar portable travel mini pocket silent electric guitar”. The length is apparently between 19″ and 20″ total.
ministar chinese travel guitar
ministar Chinese travel guitar
I recently bought a guitar direct from China. You can read my review on the ” Fakenbacker” page. I buy lots of photographic supplies via Aliexpress and have yet to have a problem. Their customer service is extraordinary.
It appears that Epiphone has marketed some travel models. One was named the EPI ROADIE. The head-stock actually read”EPI”.
It came out in 1995. It didn’t last very long. They came out with the Pee-Wee series that appears about the same size. It is very hard to know the exact length but I believe it was 29″. The product sheet which came with the Pee Wee suggests that you tune to G and not E similar to the Lapstick. The Pee Wee came in different shapes, Les Paul and Flying V.
Epiphone Pee Wee’s can be found on a Chinese website. They show both the  Les Paul model and the Flying Vee. I can’t tell if this is or isn’t counterfeit.
One of the more recent finds is AnyGig
AnyGig Travel guitar
AnyGig Travel guitar
The overall length from one end to the end of the two tuners is just shy of 32″  the price is $219 US list. They are based in Hong Kong. All sales are currently direct.

Please note that the opinions I have seen on 3/4 or smaller guitars are that they are hard to tune. Consider this if you put a capo on a standard guitar you are effectively shortening the scale. This is why they advise that you tune in G or A.

Now that we’ve seen most of these commercial models and their prices, One may decide to try DIY. It still is a lot cheaper to buy a 3/4 guitar for $50 to $60 and chop it up a bit.
Here are some great ideas and projects. For those of you who can handle some woodworking, this may be the way to go.

Here is a novel idea on an existing theme. This guitar folds into a small pack, possibly the smallest yet. The prices are far from the smallest but you have to weigh convenience vs price.

“The Model elMOSQUITO is the ultimate solution for travelers and guitarists who want to have ther instrument at hand and prefere or require a gigbag length of under 54cm. The body and the neck are …”

Source: elMOSQUITO / world smallest compact travel guitar (made in Switzerland)

If you check the chart below you’ll know that the above statement is not true.  They are not exactly cheap at $738 US.

Stew-Mac sells a couple of kits that fall into the Travel category.

Mini_T_Style_Electric_Guitar_Kit
Mini_T_Style_Electric_Guitar_Kit
Mini_S_Style_Electric_Guitar_Kit
Mini_S_Style_Electric_Guitar_Kit

 

 

Although this is not a traditional guitar it merits a closer look.

Jamstik+ The SmartGuitar. App-Based Digital Guitar and Teaching System. Great for Learning Guitar, Traveling, or Composing in the Studio.

Source: Jamstik+ Portable SmartGuitar
This is a midi controller but could be the ideal travel guitar.

Now, this guy at Circuits and strings has the correct idea.

DIY may be the best cost-saving idea. This guy shows us how he did it. It’s a bit too involved for my skills but very enlightening.

Bill Dudley’s homemade travel guitar  google this site
 The John Anthony site also has plans for many other famous guitars.
Here is another fellow who made his own travel guitar guitarfritz  ( this site went AWOL)
Below is a link to a video showing how to make what looks like a ” Traveler Clone”.

Here’s another DIY project I Made a Travel Guitar
jacksprat Travel Guitar
jacksprat Travel Guitar
If you know of any others, please drop me a line.





Here is a guide comparison of the various lengths of Travel Guitars. The Fender Strat is here for comparison

travel guitars brands overall length in Inches
lapstick 19.9
lapaxe 20.3
Microstar 25.5
Palm 26
Vorson 27
Chiquita 27.5
Traveler Ultra light 28
Stewmac mini’s 28.5
epi roadie 29
Steinberger SS-2F 31.75
Anygig 32
Hofner Shorty 32.5
Maverick BTM 33
Ministar 33
Fender Strat 39.25
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