Travelling practice guitar fits in yr suitcase...

Lango-Django

Hi all,

I'm just back from a wonderful month in Malaga, Spain, where there was no snow to shovel at all...unlike here in southern Ontario where we are currently having a big winter storm.

I didn't want to risk taking my lovely Michael Dunn guitar on the airplane, because we all know how airlines treat guitars, right?

But I wanted to have some kind of guitar to fool around with for the month; so I went out to a pawnshop and bought a cheapo electric guitar for about $50 and then used a table saw to hack both sides off the body to make it as small and light as possible...

And voila! My travelling guitar was born... just take it apart, and it fits in your suitcase...


...then when you arrive at your destination, you reassemble it...


You can practice so quietly in your hotel room that the neighbours don't even know you're there...but you need to use a strap with this kind of arrangement because it doesn't fit on your lap very well.

This idea worked out pretty well for me, so I thought I'd recommend it to everyone. Good luck!


Will
back in Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON, Canada
brrrrr.......

PS I brought along some backing tracks on my iPod to practise with, but then had some issues with the iPod so I wasn't really able to use it. But it turned out that for me, practising without any kind of backing wasn't a bug, it was a feature!

klaatu

"Calvin: Hobbes, what do you think happens to us when we die?
Hobbes: I think we play saxophone for an all-girl cabaret in New Orleans."

Of course, you realize that if it's an all-girl cabaret, they're probably a lot more interested in each other than they are in you.

Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Lango-Django

Hmmm... don't rain on my parade, man!

I kind of envisioned it as being like the orchestra in "Some Like It Hot", the one with Marilyn Monroe as the singer...

klaatu

ooh, yeah, now you're talking! That's my kind of band!

I've always thought it was kind of too bad that gypsy jazz guitar seems to be almost entirely a guy thing. Where are all the women at?

redblues

Where are all the women at?

France
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMAjdsa3 ... r_embedded

BluesBop Harry

Hey man! That's a great idea!
You can put a capo in the first fret after detuning and before disassembling and the strings won't tangle up.
I was looking for a Steinberger but your idea will fit my needs better...
Have you found a way to reattach the pickups?

Ian Rossiter

Goldtone makes a 6 string mandolin/octave guitar that is kinda neat. I tried one awile back and for 2-300 bucks, it was actually kinda cool. If I had the extra $$$ that day, I would have bought it.
I had a Stienberger Spirit a few years ago, and it was a great travel guitar. I took it everywhere.

HotTinRoof

Just breakout the old band saw eh?

I bought a Traveler guitar a few years ago. Now hangs in my office. Same idea just more expensive. Traveler mounts the tuners in the body so they can have a full size neck while still keeping the whole instrument relatively short. Plays pretty well. All one needs is a pair of headphones, a 9volt for the active Piezzo pickup, and you are good to go. Have played it on planes a few times when I'm lucky enough to not have anyone sitting on my left.

Escape Steel String.


http://www.travelerguitar.com/products/

Steveareno

I recently got a little Aria G-uke for travelling. It's got a 6 string short scale classical guitar neck, stuck on a tenor size uke body. Tuned up to A (like a guitar capoed on the 5th fret). Got a tenor uke Kala gig bag, fits under the seat on a plane and weighs next to nothing. Played it in the Philly airport departure area and sports bar (flight delayed 4 hours)....and in a car on the way to AC. Really small and weighs next to nothing. Sounds pretty darn good for what they are. A music store in FL sells 'em on flea-bay. Women like it cause "it's cute". I'd post a pic, but can't figure out how to do it?
Swang on,

everett

have you guys seen this lehmann travel guitar? it's pretty expensive, but looks interesting. i've also wondered if anyone actually travels with a dupont nomade? i'd love to hear some thoughts about that..

http://lehmannstrings.com/images/399_23.jpg
http://lehmannstrings.com/images/399_17.jpg

HotTinRoof

I like my traveler guitar because I can throw its soft case over a shoulder and carry it on along with my shoulder bag. A full size guitar, even if it's a breakdown guitar like the Nomad or Lehman looks to take up an entire suitcase. It's difficult enough to remain within airline weight regulations and number of bags these days. Dedicating an entire suitcase to a guitar,... Meh, I might as well just bring the real deal in a flight case.

I'm curious if the Nomad has heavy reinforced neck bolt sleeves inset in the body as taking the neck on and off constantly I can imagine would slowly destabilize the joint.