Electric Travel Guitars?

Islandape

Well, I'm another refugee from the MR forum, given up waiting for them to sort things.  Glad to see so many names I remember as helpful!

Anyway, I'm off on my holidays in four weeks and taking my Hofner Shorty off the wall I rediscovered that it's so neck heavy it's unplayable for me.  I can't face taking that on holiday again so I either find an alternative or don't play for a fortnight.

Looking around, the only electric travel guitar that has a standard scale length/tuning, packs small, is light and looks reasonable quality is this theBone Mosquito.  Over £600 is a lot of money for something that will mostly be used when I'm away as I have a two really nice electrics at home already - although as it packs down to hand luggage size maybe that justifies the price.  I don't mind paying if I have to but I'd like to know if anyone's played one as it doesn't look £680 worth.

The alternative are the Traveller guitars but I've heard comments that suggest the quality isn't that great, and anything else starts to look like a 16 year old's woodwork project.

Funnily enough, if I wanted an acoustic there seems to be more choice, but an electric is the way to go if you're in a hotel I think.

Any thoughts?

scrumhalf

I used to own a Pigonse travel guitar with built-in amp. From memory it was short-scale, but I could be wrong.

I just saw one this afternoon in the sadly-going-down-the-hill Electrohill.

rpr

Vox do  wee Phantom/Teardrop guitars with built in effects, drum machine .amp, speakers'

However how about a Danelectro -their small, very, very light, the neck is bolt on so could be removed. also being hollow bodied their loud enough to be be satisfying without an amp and sound amazing thru one.

octatonic

I play this:

http://www.jamesrichmond.com/misc/forshage/completed/IMG_5615.jpg

Not exactly a budget purchase though.

Jalapeno

A Spirit by Stienberger, or a Hohner G3  -  I have one of the former, fits across a large suitcase.

Plug it into an iPod or iPad with a iRig attachment.

TTony

I found playaway guitars to have a pretty good range of options, and the guy who runs it was both knowledgeable and helpful.  And patient!

http://www.playawayguitars.com/

Islandape

Just like the old forum, lots of helpful folks with good suggestions =D>

The main problem with all of these is weight.  Even the Pignose is a pound heavier than the Shorty and we have trouble hitting the weight restrictions as it is after packing essentials like the wife's high-tech electric rotating hot brush...

So still looks like the theBone or nowt or packing no spare clothes.

TTony, I've looked at that site before as it seems to have all of the suspects in travel guitars - you'd recommend them as selling decent gear then?  There seems to be a no questions asked returns policy which reassures me.

octatonic

We're here to help.

TTony

Islandape said:

TTony, I've looked at that site before as it seems to have all of the suspects in travel guitars - you'd recommend them as selling decent gear then?  There seems to be a no questions asked returns policy which reassures me.

I spent a couple of hours there, a few years ago now.  The guy who ran it (still runs it AFAIK), certainly knew his stuff, offered advice based on what I was looking for, and didn't try to upsell me something that I didn't want.

Hence I have no reservation about recommending him.

Chuffola

I took a wee cheap Tele to France this year along with my iRig and some headphones.

Just took the neck off, put it all in one suitcase and a new packet of strings.

Bought the Tele for £60 - think its a Korean Squire with top loader bridge and belly cut - althoug someone had previously put a Fender decal on the headstock. Needed a neck shim but its great. Tonerider pups.  It also needed a new switch and when I took the control cavity out it had a "Made in Japan" sticker on it...

No idea what the history is but it's a cracking Tele now.

Anyway, it was all painless and easy to do without worrying that bits would break in the hold. Staved off withdrawal symptoms for the 2 weeks perfectly! You could probably fit it all in backpack 

ICBM

I was playing one of these the other day:

http://static.music123.com/derivates/18/001/199/423/DV016_Jpg_Large_241928.757_usa.jpg

Amazingly - particularly when you look at the size of the silly headstock! - it balanced very well. Sitting down, with my right arm resting very lightly on the body I could take my left hand away and it didn't fall off. The onboard amp is dreadful though - yes, that is a speaker behind the black circle in the front - but it has an output jack which bypasses it too. Apparently there is a more expensive version with a whole built-in FX unit in the side, but I haven't seen one.

It does come in other colours too... although they all have that daft headstock.

Majorscale

I sometimes pack a Mini-May... surprisingly good sound (very red special) although the super short scale means tuning up to a higher register to maintain string tension.

DrBob

Jalapeno said:

A Spirit by Stienberger, or a Hohner G3  -  I have one of the former, fits across a large suitcase.

Plug it into an iPod or iPad with a iRig attachment.

Yeah same here. I've got one of those long wheelie sportsbag type cases and the Steinberger fits end to end so what I do is wrap my clothes around the guitar to make a sort of 'sausage roll' with the guitar being the meat filling and the clothes the flaky pastry (too much detail ?). I've gotten away with it so far but I suspect that given the soft shell nature of the bag it will ultimately go wrong...
That said my latest Steiny is kind of unusual in that although it's got the smaller body it's actually got a bolt on neck (the 'cricket bat' ones are more usually neck thru with the mini Strat ones being the bolt ons) so I could make it even smaller I suppose.

Niallmo

I've just got a Hofner Shorty.  Really nice, 24 frets 24.75" scale. I like it, it plays and sounds like a full size guitar and it was £89 New, Boxed with travel bag and delivered from Umbrella music!  Will get a NGD up at some point....

ICBM

Steinberger through-neck cricket bats are almost indestructible. I remember seeing some footage of JJ Burnel going completely ballistic on one and it was still in tune afterwards.

Islandape

Interesting seeing the comments on the thread - thanks   Good luck with the Shorty Niallmo, I know they work for some folks - just not me I guess.

The comments about the Steinberger are interesting.  I wanted once ever since I saw one in the 80s and it was my first choice as an upgrade to the Shorty.  The trouble for me was the weight seems to be about 7lbs for the Spirits and still over 6 for the more upmarket ones - just too heavy for the amount of baggage I end up taking for a two week trip. This also counts out the cheap Tele etc. and a screwdriver approach.

So I've decided to splash out on the theBone Mosquito on the grounds it's 4lbs with the gig bag, just over three without and it breaks down and packs small enough for hand luggage.  It's a bit of a risk as there's not many reviews on it, but he very nice chap I spoke to (you were right TTony) at Playaway is willing to refund it less postage if I don't like it.  He's was as happy to sell me a Traveller at half the price and seems honest enough.  What decided me is that ultimately the Mosquito is the smallest full scale guitar packed I can find and about the lightest - trouble is it seems you have to pay for that.  There's a gap in the market for someone there I think, as it should be possible to make something similarly small for about half the money.

I'm not a great guitarist by any means but I'll post impressions once I've had a bit of time with it.

grungebob

Forgive my ignorance but how do you guys have time to play on holidays? Normally I'm so busy doing stuff I've barely time to sleep.

DrBob

grungebob said:

Forgive my ignorance but how do you guys have time to play on holidays? Normally I'm so busy doing stuff I've barely time to sleep.

Mine's more for when I'm away working to try and keep me out of the bar of an evening..

Islandape

grungebob said:

Forgive my ignorance but how do you guys have time to play on holidays? Normally I'm so busy doing stuff I've barely time to sleep.

We like to split a holiday equally between seeing the local culture and chilling.  As the wife likes the sun and as I have the complexion of a banker vampire, she sits in the sun, I plug in the Amphones.

Then I start on the local beer and it all goes a bit Pete Tong :-\"

octatonic

grungebob said:

Forgive my ignorance but how do you guys have time to play on holidays? Normally I'm so busy doing stuff I've barely time to sleep.

I don't take a guitar on holidays.

I have a headless guitar for other reasons.

grungebob

Cool thanks I get the picture better now!