Travel guitars

stufisher

Visited a couple of guitar stores in Glasgow this week and tried out a few smaller guitars because I am thinking I'd like to have one with me when out and about in my campervan.

I like the Yamaha APXT2 and the Alvarez AP66 parlour guitar but I've now noticed that there is such a big choice available and I know nothing about the subject matter. I've even seen reviews of the Hofner HCT Shorty today and I am now tempted by such.

What recommendations do people have for smaller, travel-friendly guitars under £250?

bertie

if its for pretty much solely for using/keeping in your van,  stick with small bodied/parlor  -   Id only consider the really small "backpacker" type  or the Faith "folding/removable neck" type if space was a #1 key issue.

Baby  Taylors can be got quite "cheaply" and are fun to and easy to play 

Tannin

I've thought about it too, @stufisher I do long outback trips and I can't sensibly take my good acoustic instruments with me - heat, humidity, sand, you name it. So I've vaguely looked (online only) at the likes of Lava and Rainsong, and I mostly end up looking at Emerald - but for the price of an Emerald (or a Rainsong!) I could buy another nice all-solid guitar from Maton or Martin or Taylor or Takamine ... so I go cold and forget about it. 

But for me, carbon fibre is obviously the way to go for travel. Physical size is no big deal, but immunity to heat and cold and humidity changes would e a game changer. 

Nothing useful to add, but I'll watch this thread with interest.

richman6100

My son has a Baby Taylor that we tend to take away on UK holidays. It's tiny and dead easy to play, but inevitably a bit boxy sounding. The GS Mini is a noticeably better guitar in my opinion, but obviously bigger and possibly more than you'd want to spend. I do have a lovely Auden Marlow parlour. Its body is small and comfortable, but being a full length guitar, it's not what I'd really consider a travel guitar. If you're going to leave it in your campervan and not lug it about in a backpack, then go for whatever size you can easily store in the vehicle. As @Tannin says, any acoustic stored in a vehicle in hot weather could suffer, so carbon fibre makes a lot of sense if you can push your budget a bit higher.

guitarjack66

I had an APXT2 and it was a nice guitar and sounded very good. It was just too small overall and I didnt like the nut width or neck design. Paid 200 from Peach Guitars and sold it about 9 months later.

Tannin

I've played a Taylor GS Mini and been amazed at how good it sounded and felt  - and this is coming from a guitar snob who doesn't generally say nice things about laminated guitars, let alone short scale ones. They are remarkable. 

stufisher

I've just stumbled upon this  ... anyone tried out one? Looks interesting to me and deffo will cope with dimensional stability in hotter/colder climes.

LastMantra

I've got a small (don't know the correct size/shape terminology) Seagull acoustic I bought as a wee beater I wouldn't mind taking out and about. My son has taken to it now though but better than wrecking my guitars. It's laminate so maybe a bit more sturdy? Cost around 300 a good few years ago. I like it, it sounds pretty nice and not too boxy or anything. 

bertie

Tannin said:

I've played a Taylor GS Mini 

which is, alas, nearly double the OPs  budget, even used.

Gandalph

bertie said:

Tannin said:

I've played a Taylor GS Mini 

which is, alas, nearly double the OPs  budget, even used.

One went for £252 on eBay the other day. They do fluctuate in price a bit but I've seen all hog versions sell at £300. 

bertie

Gandalph said:

bertie said:

Tannin said:

I've played a Taylor GS Mini 

which is, alas, nearly double the OPs  budget, even used.

One went for £252 on eBay the other day. They do fluctuate in price a bit but I've seen all hog versions sell at £300. 

blink eck -  every one (about 6 or 7 ) Ive seen in the last couple of months was over £400  -  babys are much cheaper as are big babies  -  personally the GSs are about the best / best value guitars Taylor do (Ive owned a 612 and 614)  the baby's make great "beach/travel"  guitars IMHO

Gandalph

bertie said:

Gandalph said:

bertie said:

Tannin said:

I've played a Taylor GS Mini 

which is, alas, nearly double the OPs  budget, even used.

One went for £252 on eBay the other day. They do fluctuate in price a bit but I've seen all hog versions sell at £300. 

blink eck -  every one (about 6 or 7 ) Ive seen in the last couple of months was over £400  -  babys are much cheaper as are big babies  -  personally the GSs are about the best / best value guitars Taylor do (Ive owned a 612 and 614)  the baby's make great "beach/travel"  guitars IMHO

Agreed, I've had most of the various gs mini wood combo's with the exception of Rosewood and Ovangkol. The last koa one I had I should never have sold...but I did. 

guitarjack66

There was a Taylor travel guitar in the classifieds on here for a while. Was selling for around 200-250. Think it may have sold now though.

paulnb57

I take a Gretch Jim Dandy in the MoHo

Stavros

I had a Hofner Shorty for a little while with an Amplug thingy and sure, it’s portable but I couldn’t get on with it - neck heavy and I’m not keen on using wired headphones with a guitar.

Kilgore

Sigma TM12 and TM15 are under £300. Both are a mini dreadnought style. 

danishbacon

The Yamaha silent guitar can be had used around £300 i think

BillDL

The Hofner Shorty is impossible to balance on your knee to play it without having to support the neck all the time with your fretting hand.  It is possible to lie on a couch and play it though. On a strap it will neck dive all the time, even with a suede strap and a cotton shirt.  I modified both of mine by drilling a hole into the upper body at an angle and making a telescopic extension using hollow aluminium tubing that slides in and out the hole, and drilled a hole through the body for a locking pin to secure the extension when fully extended.  I fixed a button for Schaller style strap locks into the end of the tubing.  It sticks out by about 7 inches when extended, so the strap button is almost as far forward as a guitar with an upper horn, but it is still slightly neck heavy because there isn't really any mass to what little body there is behind the bridge.

With that said, however, it has a really nice satin neck that is quite a thin profile, it was quite well fretted, and the humbucker (mine's the single pickup, not the"deluxe" 2 humbucker version) has plenty of grunt.

I further adapted my other one to fit an internal battery operated 2 watt amp (switchable for output socket or internal amp) and a recessed flush small diameter speaker right under the strings between the pickup and the neck.  I cut a new pickguard that went under the strings and cut slots in it to act as the speaker grille.  I used an old Grundig car speaker.  That idea was taken directly from my 1982 Hofner catalogue where they had photos and description of their Shorty "Super" model that had a 1 watt amp.  I'm not sure if they still make one with a built-in speaker.

There is one other option to ultra-portable scaled down guitars, and that is the "Guitelele" (various spellings of this).  basically 6 nylon strings tuned up from standard E tuning to A on a standard width neck fixed to what amounts to a large ukulele body.  Although it might seem to be something of a novelty, a well made guitelele is a serious instrument but one that takes a bit of practice to feel right.  I have the Cordoba Mini R that has solid spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides, wood binding/purfling, inlaid wood rosette, mahogany neck, rosewood fretboard, 50mm bone nut, and 18 frets on a 510mm (20 1/8") scale length.  It uses bridge pins, so you need to tie knots in the strings, and it sounds a lot better with strings designed for the A tuning.

My model is now referred to as the Mini M (mahogany), O (ovankol), or SM (spalted maple).  The "Mini II" version was realeased after I bought my guitar.  It has a longer scale length, tie-on bridge, and is tuned to standard E.  They no longer do a rosewood body, but have Paduak, Ebony, and Mahogany:

The Cordoba range filtered to only Mini guitars with solid woods.

Obviously this type of guitar would only be of interest if you actually like playing nylon strings.

Musicwolf

danishbacon said:

The Yamaha silent guitar can be had used around £300 i think

This is what I have, and I think that I did pay around £300 secondhand.

SlopeSoarer

I have a Faith Nomad Saturn Mini which I love, I'm sure you would pick one up second hand for £200ish.

Grampa

I've been hunting around for a small acoustic as per the OP and had convinced myself that I wanted a GS Mini. My 2 electrics are an unmolested PRS MEQ and a modified PRS SE ZM so tried a PRS SE P20, it immediately felt right for me. Worth a look for a well made great sounding Parlour guitar and on sale for now at Peach for £299 with free delivery. I ended up buying one yesterday for Tuesday delivery.