practicalities of using a bolt on neck guitar as a "travel guitar"

nickp

I've tried a hofner travel guitar but it was just horrible.

is anyone in the habit of taking say a cheap tele copy on holiday, unbolting the neck and slinging it in the suitcase.

is it OK and fairly quick and easy?

just wondering

ta 

Nick

octatonic

Works for Bill Kirchen (US country legend)

He tours with a tele, in his suitcase.

You might want to think about, instead of screwing right into the wood, using some threaded bolts.

If you are taking the neck off all the time you will eventually wear away the wood with the screws.

(This is what Bill Kirchen does too).

underdog

As above if you're going to be regularly taking it off threaded bolts would be better. Other than that just capo on first fret to keep strings in place, would take few minutes to bolts back together and tune up.

Corvus

Threaded inserts/bushes and a conversion to bolts instead of woodscrews, is what Bill Kirchen has. He did that to take his as hand luggage.
But if it's not coming off every 5 mins normal screws will be fine, though I'd replace the shitty soft ones copies normally have with good ones ( genuine are cheap enough).

DrBob

Before I got my Steinberger I did just that. Tele with threaded inserts in the neck & machine screws, capo on the first fret, worked fine, I could be up & running in fifteen minutes.
Did seem to kill the strings a bit quicker than usual though, I'm guessing the up & down in tension exacts a toll.
Tried doing it with my Strat as well but that guitar has Sperzel locking tuners. Don't know if I'm doing it wrong but I found that the strings would often snap at the peg when I brought them back up to tension. Was fine on the Tele with Kluson split posts.

nickp

thanks everyone

I'll be looking for an el cheapo tele copy before my next holiday then

Sassafras

Try to get one made of basswood, it's a lot lighter.

streethawk

Obligatory Erlewine:

If you mate the screw with the hole, back off a turn, then screw into the wood, you should retain the integrity of the original threaded hole.

Corvus

Bit of soap on the threads of woodscrews too, after a time or three there's prob enough in the threaded wood to not need to keep doing it.

ICBM

streethawk said:

Obligatory Erlewine:

If you mate the screw with the hole, back off a turn, then screw into the wood, you should retain the integrity of the original threaded hole.

+1

It's essential to let the screw find the original thread - that way it will be reusable a large number of times. If you make the screw cut a new thread it will strip after only a few times.

Jalapeno

Threaded bolts is what I'd do.

Or a Steinberger (which is my current travel preference). Spirit by Steinberger are circa £250 new (Thomann doesn't have any at the moment for some reason). Hohner used to do a Steinberger copy, and another headless called "The Jack" which had a bigger body - which I used to have - fitted in a Samsonite.

Sassafras

I'm going to invent a guitar with a telescopic neck and strings on little wheels that wind back like vacuum cleaner cables. Possibly robot tuners as well.

Should make a fortune.

Elwood

I traveled for work with a bullet strat - body in my soft hold bag and neck in my hand luggage. It stuck out the top but didn't cause me any problems.

Rox

Sassafras said:

I'm going to invent a guitar with a telescopic neck and strings on little wheels that wind back like vacuum cleaner cables. Possibly robot tuners as well.

Should make a fortune.

That's Gibson's 2016 line sorted.

Sassafras

Yeah, well I won't be refunding anyone's money no matter how good their reviews are.

GazLion

Or, take a ukulele!

A5D5E5

The guitar in my avatar is my travel guitar - a Steinberger with a removable neck. I have used threaded inserts like a few people above have suggested.  Being headless it reduces the length of the neck even more and using double ball end strings is very handy as well - easy to take off and put on. 

Cost me £200 on eBay plus a few pence for the inserts. 

Lodious

I did exactly this with my K Line Tele when I was working in Aberdeen. Worked a treat, fitted in a medium size suitcase with no problems. I took a set of strings, a string winder/cutter and a screwdriver. I just wrapped clothes around the body and neck so it was protected and made sure the screws for the neck were kept away from the neck and body. Suitcase went up as checked baggage with no problems.

nickp

might do this - never built one but how hard can it be!

http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_eguitar_kit_tstyle.htm