As guitarists, our hobby and joy shouldn’t stop us as soon as we leave the space or practice session room. Sometimes, when you’re on the go; Whether it’s for painting or just for fun, you should be able to take your music with you. That’s where the most productive guitars come in.
Travel guitars are smaller, more compact tools that are easier to carry with you. If you’re going on vacation and space in the car is tight, a guitar will have compatibility in a much smaller area than a full-size guitar. Some of them are even compatible with a backpack so you can carry them on a plane as luggage in the car.
Whether you prefer to play acoustic or electric, we’ve handpicked the best guitars we’ve got on offer lately to make sure the music doesn’t have to get in the way when you’re out on the road.
This 3/4 length dreadnought delivers all the quality and projection you’d expect from one of the biggest names in the acoustic world, only in a length that can be taken anywhere without breaking your back. Or rather, your wallet.
read below
The Martin Backpacker has a unique frame shape, that’s for sure, but coming from a brand like Martin, you can be sure that this guitar will perform brilliantly. What surprised us was the volume and projection of this small guitar, thanks in part to the forged mahogany used in the frame.
Read below
The Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro Deluxe fits the guitar bill perfectly thanks to its unique length and shape. Despite its smaller body, the Spirit GT-Pro Deluxe features a 25. 5″ scale, making the true gaming master larger than a popular Les Paul.
Read below
Immediately you can see the strong Stratocaster contours of the pickguard, the 3 single coil pickups and the knobs. However, those with eagle eyes will have noticed that everything not below the pickguard on the frame has been shaved, leaving a guitar that is 35% lighter and 14% shorter than a regular Stratocaster.
Read below
It’s a short-scale travel electric guitar with a single mini-humbucker, a two-piece poplar body, a bolt-on neck, and pretty powerful tuners. It is not smaller than it really is, although it is already very compact. And if you literally want it, you can remove its neck, if you keep it in a suitcase, for example.
Read below
The Shorty provides total familiarity that, combined with its small body, allows for a comfortable gaming experience. The undeniable humbucker on the bridge is meaty enough to pop your favorite riffs, while you’ll immediately feel right at home with the vintage maple/rosewood neck. and tuning fork.
Read below
Load the next 2 products. . . ↓
This comfortable folding acoustic is ideal for players who need something quality but at an affordable price. It has a forged spruce top and laminated mahogany back and sides. You can get wonderful sound whether playing with a pick or with your fingers. It’s dynamic and while it may not be as loud as a full-sized guitar, it can still produce a good amount of volume.
Read below
This is a style for serious acoustic musicians. It comes with a hefty price tag, but you can get some serious sounds with this guitar. With a very sensitive forged red cedar and a forged African mahogany back and sides, the Little Jane Furch produces a beautiful, rich and balanced sound with a clever amount of projection.
Read below
Our opinion:
If you like more extravagant travel guitar styles, the Baby Taylor might be it. This 3/4-length dreadnought offers all the quality and projection you expect from one of the biggest names in the acoustic world, only in a length that can be taken anywhere without breaking your back. Or rather, your wallet.
The Baby Taylor would be the best choice as a second (or third) guitar in anyone’s collection, designed to be stored in the included case and taken anywhere. Players with larger hands will possibly feel a little cramped when navigating the 22. 75-inch guitar. scale, however, for most people, Baby Taylor is easy to recommend.
Our opinion:
We weren’t lying when we said that guitars can be a little visually jarring. The Martin Backpacker has a unique frame shape, that’s for sure, but coming from a brand like Martin, you can be sure that this guitar will work wonders. What surprised us was the volume and projection of this small guitar, thanks in part to the forged mahogany used in the frame.
Originally introduced in 1992, the Martin Backpacker has carved out a niche for itself in the world of guitars and its exceptional build quality means it will last for many years to come.
Our opinion:
Although not officially advertised as a travel guitar, the Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro Deluxe is the best fit due to its unique length and shape. Steinberger’s vintage “headless” design is friendly and present, creating the same ambitious look as its more beloved companions, but the decision to use wood instead of composite fabrics makes the whole thing more cost-effective and travel-friendly.
Despite its smaller body, the Spirit GT-Pro Deluxe features a 25. 5″ scale, making the actual gaming dominance larger than that of a popular Les Paul. It is also rare to find bodies with necks at this point of value, making it a smart model. An expensive tool no matter how you use it.
Our opinion:
This is called “cognitive dissonance. ” You question that shock you feel when something you know is right. The Traveler Travelcaster Deluxe is a relative example; When looking at it, you can immediately see the sharp contours of the Stratocaster pickguard, the 3 single-coil pickups and the knobs. Still, the eagle eyes among you will have noticed that everything that is rarely found under the pickguard in the frame has been shaved, leaving a guitar that is 35% lighter and 14% shorter than a regular Stratocaster.
Weighing just five pounds, the Travelcaster Deluxe may take some time to adjust visually, but in use it offers the same Strat experience, a 25. 5-inch scale length, and the tonal versatility of those pickups. If you can triumph over cognitive dissonance, it might be the best guitar for you.
Read the full Traveler Travelcaster Deluxe review
Our opinion:
It’s a short-scale travel electric guitar with a single mini-humbucker, a two-piece poplar body, a bolt-on neck, and pretty powerful tuners. It is not smaller than it really is, although it is already very compact. And if you literally want it, you can remove its neck, if you keep it in a suitcase, for example.
It plays very well and doesn’t take long to readjust to the shorter 20. 7-inch scale length – young beginners may find that they can also play chords and stretch between frets more easily. The mini-humbucker covers a lot of floor and will therefore suit any musical taste it may offer you. Whether you’re playing blank or super distorted, this little thing can make a big impact!
There is a more expensive edition that costs about twice as much with some upgrades, but in terms of value for money, we think the Blackstar Carry-On ST is one of the most productive guitars on the market.
Our opinion:
The Hofner Shorty has been around since the 1980s and has long been a favorite of gamers looking for a portable power device they can travel with. It provides total familiarity that, combined with the small body, allows for a comfortable gaming experience. The undeniable humbucker in the bridge is meaty enough to blast your favorite riffs, while you’ll immediately feel at home with the vintage maple/rosewood neck and fingerboard.
Of course, you may not win any awards for tone and you’re unlikely to see them used in Album of the Year contenders, but as an affordable way to add a bit of portability to your lineup, the Hofner Shorty is fine. value considering.
Our opinion:
This comfortable foldable acoustic makes it one of the most productive guitars for players who need something quality yet affordable. It has a forged spruce top and laminated mahogany sides and back. You can get a wonderful sound whether you play with a pick or your fingers. It’s dynamic, and while it may not be as loud as a full-sized guitar, it can still produce a fair amount of volume.
It fits perfectly into the included padded backpack and can be assembled in 20 seconds. Simply place the neck in position, snap it into place, and secure it to the back of the body. Then you will have a guitar with a scale of 23 inches. Duration in playable condition. It’s great for experienced players who need something that sounds wonderful on their travels (the bag can be compatible with many airplane seats), but it’s also a great amateur guitar for kids.
Our opinion:
This is definitely one of the most productive guitars for serious acoustic players. It has a high price, but you can get some serious sounds with this guitar. Featuring a forged red cedar finish and forged African mahogany back and sides, the Furch Little Jane produces a beautiful, rich, balanced sound with an intelligent amount of projection.
The guitar can be folded and stored in a backpack (included). The headstock, handle and frame are space-saving apart, but can be assembled in one piece very temporarily and easily. Once the mast is locked to Furch’s patented meeting system, you’ll be in a position to play and even tune back in.
The included backpack is well padded and will ensure that you are sufficiently protected when traveling. Acoustic guitars rarely sound this good, and to be fair the price reflects this, but it’s actually one of the most productive on the market.
Basically, a travel guitar is a guitar designed with portability and mobility in mind as a key feature. This often means that the guitar has a particularly small frame or weight and provides creative answers to common problems such as tuning or storage. From design to construction, the Travel Guitar is designed to be stored in a bag and carried anywhere, in each and every place and in any and all positions in between.
As we know, standard-sized guitars can be too big, too heavy, or too sensitive to carry around with you for long periods of time. Therefore, travel guitars offer a specialized tool for those specific situations. Actually, you might not find many. They consult musicians who are looking for the guitar to get the best sound, but that’s not what it’s for. Portability, size and weight are the order of the day here, and it helps that today there are guitars on the market that also attend to that other very important element: tone.
At first glance, seeing a dedicated travel guitar may be a bit shocking. They often have some pretty striking aesthetic differences compared to regular guitars. It’s like searching for something known, but in a very different way. Manufacturers We employ all kinds of measures to reduce the length and overall weight of the guitar, and it is not uncommon to see guitars without a headstock, or with radically different shaped bodies, or even without a frame. Even so, a guitar still wants to perform, so it is mandatory to have tuners, a bridge and other must-have components.
There are two primary schools of ideas when it comes to guitars. The first is to take a full-size guitar and hit it with a retractable radio, keeping relatively the same proportions but in a smaller overall package. This technique ensures that the tool maintains its familiarity and also makes it appealing to younger students.
The other technique involves completely redesigning the instrument, perhaps taking the pegs and installing them in the body. Of course, such drastic design adjustments can create other problems, so you may see them compensated for by the inclusion of detachable armrests and legs, for example. While those guitars may seem unfamiliar, the gaming experience deserves to be largely the same as playing with a regular guitar. The scale lengths, fret placement, and pitch will be the same, even if the physical shape of the guitar is different.
If you’ve never had the chance to play a guitar, you’re probably looking for the best guitars on this list and wondering if they can be played the same way as a regular guitar. The good news is that yes, they are surely playable. In the same way that going from the slim neck of an Ibanez RG style electric guitar to a 50s style Stratocaster neck would possibly require a bit of a readjustment in your technique, switching from a regular guitar to some guitars will as well. However, it is not complicated to solve it. You may also want to sit differently to accommodate the smaller body, but since those guitars are inherently lighter, it shouldn’t cause too many headaches. Or more precisely, back pain.
All the most productive travel guitars can be electric or acoustic. Electric devices tend to be thinner, as the frame doesn’t need to resonate as much to get a stylish sound, although it’s worth remembering that an amplifier is needed to get the most out of it. outside the. The frame of a travel acoustic will usually be deeper, but this way you can get a loud enough sound without any amplification.
The quality of the most productive travel guitars varies and, as you can imagine, increases as you spend more money. As the price increases, you’ll most likely find better hardware, which can not only help keep the guitar in a good mood and game, but can also improve its sound, increasing resonance and sustain.
On electrical devices, look for higher-quality microphones – they’ll be more dynamic and have a wider frequency diversity for more detail and clarity. With travel acoustic guitars, get higher quality and even forged woods that will give you higher quality. Richer, more responsive and richer sound.
The breadth of today’s guitar diversity means that there is a guitar suitable for the maximum of styles and genres of play. So, the quick answer is yes, there’s a guitar for everyone. In terms of scenarios, guitars are, as the call suggests, designed to be used in places that regular guitars can’t reach.
Small enough to carry on your back when you’re climbing a mountain or taking a plane in your carry-on, guitars give musicians the freedom and convenience of being able to play anywhere, anytime. For this, we congratulate you. Let’s take a look at some of the most productive guitar features available today.
Travel guitars, in addition to being the most productive accompaniment for a musician on the go, can also be wonderful tools for children. If you’re looking for one of the most productive guitars for a child to start their guitar journey, look for one with a shorter scale length. This means that the notes will be closer in combination and less difficult for small hands to handle.
Speaking of short fretboards, it’s also worth considering the gauge of the strings you use. The strings of a guitar with a shorter scale duration will feel thinner; They will be less difficult to bend and possibly even feel too loose for some. Guitarists. One way to meet this challenge is to use thicker strings, so any string like 12 on an electric guitar can also make them look a little more like 10 on a full-size guitar. However, if you’re just starting out, thinner, tighter strings can be larger so they don’t damage your fingertips as much.
At MusicRadar, we are experts in our field, with many years of playing, creating, and testing products with each other. We live and breathe all things musical, and we tap into that wisdom and delight live products, recording, and practice. Session scenarios when deciding on products for our guides.
In opting for what we believe are the most productive guitars available today, we combine hands-on experience, user reviews and testimonials, and engage in lengthy discussions with our editorial colleagues to reach a consensus on the most productive products in a given category. .
We are musicians first and foremost and we need other musicians to find the right product for them. That’s why we’ve thoughtfully thought about everything from budget to features, ease of use and durability, to come up with a list of what we can do safely. They say they are the most productive guitars on the market right now.
Learn more about how we test music devices and on MusicRadar.
Chris Corfield is a journalist with over 12 years writing for some of the biggest music brands, including Orange Amplification, MusicRadar, Guitar World, Total Guitar, and Dawsons Music. Chris loves to get nerdy with everything from guitar and bass gear to synthesizers, microphones, DJ gear, and music production equipment.
“Progressive rock legends Genesis pushed musical boundaries”: note four inspiring chords from their time Peter Gabriel
“It has 286 effects modules and complex amp models”: Mooer Audio introduces the GE200 Pro, a feature-rich multi-effects with integrated Groove Station and a 3. 5-inch LED for budget-conscious users
“The Future of Analog Synthesis”: Moog Officially Announces Long-Rumored Muse Synthesizer
MusicRadar is from Future plc, a leading foreign media organization and virtual publisher. Visit our corporate website.