The Best Travel Guitar for Every Musician – Buyer’s Guide

The guitar is one of the most popular and in-demand musical instruments. It has become a very ingrained part of modern life. One of the most popular types of guitar available in the market is the travel guitar. This article will list down some of the best travel guitars that you can check out.

From teenagers to adults, everybody loves this musical instrument. The entertainment and media culture has contributed to making their popularity soar. There are many types of guitars available in the market today, from acoustic guitars to electric guitars, and each has its own features.

The guitar is divided into two types that are, acoustic and electric. Then the other are sub-types of these two guitars. There are many reasons why this musical instrument is so popular, and some of the most important reasons are given below

• Easy to learn

Compared with many other musical instruments, the basics of a guitar are easier to learn. Of course, to be an expert, dedication and practice are major requirements, just like in learning any other instrument.

• They are polyphonic

Guitars are very versatile in terms of sounds and tones. You can play any song you want with a guitar. From a heart-breaking song to a funky rock song to a romantic song, this instrument will give you the perfect sounds and tunes to accompany your music mood.

• It affordable

You would think such a popular instrument must cost a fortune, but no, guitars come in a variety of price ranges. From a cheap price range to an expensive price range, you can choose them according to your budget.

• It has cool looks

This may sound like a ridiculous reason, but many people learn to play guitar just because it looks ‘cool’ Who wouldn’t want to be the ‘cool’ person in the social circle who is surrounded by people just because they can play guitar!

• Convenient for traveling

Guitars are very comfortable and convenient to take on travel. You can travel on the road with your music, and the best travel guitar has made it even more convenient to travel with your favorite instrument.

Many types of guitars are famous today. But mainly two are the most well-known, and they are acoustic and electric guitars. Given below is a list of some of the different types of guitars.

1. Acoustic Guitar– This type of guitar also has two types that are steel-string acoustic guitar and classical guitar. Steel-stringed guitars are also known as flat tops, which refer to the front of the guitar.

Classical guitars have nylon strings, and their neck is wide than steel-stringed guitars. They are famous for their solo classical guitar repertoire. Acoustic guitars are relatively easy to use and have gentle arpeggios.

2. Electric Guitars– These guitars are solid-bodied, and designed to be plugged into an amplifier. They produce metallic sounds along with a lengthy decay.

The electric guitar strings are easier to use as they are thinner compared to acoustic guitars. They are ideal guitars for fret-tapping due to their sensitive pick-ups, low action, and thin strings.

3. Electro-acoustic guitars– These guitars are also known as semi-acoustic guitars. The pick-ups are made for neutral sounds, with little alterations to the acoustic tones. These guitars have pickups specially designed to reproduce the subtle nuances of acoustic guitar.
4. Twelve-string Guitars– They have a regular 6-string set along with a second set of thinner strings. This guitar is a variation of the 6- string design. The 12-string guitar is played in the same way as a 6- string guitar.

They produce a more bright and jangly tone compared to the regular 6 strings. These guitars are used as rhythmic instruments.

5. Archtop Guitars– These guitars are very famous for jazz guitarists. They create a timbre that is mellow and acoustic. The archtop is a hollow guitar that can be acoustic or electric. They are identical in design with the only difference of additional electric magnetic pickups and pots.
6. Bass guitars– A standard bass guitar has 4 strings. It has a long neck with thick strings. There are also 5 and 6 strings available in the bass guitars. they are famous with their bass players.
7. Double neck guitars– The standard double-neck guitars have a 6-string neck with a combination of 12-string necks. They are designed to let the guitarist easily switch between the necks.

Travel guitars are the best alternative to regular guitars for many reasons. They are made for people who like to bring their guitars with them during travel. As such they are made to be comfortable and convenient during travels.

Regular guitars are heavy and larger in comparison to travel guitars and therefore can also count as extra baggage during traveling making you cost more. But travel guitars are easy to fit and carry anywhere.

best travel guitars are also safer to bring on travels because if any accidental case if they are damaged it will be fine when compared with the damage of an expensive regular guitar.

Travel guitars are great for beginners as they are small in size, cheap, and have all the necessities for learning. So if you are a beginner at learning guitar instead of going for the expensive regular guitar you can choose the best travel guitar.

Although good budget travel guitar is available as cheap travel guitars it does not compromise on the quality of sound. They will give you the same sound quality as any other regular guitar.

Best travel guitar: Buying Guide

Buying the best travel guitar can be difficult with so many top travel guitars available in the market. The following list of what factors you should look for when buying the best travel guitar will help you with getting the best budget travel guitar

1. Size of the fretboard: Fretboard is part of the guitar where all the metal frets are attached along with the strings. It can also be called the narrow neck-like part of the guitar body.

Some of the travel guitars have full-sized fretboards which give the feeling of a regular guitar, but it also compromises a little on the portability of the guitar.

Whereas some guitars offer smaller fretboards which also reduces the overall size of the guitars making them more portable. They feel different than a regular guitar, but they make traveling more convenient.

2. The sound quality: The best travel guitar also offers a headphones option which makes them convenient to play without disturbing others. You can choose the best-sounding travel guitar by trying various others.

You can an acoustic guitar or an electric guitar freely with headphones and practice your skills even in the middle of the night without disturbing others. Therefore, this feature is something that you can look for when buying the best travel guitar.

3. The overall size and portability: The travel guitars are smaller and more compactable compared to regular guitars. But even in the travel guitars, there is size variation, some guitars are smaller than others and vice versa.

Therefore, always go for the size that you feel comfortable with and try the different variations before selecting your best travel guitar. The size of the guitar also affects its portability of it so keep that in mind.

4. The strings: Strings are the most important part of a guitar and getting the best one according to your choice of music and compatibility is important.

Although the majority of the travel guitars have the classic 6 strings some others come with a different number of strings like 12. Therefore, select the best-sounding travel guitar that you like.

String material is also something that you should look out for. Strings come in various materials like steel, bronze, nylon, etc. Buy the one that your fingers are comfortable with.

5. Others: Other factors can also depend on the type of guitar you are purchasing in electric travel guitars having a good headphone amp is important.

Best travel guitar: Review

Given below are the best travel guitar including the best travel acoustic guitar, the best travel electric guitar, and the best travel classical guitar

1. Martin Steel-String Backpacker Travel Guitar

This travel guitar from Martin is a wood material acoustic guitar with natural wood color. It weighs about 5.3 pounds. It is one of the best travel acoustic guitars within its price range. It is the best backpacker guitar

• Its strings are made of the bronze, the neck and back material is of mahogany, and the fretboard is made of hardwood.
• It has a 25-inch scale length and features 15 frets.
• The weight is 5.3 pounds, and it is a 6 strings guitar.
• It has an ambidexterity that is dual-hand orientation.
• The color of the guitar is natural.
• It comes with a padded carrying bag.

2. Traveler Guitar, Classical with 6 strings

This classical guitar by Traveler Guitar is of mahogany color and has a gig bag included with it to make your travels easier. It is the smallest travel guitar available in the market. It is the best travel classical guitar you can have especially for practicing while traveling.

• It is available in two wood materials i.e., mahogany and maple.
• The fretboard material is walnut.
• It has 6 strings of nylon material.
• It is the smallest travel guitar.
• The scale length is 24.75 inches.
• It has a right-hand orientation.
• It is an ultra-light electric guitar with a traditional tuning machine.
• The guitar pickup configuration is piezoelectric.
• It comes with a standard compact gig bag that is customized for the guitar.
• It has a removable Lap Rest to adjust the size according to comfort.
• It is especially the best travel guitar for airplanes as it fits perfectly in the airplane overhead bin area.

 

3. Ibanez EWP14OPN Acoustic Guitar

This exotic wood piccolo acoustic guitar by Ibanez is of natural color with 6 strings made of steel. Its top material is rosewood. It is one of the best travel guitars.

• Its body material is of ovangkol wood.
• The fretboard material of the guitar is rosewood.
• It is a 6-string guitar with the string material steel.
• It has a right-hand orientation and a scale length of 17 inches.
• It has a natural color and weighs 2.7 pounds.

 

4. Traveler Guitar Escape Mark III

This 6-string guitar by Traveler Guitar comes in two material types that are, Mahogany and Alder. It is one of the best-sounding travel guitars with its custom headphone amp.

• It is made of alder body material with the color alder.
• Its fretboard is made of walnut material.
• The guitar has a right-hand orientation.
• It has a standard tanning machine and a built-in headphone amp and tuner.
• It is a combination of acoustic and electric guitars and has a built-in chromatic tuner.
• It has 6 strings made of bronze.
• The guitar pickup configuration is piezoelectric.
• The battery type is alkaline, and it comes with a deluxe gig bag.

5. Blackstar Carry On AMPLUG2 FLY Headphone Amp

The AMPLUG2 carry-on guitar is an electric guitar by the Blackstar Amplification brand. The body of the guitar is made of Okoume material. It is a good travel guitar and is the best travel guitar for airplanes. It is also one of the best travel guitars and also the best travel electric guitar.

• It includes an AMPLUG2 FLY HEADPHONE AMP along with a gig bag, travel notebook, 3x medium Blackstar guitar, and a Blackstar pencil.
• It is one of the best travel guitars with compact size without compromising on the feel of a regular electric guitar.
• Its body is made from the Okoume wood material.
• It has binding around its body and a 3 ply scratch plate.
• The guitar pickup configuration is a mini-humbucker.
• It has 12 strings designed for being sustainable and to have stable tuning.

6. Traveler Guitar Pro series

This electric guitar from the Traveler Guitar Pro series is a 6 strings guitar with antique brown color and a body made of maple material.

• The guitar’s color is antique brown, and the body is made of maple material.
• The guitar pickup configuration is a combination.
• The guitar also has a classic Stethophone that requires no batteries.
• It also has a removable lap rest.
• The fretboard is also made of walnut material.
• The number of strings is 6, and the material used for the strings is steel.
• It is a hybrid guitar of acoustic and electric with piezo and electric pickups.
• It weighs around 3.5 pounds with a scale length of 24.75 inches.

7. Traveler Guitar Travel caster Deluxe

This electric travel guitar by Traveler Guitar is a 6-string guitar in gloss black color with right-hand orientation. This body is made of poplar material.

• The guitar has a gloss black color with a body of poplar wood material.
• The back, neck, and top are of maple material.
• The guitar has a pickup configuration of S.
• The guitar has a right-hand orientation.
• Its fretboard is made of walnut material.
• It has 6 strings made of steel material.
• It has a vintage fulcrum bridge system.
• It is one of the best budget travel guitar.
• It comes with a deluxe gig bag.

8. Cross Guitar 2.0 Foldable Classical Nylon String Travel Guitar

This guitar by Cross Guitar is a dual-foldable guitar that is both Acoustic and electric. It is made of wood. Its string material is nylon.

• The back, neck, and top material of the guitar is made of maple.
• The guitar has a combination pickup configuration.
• It has 6 strings, and the string material is nylon.
• The guitar has an Adjustable bridge system.
• The fretboard of the guitar is made of maple.
• It has a combination of both Acoustic and electric.
• It has an adjustable track design with a right-hand orientation.
• It has a gig bag included with the set.

9. Washburn Apprentice G-mini 5

This acoustic guitar is made from mahogany material and has a natural color. It is one of the best travel-size acoustic guitars available within the best travel guitar.

• The acoustic guitar comes in a natural color and has the top material of spruce wood.
• The body, back, and neck of the guitar are of mahogany material.
• The bridge system of the guitar is wood.
• It is one of the best small travel guitars.
• It has 6 strings with the string material of Bronze metal.
• The scale length of the guitar is 23.25 inches.
• The guitar’s weight is only 7 pounds.
• The hand orientation of the guitar is of the right hand.

10. Hofner Shorty Deluxe Guitar

This electric guitar by Hafner is very versatile and convenient. The guitar comes in black color and with a gig bag. It is a good travel guitar.

• The guitar uses basswood as the body, back, and top material.
• The neck of the guitar is made of maple material.
• The configuration of the guitar is an open humbucker.
• The fretboard is made of black wood.
• The guitar has a right-hand orientation and a hardtail bridge system.
• It has 6 strings and comes with a full-sized gig bag.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the best travel guitar?

Does the best travel guitar depend on what you need in your guitar like what type of guitar are you looking for? What size do you want? What is your budget? What material do you want your guitar to be? etc.

We have listed every type of guitar for you. The best budget travel guitar, the best small travel guitar, the best travel-size acoustic guitar, the best cheap travel guitar, and best backpacker guitar, you will find in the list given above.

2. Are travel guitars worth it?

Travel guitars are small and more portable compared with regular guitars. When traveling you would not want to have any kind of accident with your expensive regular guitar. Therefore buying a travel guitar and using it stead of a regular expensive one is worth it especially if they are gives you the same sound and music quality experience as your regular guitars do.

3. Are travel guitars good for beginners?

Travel guitars are usually more affordable when compared with regular guitars which makes them budget-friendly. Travel guitars are smaller in size and are very easy to store, you can carry them with you to whichever place to practice without worrying about the storage issue.

Because they are smaller in size and are also very lightweight, they are very easy to practice for beginners as the regular guitars are quite heavy and are therefore sometimes difficult to handle.

This makes them a great choice even for kids who are practicing and learning guitars. travel guitars are also user-friendly and are not very complicated to use which is again a plus point.

So, travel guitars are very friendly and good for beginners.

4. What is the size of a travel guitar?

Travel guitars are smaller than regular guitars, but they have a full or mostly full scale-length. The size of the travel guitars depends from brand to brand and from model to model. Usually, the travel guitars’ average size is ¾ of the regular guitars which makes them very comfortable and friendly for traveling. You can choose the size that you are comfortable with.

5. What is the best mini guitar?

Travel guitars also have different sizes, and they can range from mini guitars to guitars that are just a little bit smaller than regular ones. The Traveler Guitar, Classical Guitar is the smallest and best mini guitar available right now.

It is an ultra-light, full-scale guitar with 6 strings made of nylon. It is made of mahogany wood material.

If you are looking for the smallest and best mini guitar you can consider this one.