Traveling with your instrument is both exciting and can be a hassle at times. It’s a good thing that there are options for you to travel with your electric guitar.
Enjoy your music while on the road with some of the best electric travel guitars available out there today.
Overview (Best Travel Electric Guitars)
If you’re a serious guitarist, then chances are you would want to take your instrument literally anywhere you go. But since a lot of guitars take their usual form and shape, it’s only usual for these instruments to be brought to either stages or studios.
This is why a lot of manufacturers have come up with a concept of their own respective travel guitars.
Although it can be common for acoustic guitars to be travel friendly, some musicians like it the other way around – being able to bring their electric guitars wherever they go.
Many consider it to be quite uncanny – but for those of us who really love running our hands through the fretboard, it’s just almost impossible to be away from the instrument. But what exactly is a travel electric guitar? Is it one for everybody? What makes it different? These are just some of the questions that we will figure out in this feature.
Let’s jump right into it!
What Is A Travel Electric Guitar?
Imagine owning a normal-sized Fender Stratocaster or a Gibson Les Paul. Normally, a musician wouldn’t have the confidence to carry and load their instrument whenever traveling across certain areas for gigs or touring.
It’s simply because it can be too risky just piling their guitars around a bunch of other audio equipment.
This is where a travel electric guitar comes in. Usually, a travel electric guitar is a much smaller or compact instrument capable of being tucked in small spaces – whether it be a car or a certain space.
They are much more lightweight compared to your usual electric guitars. Some even have the feature to be folded!
Now while being that practical and portable, travel electric guitars do have their downsides. Some users mentioned losing some of the material that makes a guitar resonant or has good quality and sustain.
But there are still companies and manufacturers who manage to make decent-sounding portable electric guitars, and we are going to find out some of them.
But first, let’s head onto our buying guide.
Buying Guide
Right off the bat, you are going to want to consider your budget.
As common as it may sound, you still would want to invest in a decent guitar while being affordable. Another thing you would want to consider is how often you play your instrument. You may want to invest in high-end brands and names that produce quality guitars – which means you have to rely on durability and sound.
Lastly, you should always consider the specifications and playability of the instrument. I personally like it when a travel guitar gives me the same feel and vibe as a normal electric guitar.
With all that out of the way, let’s get right into the list!
Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Electric Travel Guitar
Coming in at number one takes the form of the ideal traveler guitar.
The Ultra-Light Electric Travel Guitar weighs 3lbs and 2oz, and sports a headless design. A lot of users let out praise for this instrument being very lightweight and having an innovative tuner placement.
If you’re looking for dedicated volume and tone knobs, however, this specific unit doesn’t have one. So you may want to consider looking for another model.
It does come with an included soft case and is made from American hard maple with a natural finish.
Steinberger GTPROBK1 Solid-Body Electric Guitar
The 2nd entry in our roundup is a solid-body offering from Steinberger. The GTPROBK1 sports almost everything you can look for in a normal electric guitar. Pickups, controls, you name it.
My favorite thing about this specific guitar is that you have the option to choose between pickups – whether it be single coils or humbuckers. Maple body wood, a C-shaped neck, and a rosewood fretboard are what make up this portable offering from a reputable manufacturer.
LTD EC-1 WHT Electric Travel Guitar
LTD offers this travel guitar, with a little bit of a twist. The EC-1 Electric Travel Guitar boasts an onboard headphone amp, a traditional ESP form and design, and an aux-in!
It also sports a full-size ESP designed ALH-200B Active Humbucker pickup, making it quite the tone machine. It does not however come with a built-in tuner, so consider it greatly before making the purchase. It weighs 5lbs and 4oz.
Anygig AGE Electric Guitar
Completing our roundup is from Anygig, who promises value anytime, anywhere.
The AGE Electric Guitar still hosts 24 frets to its name despite it being a travel electric guitar. What makes it suitable for the roundup is its portable width and size.
It boasts a diecasting machine head, to go along with an open black humbucker pickup to generate your signature tone. It comes with a rosewood fingerboard, and weighs around 1.5kg.
Conclusion
Traveling or not, it’s still quite a unique experience to get to play a travel guitar. Although quite different, it can still give you satisfaction whenever you try on and play your favorite tunes. It’s just a matter of experimenting and getting to know the instrument better.
I hope this list can nudge you in the right direction towards trying out your first travel electric guitar. Have a great time exploring!
