Travel Guitars

Travel Guitars

There's no better way to take your music with you everywhere than when you take a travel guitar along. As smaller versions of the real thing, travel guitars come in assorted sizes and styles and allow you to practise chords and write music on the go. Select a travel guitar based on the sound you desire as well as on the brand and design of the instrument, and avoid the need to leave your songs behind just because you're hopping a plane or bus.

There are essentially two types of travel guitars. One is a chord-practice tool that is simply a mini version of a fingerboard. This is a portable way to practise basic fingering and chords without bringing an entire guitar with you. These guitars are pocket-sized and small enough to fit in a bag, and some even come with a protective pouch and offer either four or six frets. The other type of travel guitar is a smaller version of the real thing. These mini guitars offer the same features that a traditional model does, but they're smaller to make them more portable.

Some guitarists choose a travel guitar based on their favourite instrument brands. Multiple high-quality guitar manufacturers create travel guitars, including Martinez, Sanchez, Crafter, Sigma, Martin, Anygig and Luna. These are usually just miniature versions of the brand's popular guitars with the same features and tones of full-sized models, so you get all of the benefits of the larger version without taking up as much space.

Though most travel guitars are acoustic models, there are also acoustic/electric versions, which means that you can plug the acoustic guitar into an amplifier and instantly have an electric guitar. These guitars are versatile, as they're like having two types of guitars in one. Both types work well for beginners, so choosing between an acoustic or acoustic/electric is really a matter of personal preference. Pocket fingerboards are typically only acoustic and are meant for fingering practice as opposed to actual playing.

Another factor to take into consideration as you choose the right travel guitar is whether you are a right-handed or left-handed player. There are guitars specially made for left-handed players, and it makes it easier to play when you accommodate this need. A guitar meant for your orientation will feel more comfortable and make it easier to learn and play, so consider which side you play on as you browse travel guitars in order to make the best choice for your needs.