Travel Guitars
For years, professional musicians and hobbyists alike have enjoyed traversing the
globe with their favorite guitars and amps.
But as airlines have increased volume,
capacity and flight frequency, musicians
have been left to simply hope and pray that
their prized possessions will arrive at their
final destination in one piece. According to
the U.S. Department of Transportation, an
average of 10,000 bags a day were lost or
mishandled in American airports in 2005,
their gear have encountered shrinking size
requirements and thorough inquisitions during baggage checks. While many players
continue to cross their fingers and hope for
a pleasant reunion with their checked guitar
upon arrival, an emerging group of builders
in the guitar industry are working within the
FAA’s firm regulations to make guitars more
portable. Their mission makes sense: allow
players to keep their guitars with them at
all times.
saying is that we are full-scale, and we
mean a full scale of 25 ½” or 24 ¾”, so we
don’t pull any punches that way,” explains
Corey Oliver, CEO of Traveler Guitar. He
has helped develop and market some of the
most original full-scale electric travel guitars
since taking over the Redlands, California-based company in the mid-nineties. All
their guitars fit inside the conveniently-sized
Traveler Guitar gig bag and measure within
FAA requirements. Although the idea seems
Traveler Guitar CEO Corey Oliver displaying a range of models at the 2008 NAMM Show
the worst number since 1990. The odds of
losing luggage continue to skyrocket with
no solution in sight.
To make matters worse, airlines are only
liable for compensation if your luggage is
damaged due to their negligence, and fragile articles are often excluded from that provision (i.e. your guitar). Throughout the years,
the musical community has heard countless
horror stories of peers losing their favorite
rigs to the black hole known as baggage
handling. From destroyed electronics to
cracked fretboards, many musical adventures
have turned into musical tragedies.
In a post-9/11 climate, those traveling with
Travel guitars – essentially guitars that meet
the FAA requirements of a length, width
and depth of less than 45” – have slowly
incorporated themselves into the lines of
major companies (for example, Taylor’s Baby
Taylor and Big Baby models), but as one
quickly discovers, all travel guitars aren’t
created equal. With their focus remaining on
full-sized guitar production, companies like
Fender and Dean have simply reduced some
of their popular models and decreased the
number of frets. Unfortunately, these down-sized guitars don’t give true travel guitars
and their innovative luthiers enough credit.
“I don’t think there is a company out there
without a travel guitar. What we are always
simple enough, creating an ideal travel guitar is no small task.
Travel guitar luthiers have to contend not
only with travel regulations regarding size,
but also have to appeal to guitarists of
the 21st century. Removing excess mass,
lowering weight and creating an eye-catching design while maintaining a high-qual-ity sound and tone are just a sampling of
the challenges facing these builders every
day. But for innovative people in a pinch,
obstacles like these often cultivate unconventional and effective results.
“In 1981, I improvised my first Vagabond
travel guitar before a trip by using a former
