20 Best Travel Guitars (Electric) – Play Electric Guitar Wherever You Go! (2024)

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Best Travel Guitars Electric 2

This is my review of the best travel guitars (electric).

The guitar by itself is a compact and perfectly portable instrument. But when you travel, for example for work or on vacation, a normal guitar is often just a bit too big and awkward to cram into a suitcase or backpack 🤪. Travel guitars are designed for just that: guitars with the ultimate size, weight and shape to travel with you. So that wherever you are, you can keep practicing your ultimate licks, chord progressions, scales and arpeggios!

What better place for inspiration than a different environment like the mountains, a festival or the beach? With a travel guitar, you can turn the spontaneous creativity that your travels bring right into new chord progressions and melody lines.

Below I have compiled a list of the best electric travel guitars. I deliberately chose to include only electric guitars in this list. After all, if you play electric guitar on the road, you want a fretboard that resembles your regular electric guitar as much as possible.

There is a lot to choose from. This is also understandable because portability can be achieved in many different ways. Think narrower bodies, shorter scale lengths and less weight, as well as guitars with an similar playing feel that have been scaled down in other ways to travel with you. Check out my personal favorites and scroll through the full list to determine which travel companion appeals to you the most! 😀

Happy traveling!

Top Picks: Best Electric Guitars for Small Hands

Top 3 picks

A. Best Budget

  • Full 24 frets scale: familiarity of the full-scale experience.
  • Available in multiple colors.
  • Low price includes a gig bag.

B. Best Premium

  • Full scale (25.5 inch) neck.
  • This guitar is remarkably versatile and plays like a Strat.
  • Very portable without compromising the instrument’s playability.

C. Best High-end

  • Complete 24.75″ scale, 24% shorter and 29% lighter than full-sized LP style guitar.
  • Active humbucker, integrated headphone amplifier, aux input.
  • Not many better options if you’re looking for a high-end guitar to take with you everywhere you go.

Let’s have a look at some of the greatest travel guitars on the market to see which one is ideal for you!


A. Best Budget Travel Guitars


1 Harley Benton ST-Travel

Harley Benton ST-Travel Candy Apple Red
  • Price indication: $66 (without shipping costs)

For individuals who don’t want to deny themselves the opportunity to play while traveling, a very affordable Stratocaster-style electric guitar is available. The Harley Benton ST-Travel Candy Apple Red is small, light, and very budget friendly!

This is a slimmed-down Strat-style guitar with a Basswood body that has been carved away around the pickguard. The guitar is substantially smaller and much lighter as a result of eliminating all this unnecessary wood. The ST-Travel has a C-shaped bolt on maple neck and a fingerboard that matches 22 frets with black dot inlays.

This guitars feels and plays like a full-size instrument because of the conventional scale length of 25.5-inch. This is quite nice to have since most travel guitars will make a compromise on the neck and wind up with a crowded, narrower fretboard. For easier access to the high frets, it is equipped with a comfortable neck joint that has been reduced in the area that comes into touch with the hand’s palm.

There are three single coil pickups in the ST-design. The controls retain the Stratocaster configuration of a master volume knob, two tone knobs, and a pickup selector switch with five positions. Given that it is one of the most widely used layouts available, most guitarists will be familiar with it. A synchro tremolo, die-cast tuners, and chrome-finished hardware are also included. The trem hangs off the back edge as a result of the body being removed, which may require some getting used to. For the same reason, the output jack and the strap buttons are situated on the back of the guitar.

Harley Benton ST-Travel Candy Apple Red - Sound Demo (no talking)

All the design decisions have really made this a cute and small little guitar with a full scale Stratocaster scale length. It’s insanely affordable and for this price even includes a gig bag! The ST-Travel could is a very strong option if you’re searching for a ST-model guitar to pack up and take with you on your travels.


2 Squier Mini Strat

Squier Mini Strat
  • Price indication: $125 (Without shipping costs)

For traveling guitarist that prefer a 3/4 guitar, the Squier Mini Strat is a great option. It is incredibly simple to play and reasonably priced. The guitar looks like a wonderful vintage Fender and may be played in many different musical genres.

This 3/4 guitar features a C-shaped neck with a scale length of 22,75 inches. The nut is only 1.6′′ (40,6 mm) wide, and the neck is relatively narrow. The entire neck is really slender. The Indian Laurel fretboard has 20 frets.

The fretboard radius for the majority of Squier guitars is standard (9.5 inches). Compared to a full-size Strat, the strings are substantially less tensioned and easier to press down. This generally enhances the playability. So this Mini Strat is ready to shred and rock from any angle!

Three Standard Single-Coil Strat pickups, which generate gleaming and brilliant tones, are present in the Mini Strat. These Stratocaster pickups are obviously less priced reproductions of the originals. On this Mini Strat, you can choose which pickup is on or off using a 5-way selector switch. The guitar also features a master tone knob and a master volume knob.

You can make this axe sound really aggressive if you want to. The muddy tones have a lot of attack, while the pure tones are clear. Rock, jazz, and blues all sound fantastic on the guitar. It is evident that this instrument was not created with metalheads in mind, though. I would suggest the [Ibanez GRGM21M Micro](https://thmn.to/thoprod/511417?partner id=87435) if metal is your preferred musical genre.

This 3/4-sized guitar is a wonderful option if you’re looking for a travel guitar for less than $200. With the Squier Mini Strat you get a comfortable, easy-to-play trave guitar that produces a variety of tones.


3 Höfner Shorty

Höfner Shorty
  • Price indication: $133 (without shipping costs)

The Höfner Shorty was created and released by Hofner in the 1980s and has since proven to be a popular option for the guitarist on the move.

The Höfner Shorty has a classic 80s basswood body. It’s available in several colors including the caddilac green, shiney blue, gold, red, white, black and metallic orange. A big plus of this travel guitar is that it offers the familiarity and full-scale experience that many players instinctively seek. It offers a full 24 frets scale on a cutaway maple neck that allows you access to the entire rosewood fretboard.

With 24 frets and a scale length of 24.75 inches, the guitar’s familiar feel is one of its main selling points. The neck is quick, and the action is good and low, making it comfortable to play. The cutaway on this guitar makes it simple to access higher notes with ease, allowing you to play quick leads and other music with ease.

Although the tiny body is great for travel, guitarists who prefer to play while standing will find it to be more playable. Its small body can give the impression that it is neck-heavy, but a properly fitted strap can quickly alleviate this.

It boasts a powerful single Höfner humbucker in the bridge position that is bright without sounding tinny. There’s also a Höfner Shorty Deluxe version available with two humbuckers.

The pots are surprisingly decent for a guitar at this price point, with no crackling and no discernible drop off, giving you access to a variety of tones through the volume and tone knobs. Its outstanding intonation right out of the box can be readily corrected thanks to the bridge’s tune-o-matic design. It has sealed machine heads, which offer superb tuning stability.

With the open Hofner humbucker on this guitar, you can get a variety of tones, including blues, rock, metal, and other genres. The Hofner Shorty is a great option if you don’t want to spend a fortune, yet there are other models on my list that may sound a bit better. This guitar is exceptionally quiet when played acoustically due to the compact basswood body, making it perfect for technique practice when making noise isn’t an option.

The Hofner Shorty is a good option if you’re looking for a cheap way to add a little portability to your line-up. It’s nicely crafted, and it has a great neck. The tone is sufficient, but it won’t win any prizes. And for this low price even a straightforward gig bag is included!


4 Squier Mini Jazzmaster

Squier Mini Jazzmaster-2
  • Price indication: $133 (without shipping costs)

Fender Jazzmasters, which were first created for jazz, were later tweaked and made popular by post-punk and no-wave bands. Squire has created a stunning 3/4-tiny duplicate of original Jazzmaster.

The poplar body of the Mini Jazzmaster provides a very neutral sound profile that improves the output of your amplifier. The short 22.75′′ scale and thin C-shaped maple neck have a pleasant feel in the hand. The nut’s width, at just 1.598 inches, is incredibly minuscule. This combination of a short scale, narrow neck, and compact nut is especially advantageous for traveling. It is particularly portable due to its relatively low weight of roughly six and a half pounds.

The renowned Jazzmaster traits are transformed into a more manageable pocket-sized monster by this amazing replica. The sound quality is still incredible for the price, despite not being as fantastic as the original. You get three basic tones that resemble Fender but are different enough to please you. This guitar is a great alternative if you’re looking for something a little more conventional than other short scale guitars, like the Squier Mini Strat or the Ibanez Mikro (see below).

Fantastic travel guitar with great tone, amazing looks, and exceptional comfort. A very affordable choice if you want to travel with a unique short scale guitar.


5 Ibanez GRGM21 Mikro

Ibanez GRGM21M Micro
  • Price indication: $175 (without shipping costs)

Check out this amazing tiny body guitar from Ibanez! This is a great choice if you want to keep shredding while on your travels. It is set up just like a full-sized guitar and has a body shape and finish in the RG style.

The 3/4-body of the Mikro is made of basswood. It has made a name for itself as a high-quality tone wood, and the Ibanez gains a lot from using it. And there are so many vivid colors available! The available colors are black, blue, white metallic purple, bright pink, and walnut sunburst. Just the satisfaction of playing an instrument that looks so amazing will motivate any player keep practicing while being on the road. It’s also nice to know that Ibanez produces the Ibanez GRGM21 Mikro in a left-handed model.

This guitar is 22.2′′ length, has a smaller scale, and a GRGM neck, yet it still has a full 24 (medium) frets. The majority of Ibanez guitars typically have a bolted-on maple neck. The nut is only 1.614′′ wide, which is quite small. The huge 15.7′′ radius is great for playing chords quickly and without constriction. The best thing about this guitar is that it plays just like a full-sized one. It weighs about 9 lbs, and the balance is excellent for such a light instrument.

For a great distorted tone, the Ibanez GRGM21 Mikro uses a pair of ceramic Infinity humbucking pickups. The master volume, master tone, and five-way pickup selector switch are connected to these pickups. Everything about the controls is perfect, especially how sensitive the volume knob is. Excellent tuning stability is provided by the stiff tail. Chrome is used to finish the tuning mechanisms and bridge, enhancing the heavy metal aesthetic.

This 3/4-model guitar provides excellent heavy metal sounds. It can play music from other genres as well, such as hard rock, classic rock, and blues, therefore it is not just ideal for metal.

For anyone who want to travel with a 3/4 metal guitar and is wanting to save money, the Ibanez Mikro GRGM 21 is a good option. It’s a gorgeous, easy-to-use, and reasonably priced guitar. There is undoubtedly a guitar in this series that suits your taste since it comes in a range of colors, and it has a perfect setup: you can start shredding right out of the box.


6 Vox Mark III Mini Teardrop

Traveler Guitar Sonic L22 Sunburst
  • Price indication: $209 (without shipping costs, soft bag included)

The American terentang (also known as amaranth) body has a distinctive teardrop or pick-like form. The instrument’s unique appearance was inspired by the well-known Mark IV “Teardrop” model, which first appeared in the traditional British company’s product catalog in the 1960s. The guitar is available in three different, vibrant colors:
marble with energizing colors set against a white background, striking red and aqua green. Included is a cushioned soft bag.

Due to its zero-fret width and thick, higher tension strings, the portable Vox Mark III Mini travel series, measuring 243 x 65 x 810 mm and weighing 2.1 kg, offers similar playability to conventional guitars.

The neck is constructed of maple and is fastened to the body with four screws. The scale has been shrunk to 476 mm, but the small version has the same tuning and string tension as conventional guitars (18.75 inches). The guitar features a robust purpleheart fretboard with 19 medium jumbo frets and a 42 mm broad nut.

Easy and precise tuning is made possible by high gear ratio tuning heads, which were created specifically for this tiny scale guitar.

Two unnamed single-coil proprietary pickups that are contained in a pearl pickguard and transmit sound are used. The manufacturer claims that a larger dynamic response was a priority in the creation of the special single-coils. The guitar has a three-way pickup selector switch, and the two single-coil pickups are linked together via the master volume and tone knobs. The single-coil pickups on this instrument reproduce the warm sounds of the 1960s.

The VOX Mini Teardrop is a great travel guitar with a full-sized guitar’s sound and playability. In the park, on the train, or on the tour bus, play your favorite riffs! The VOX Mark III Mini offers a full-sized electric guitar’s sound and feel in a portable package.


7 Traveler Guitar Sonic L22 Sunburst

Traveler Guitar Sonic L22 Sunburst
  • Price indication: $251 (without shipping costs)

In 1992, Redlands, California-based inventor Leon Cox created the first Traveler Guitar in his garage workshop. The initial model was offered for sale in the neighborhood music shop and during promotional tours of Arizona and California. A variety of electric and acoustic guitars are currently offered by Traveler Guitar, and they are accessible in 30 different countries throughout the world.

The alder solid body is 1-1/2″ thick and painted in a stunning Sunburst color with a glossy finish underneath the pickups. The Traveler Guitar Sonic L-22 guitar is 17 percent shorter and 45 percent lighter than a full-size electric while maintaining the full-scale playing experience. It has an ergonomic body and a small headstock.

Two full-sized humbuckers, a 3-way pickup selector, a beveled neck heel for easy access to high frets, an adjustable tune-o-matic style bridge, and conventional tuning machinery are all included in this guitar’s setup.

Utilize the built-in headphone amplifier to listen through headphones or an amplifier while switching between clean, boost, overdrive, and distortion tones with the proprietary tap-pot. You’ll discover there’s also an aux-in for plugging in your mobile device for listening to backing tracks or other music while playing. With the supplied gig bag, the L-22’s weight of just over 5 pounds makes it simple to slip into airplane overhead bins.

For musicians on the go who demand a comfortable yet portable guitar without compromising on scale length, the Traveler Guitar Sonic L-22 is a great option. It easily fits in airplane overhead bins in the Deluxe Gig Bag that is provided.


B. Best Premium Travel Guitars


8 Blackstar Carry-On

Blackstar Carry-on Travel Guitar
  • Price indication: $269 (without shipping costs)

British amplifier manufacturer Blackstar has made a unique instrument that is especially designed for being on the move, and it is anything from conventional. It was designed in the UK by Blackstar in collaboration with the master luthiers at Gordon Smith Guitars and it’s built in China.

The entire Okoume body and neck are carved from a single piece of wood, making the entire object solid. As a result, there is no joint at the neck! The Blackstar Carry-On has a scale length of 20.7 inch, 18 frets, and a single mini-humbucker with coil-splitting. It only weights 1.79 kg. To simulate standard scale tension on an instrument with a very short scale, the guitar is strung with 12-54 gauge strings. The guitar is available in vintage white and in black.

The guitar has some nice design details, such as the tortoiseshell-like plastic binding and the playing comfort of the matte neck, sides, and back, which help with resonance. The fingerboard and the headstock, which has full-sized enclosed tuners, are bound with the same plastic. The guitar performs rather nicely with conventional string spacing (35mm at the nut and 51.5mm at the tune-o-matic bridge).

The fact that the mini-humbucker is coil-splittable allows it to be converted into a single coil with the pull of the volume pot. There is even a wheel-style truss-rod adjuster at the base of the neck to assure the best setup.

It does have an electric guitar sound, which is adequate for practice. The voice has a respectable amount of depth, a moderate amount of bite, a good coil split, and effective loudness and tones.

The Blackstar Carry-On is an outstanding one-piece design that’s very portable and has suitable tones for practice.


9 Anygig Travel Guitar Portable Electric Guitar

Anygig Travel Guitar
  • Price indication: $250-350

The Anygig Travel Guitar Portable Electric Guitar is a fantastic option if you’re looking for a lightweight, compact guitar that’s easy to play and transport.

It’s pretty basically a stick. It’s stripped down to the absolute basics of what makes a guitar a guitar – strings, tuners, a single pickup, and an output. No frills, not even so much as a knob on it anywhere. This is also its strength: it’s so compact that it is highly unlikely that you’ll encounter any problem with it on a plane, or any other mode of transport, for that matter.

The body is made of solid hard rock maple and the guitar is available in several colors (red, black, white, wood). The Anygig Travel Guitar has a rosewood fingerboard with 24 frets which makes it easier to play. It features a full-size 25.5″ scale length, just like a regular guitar, so you won’t have to adjust your playing style and it allows you to change guitars without feeling like you have to adjust. The guitar is extremely light and comes with a soft gig bag.

The neck on this guitar is very comfortable. There’s a swing out arm which you can connect a strap to which makes it easier to grip the guitar when you stand up to play.The tuning of the guitar is unusual as the tuning pegs are near the bridge and the instrument has no headstock. It’s a little hard to get comfortable on it since there’s also no support for your arm, which you don’t really realize helps hold the guitar where you want it normally, and it tends to want to flop this way on it’s own.

The pickup has a lot of output and sounds quite wonderful. The humbucker pickup is great for rock, blues, metal and many other guitar styles. The bridge is a Tune-O Matic style which helps keep the tuning stable on the instrument. I personally didn’t enjoy the absence of a volume or tone control.

The Anygig Travel Guitar is a great solution for anyone who wants to play guitar on the go without having to worry about your expensive axes – it’s light, it’s compact, it’s cheap, and it goes where you go. It’s nice looking and simple to use. What more do you want?!


10 Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Electric Travel Guitar

Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Electric Travel Guitar
  • Price indication: $389 (without shipping costs)

Traveler Guitar has put up some really spectacular traveling instruments. The Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Electric Travel Guitar has an amazing design and lots of very satisfied guitar players. It’s one of the coolest light weight travel guitars on the market.

The guitar is crafted from a single solid piece of maple. It’s regular sized between the nut and the bridge, while at the same time being 28% shorter and 68% lighter than a regular electric guitar. A gig bag is supplied and also a lap rest is included.

Some guitar players mention the guitar is difficult to balance, or that it’s too light to play or solo on comfortably. Others asserted that with a few days of practice, this could be easily overcome. In any case, if you’re thinking about buying, be prepared for some initial unease and imbalance. Another minor flaw is that the guitar’s corner and body edge may dig a little into the forearm.

The guitar features dual rail humbuckers and has a fantastic sound. It has no tone or volume controls.

This electric guitar makes a terrific travel companion for shredders. There isn’t a travel electric guitar on the market that is better designed, though the balance may take some getting used to.


11 Traveler Travelcaster Deluxe

Traveler Guitar Travelcaster Deluxe
  • Price indication: $324 (without shipping costs)

The Traveler Travelcaster Deluxe is an electric solidbody guitar with a full scale (25.5-inch) neck and a 44mm thick poplar body that follows the shape of Fender’s iconic Stratocaster scratchplate. The body has been stripped of everything above the pickguard, resulting in a guitar that is 35% lighter and 14% shorter than a standard Strat. It has a padded gig bag and is small enough to fit in an airplane overhead bin.

This instrument features a quick one-piece bolt-on maple neck. it’s Incredibly stable and precisely spaced tuners are installed on the headstock, making the jump from a full-size guitar quite painless. To get the length down the six-in-line headstock was swapped out for a shorter-looking three-a-side head, which is essentially the same as cutting the headstock off a Strat.

Both sitting and strapped-on play seem strange due to the lack of a body (the latter not helped by the dished output jack on the back of the body). Except for the unpolished frets, it plays and sounds like a beginner Strat, albeit with less sustain and body than a higher-end model. The action is great right out of the box, and if you find that you need to tweak the saddles to get just the right feel, you can do it in the typical Strat fashion.

With its three single-coil pickups and classic volume and tone knobs, a 5-way pickup selector, this guitar is remarkably versatile and plays like a Strat. The tremolo, which is of vintage design, improves both sustain and modulation.

A great choice if you are a frequent flyer who wants to reduce the bulk of your electric guitar. The Travelcaster’s design prioritized portability without compromising the instrument’s playability. Highly suggested for the working professional who is on the fence about what premium model travel guitar to buy. This guitar could be the one for your next trip.


12 Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro Deluxe

Steinberger Spirit GT-Pro Deluxe
  • Price indication: $358 (without shipping costs)

The choice to use wood rather than composite materials keeps the price down and makes the piece more portable. A scale length of 25.5″ with 24 frets gives the Spirit GT-Pro Deluxe a greater playing surface than a regular Les Paul, despite its smaller body. Furthermore, neck-thru bodies at this price point are rather uncommon, making this a good value instrument regardless of your intended use.

Since it has a rosewood fretboard and a maple neck, it has a refined, professional feel despite its diminutive size. Locking tremolo and switchable pickups let you fine-tune your tone.

The Spirit GT-Pro has HSH pickups and a tremolo system. The guitar is quite versatile in terms of tone. The humbucker pickup gives the guitar quite a rocky tone. Although some have suggested upgrading the pickups to achieve the most professional sound, this is an excellent alternative for the serious musician who wants to create a personalized guitar tone.

It’s easy to see why the Steinberger is the guitar of choice for so many professionals. It’s lightweight, has a maple body, and comes with a variety of pickup configurations, making it an ideal travel guitar.


13 Latitude Cardinal Headless

Latitude Cardinal Headless
  • Price indication: $340

The Latitude Cardinal Headless has a natural finish and a neck made of five pieces of roasted maple and padauk. The guitar’s original wood hue and grain complement the guitar’s sleek modern design when painted either of the two available colors: a natural or black translucent finish on the Latitude Cardinal Headless’ roasted ash body.

Its five-piece neck is made of roasted maple and padauk. The rosewood fingerboard features 24 frets made of round-tipped, stainless steel frets. The “C+U” neck shape provides relaxed and easy playing without restriction. The package comes with a custom-made, padded gig bag for traveling.

The Latitude Cardinal Headless dual humbucking pickups are made by Alnico V. Its two humbucker pickups provide a wide tonal palette for any musical style. The sound is rich in all respects: bass was substantial, the midrange was complete, and the low frequencies were audible. Check out this vid below for an illustration:

Latitude Cardinal Headless Guitar - Full Review and Sound Samples

The ease of transport and versatility of use make it ideal for both stage and concert use. With its inexpensive price and ergonomic neck, this headless guitar is a great pick for traveling. It has the appearance, tone, and feel of a much more costly model.


C. Best High-end Travel Guitars


14 Traveler Guitar Speedster Standard

Traveler Guitar Speedster Standard -2
  • Price indication: $479 (without shipping costs)

Traveler Guitar developed an entire line of guitars that are shorter and conform to airport regulations. So you can rest assured that you will not encounter any grumpy airline personnel on your travels.

The Speedster lacks a traditional headstock and instead looks like a small square block of wood with the hardware mounted on its corners. Otherwise, the guitar is identical to a standard guitar in every way. It has an extra arm rest in the form of a wing. With its removable design, it can be packed up easily. There’s a candy apple red version, a camouflage one, a black, green and an orange version. The neck is comfortable and it’s remarkably similar to playing a full-size guitar. The 22 medium frets are inlaid with Pearloid. It has a standard 1.75-inch nut width. A soft case is included.

The detachable armrest of the speedster is secured to the main body with a pin and a screw that is tightened by hand. It’s possible that the moving parts become a little loose and sloppy with time. If the ‘wing’ keeps making noise or loosening itself during play, maybe some thread seal tape will help. Although it’s not a deal breaker, it may use some tweaking.

The speedster has one humbucker pickup, along with a volume and tone knob. The volume control doesn’t feel too sturdy because of some wiggle room. The Speedster has more tonal variety than you might expect from a guitar with a single pickup, thanks to the volume and tone controls. The humbucker has an in-between tone, sounding neither ice cold nor searingly hot.

The Speedster has six full-sized tuners, and the firm has also included a string tension guide that wraps around the body to improve sustain.

When played via an amp, this guitar really shines. The sound is so good, you’d never believe it’s a portable guitar. Some users report that the guitar goes out of tune too quickly. If that’s the case with your Speedster, you can solve this with a $50 set of Grover Grover 406c locking tuners. You can listen without disturbing anyone else by plugging in some headphones. It’s fantastic for practicing on you travels with a smartphone that has the Amplitube app installed on it.

Certainly one of the lightest and most easily transportable guitars available, and very easy to use. In addition to being lightweight and sounding passable, it also fits within the guidelines set forth by most airlines. You may play this guitar with or without the arm. Solid, well-made, and satisfying to the touch, the hardware is built to last.


15 Traveler Guitar Escape MK-III

Traveler Escape Mark III
  • Price indication: $528 (without shipping costs)

The Traveler Escape Mark III is an acoustic instrument with integrated electronics that enables playability similar to that of an electric guitar. Great features are a mahogany body, 22 medium frets and a 25.5′′ scale length with satin finish. There is no external headstock: the internal tuning pegs virtually eliminate it. This makes the guitar more compact and ideal for traveling. Next to that there’s a headphone output, an aux input, and volume, bass, and treble controls. The Traveler Escape Mark III is 26% shorter and 10% lighter than a typical dreadnought. It comes with a cute small gig bag that has one adjustable shoulder strap and two good-sized zippered pockets on the bottom.

The comfortable neck radius is 9.75 inches, and the nut width is the typical 1.75 inches. The top frets are easily accessible thanks to a deep single cutaway. The guitar’s tuning is quite stable despite the headstock being in a unusual position. The light gauge (.010 -.047) strings cause the action to be low and the string tension to be light.

The integrated electrics include a headphone jack, an under-saddle Shadow NanoFlex piezo system, a tuner, and an aux-in. The guitar’s shadow nanoflex pickup is located precisely beneath the bridge, taking up the string vibrations and transmitting them into the preamp. Additionally, the guitar incorporates a headphone preamp for clear sound when performing or writing in solitude. Two AAA batteries are used to power the preamp.

This guitar has an amazing sound. With its good resonance in both the lows and the highs, oak lends the guitar a pleasant, mellow sound. To adjust the sound to your preferences, the Shadow Electronics preamp offers bass, treble, and phase adjustments. Although the sound of the guitar is produced by electronics, many people are astonished by how acoustic it actually is. This guitar can produce whatever kind of sound you choose, whether it be warm, soothing, lively, energetic, or something else entirely. String buzz and other issues that bother so many electric guitars are absent from the tone, which is clear.

All things considered, it’s a great instrument, and if you buy one, you’ll probably play it constantly because it’s so portable. Playing the Mark III is a joy and will inspire you to practice more. That’ s most likely the best indicator of its worth.


16 Yamaha SLG200S Silent Guitar

Yamaha SLG200S Silent Guitar
  • Price indication: $649 (without shipping costs)

The Yamaha SLG200S Silent Guitar differs from standard guitars in terms of style, and the color is definitely eye-catching. The Silent Guitar has a frame that can be removed and folded down. It weighs only 9 pounds, making it also lightweight. The package includes a gig bag.

The guitar is made to be connected to an amplifier or used with headphones. It produces very little sound on its own. The Yamaha SLG200S Silent Guitar plays excellently. The guitar has a low action, 43mm nut width, and a slim neck that feels great. You can use the Yamaha Silent Guitar to play silently when rehearsing or with others, or to use the headphones or line out when you go “live.”

Piezo pick-ups can be used to generate sounds with the novel control setup, which consists of levels and tones, with an emphasis on the acoustic depth of a full-bodied Yamaha. It has a lot of settings and generally has a good sound. The two reverb settings, chorus, and line out are all accessible on a conveniently placed control panel, along with the headphone and line inputs. A tuner that is integrated into the control panel is a useful addition. The control panel requires 2 AA batteries.

All in all the SLG200S is a great traveling companion. The guitar plays very well, has powerful plugin-sounds and can be collapsed for portability. It’s unconventional designs appeals and intrigues (at least it does to me! 😉).


17 Traveler Guitar LTD EC-1

Traveler Guitar LTD EC-1
  • Price indication: $698 (without shipping costs)

The LTD EC-1 is the result of a successful partnership between Traveler electric travel guitars, and ESP heavy rock and metal guitars. The LTD EC-1 has a Les Paul style body constructed of mahogany with a quilted maple finish. The guitar has a complete 24.75″ scale. At the same time this guitar is 24% shorter and 29% lighter than a full-sized LP style guitar. This is partly due to the placement of the tuners, which are integrated directly in the center of the body to conserve space. The machine heads are positioned on the back, and the strings wind around the bridge and through the body to them.

Although little, it does not feel that way in the hand and the bevelled cutaway provides easy access to higher frets. Its high-quality construction and considerably more traditional look than usual electric travel guitars greatly improve playability.

This pickup is an active ESP humbucker, making it perfect for cutting lead work and higher gain tones with the built-in headphone amp. The LTD EC-1 has a built-in amplifier, which includes a headphone preamp. This eliminates the need to even carry around a portable amp. Just connect your headphones, and you’re ready to go. And with movable saddles to change movement and intonation, the EC-1 is very adaptable.

The LTD EC-1 from Traveler Guitars shines with all the practical characteristics you’d want in a perfect traveling guitar. Great features include the small body with a full 24.75 ′′ scale, an active humbucker, an integrated headphone amplifier, and an aux input. There aren’t many better options than that if you’re looking for a high-end guitar to take with you everywhere you go.


18 Stewart Stow-Away Travel Guitar

Stewart Stow-Away Travel Guitar
  • Price indication: $749.00 – $1,024.00

The Stow-Away feels and plays just like your favorite guitar. It can be disassembled quickly and transported anywhere with ease. It features a full-scale 22.5 inch neck.
The guitar can be transported in the included soft-shell case. The neck assembly’s Clip-Joint is very sturdy and durable.

It rests on your leg like a standard guitar does when you play while seated; there is no need to stoop or gently balance it. It functions similarly to any other full-sized electric guitar when played while standing

This guitar was created specifically to withstand the rigors of frequent travel. For storing the neck while the guitar is in transit, the body incorporates a diagonal pocket in the rear. Even with the detachable neck, if the guitar is put back together after travel, the body maintains tuning well.

With three single coil pickups, a five position selector switch, a volume knob, and two tone controls, it is configured like a Strat. The tuning mechanism is embedded at the body’s base, and the instrument features a headless neck. You can rock anywhere you want to by adding for example a Tascam guitar trainer and some headphones. The Tascam’s headphone jack may be used to connect a small FM transmitter for even more fun, which turns every FM radio into your personal amplifier.

The Stow-Away has a strat-like tone. When the pickups are bridged, the high-quality electronics have almost no hum and barely any hum when they are not. Surprisingly, given the neck joint and the hollowed-out body, the guitar has the unmistakable bell tone typical of Stratocasters and has slightly stronger sustainment than ordinary.

The Stow-Away is a high-performance portable guitar with a full-scale body that plays and feels like your favorite guitar. It plays and sounds fantastic. It comes together quickly and has a full scale neck with no tuning or playability difficulties. This is one of the best in its class!


19 Asmuse Foldable Travel Headless Electric Guitar

Asmuse Foldable Travel Headless Electric Guitar
  • Price indication: $699

The Asmuse Travel Headless Electric Guitar has a headless design. It features a locking nut, to safeguard the guitar strings and prevent easy tuning slippage. The unique quality of this guitar is that it is foldable, making it portable and useful for travel or performance. When you unfold it, you have a full-scale electric guitar. Another asset: it has an integrated headphone amplifier and an 8-hour operating rechargeable battery. With that, anywhere you don’t want to disturb other people, such the train or a hotel, is a good place to play.

The guitar’s fingerboard is constructed of Rosewood, the neck is made of Maple, and the body is built of CNC Aluminum. With its 24-fret neck and 25.5′′ scale length, it provides the guitarist with a full-scale playing experience. The neck and fingerboard feel very comfortable and give good playability.

The guitar has acombination of the Lightning LH-N aluminum, nickel, and cobalt pickup (switchable single coil pickup) in the neck and the Lightning LH-B Aluminum, nickel, and cobalt pickup (switchable single coil pick) in the bridge. Although the pickup set-up allows for some tonal flexibility, it also provides the framework for you to replace these with your preferred aftermarket pickups.

The ideal travel guitar should be compact, lightweight, and foldable and this one really is. With its built-in headphone amplifier, locking nut, and removable rest frames, the guitar is very well-designed for you to take on your travels.


20 Strobel Rambler Classic Travel Guitar

Strobel Rambler Classic Travel Guitar
  • Price indication: $599

The Rambler Classic Travel Guitar features a solid maple body, flamed maple top, and a maple neck with an ebony fretboard. It weighs about 5 pounds. The neck is a regular Gibson 24.5-inch length with a 12-inch radius.

The neck feels incredibly smooth and pleasant while playing, and the body and neck both have a high-quality lacquer finish. The guitar had a good setup, good motion, and playability. If you were to add a headstock and fill out the body with more wood, you would not be able to tell the difference in sound and playability from a larger sized guitar.

The Strobel Rambler Classic’s tones are strikingly similar to the sound of a Les Paul. You could see the Rambler as a Les Paul in a much more compact and portable form.
The Belcat BH-20 Pickups are very melodious. The midrange and treble of the bridge pickup are well-balanced, It does not have a thin or harsh tone. The middle pickup and neck pickup options have a distinct bell-like quality and ring out with a good deal of sustain. The pickups offer tremendous output and power, which suggests that they are more Classic Rock in character than ‘vintage’ in their voicing (for example, 1960s).

The Rambler Classic features Graphtech string trees and a Tune-O-Matic bridge. A TUSQ adjustable 1-5/8-inch nut, recessed custom thumb wheels for removing the neck, and a chrome finish on the proprietary StringKeeperTM and StringCatcherTM are other great features.

The Rambler Classic’s little size is ideal for traveling and it has an exceptional level of quality that would allow it to last for years to come. The pickups have superb tone and output. You can imagine the Rambler Classic as a miniature Les Paul. And who doesn’t wish to take that on their travels?!


Buying Guide: How to Select the Best Travel Guitar

Portability

The playing experience should be basically the same as playing a standard guitar, despite the fact that these guitars may appear unusual. Despite the fact that the actual form of the guitar may be very diverse, scale lengths, fret placements, and pitch will all remain the same.

If you play the guitar less frequently you’ll be happy to know that a portable guitar may completely take the place of your main instrument—especially if you don’t mind paying a little more money.

Size

Travel guitars don’t usually have the standard number of frets, but some do.
Obviously, it makes sense to have fewer frets because a guitar is more portable when its neck is thinner. Take into account how you play the guitar. Do you favor playing high-neck shred solos? Or are you simply seeking for someone to play some zombie chords and jam out with at the beach? If you don’t require the extra frets, you’ll discover that your alternatives are superior and that there are a lot of compact portable guitars to choose from.

Weight

If you frequently travel, you should give one of the smaller, lighter travel guitars significant consideration. Ultra-light models are ideal for silent practice in hostels and other settings where noise is an issue. You can use headphones and a modest preamp to achieve the loud sound you want without bothering others. Everything that makes a travel guitar helpful!

FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions): Best Travel Guitars

What is a travel guitar?

Travel guitars are created with the intention of being packed up and carried to any location. A travel guitar has portability and mobility as its primary features. Standard-sized guitars might be too huge, too heavy, or too delicate to carry around for lengthy stretches. Travel guitars are substantially lighter or smaller, and they frequently have creative solutions to problems like tuning or storage.

Of course there are some drawbacks. You don’t buy a travel guitar for example to achieve the ideal tone. Having fewer frets at your disposal is another one. A travel guitar won’t work for people who are genuinely committed to their musical endeavors, perhaps even at the expense of their desire to explore the world. The absence of frets, the poorer tone, or some other characteristic may eventually lose its appeal for these tone purists.

When it comes to creative solutions we can witness two main strategies. The first strategy is to reduce the size of a regular-sized guitar while maintaining its proportions. In this way the instrument keeps its familiarity and becomes appealing to younger players.

The second strategy is to totally redesign the instrument, perhaps including the tuning pegs in the body. Detachable arm and leg rests, for instance, may be used to address these issues since such radical design alterations can inevitably lead to other issues.

Who could benefit from a travel guitar?

Well,..traveling guitarists! Travel guitars give them the flexibility and convenience of being able to play anywhere, at any time. They are small enough to go on your back while you climb a mountain or be transported on a plane as part of your hand luggage.

Do I need a high-end travel guitar?

My list contains travel guitars in different prize ranges. You can choose for a budget solution, premium travel guitars or, when you really travel a lot and have a more money available, go for a high-end travel guitar. Although they all allow for traveling pleasure, are investing a few extra hundred dollars may sometimes mean the difference between a passable travel guitar that will get you by and an exceptional travel guitar that will genuinely change the game for you. If you work as a traveling professional musician, this is especially true.

Conclusion

There are numerous fantastic travel guitars that you’re going to adore if you travel frequently or even rarely. When you’re away from home, it’s simple to play, learn, and enjoy your favorite music with a travel guitar. Despite not having all the characteristics of a regular guitar, travel guitars have advanced significantly in recent years and have a respectable tone. Changing the pickups on your travel guitar or investing in a better amplifier will always result in a better sound.

If you have any suggestions or other feedback on my list of the best travel guitars (electric) don’t hesitate to let me know. As always, happy playing!

greetz,

Friso

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AUTHOR

Friso is as excited about playing guitar as the moment when he picked up the instrument for the first time, about 35 years ago. He is the founder of GuitarNeeds.com where he likes to share his knowledge about guitars, guitar gear and guitar playing.

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