The electric guitars meant for traveling have a completely different design, build quality, and sounding features. From hardware placement to body shape, everything affects the sound and tonal quality. So, finding a travel-size electric guitar is not enough to get the best travel guitar.
The portable guitars often sacrifice the build quality; that you also need for traveling. Besides portability, you should also consider the sound quality and rigidity of the guitars.
Do you want such in-depth buying advice? Click on the ‘buying guide’ tab from the table of content. Then we suggest going through our recommended models; their performance according to the expenditure has brought them into the top 10 rankings of this year.
LIST OF BEST TRAVEL ELECTRIC GUITAR
Product Image | Brand Name | PRODUCT DETAIL | Rating |
---|---|---|---|
LAVA ME 2 | |||
EART | |||
TRAVELER | |||
JAMSTIK | |||
TRAVELER |
BEST TRAVEL ELECTRIC GUITAR REVIEW
1. LAVA ME 2 - BEST Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar
PRODUCT DETAILS
The Laval Me 2 electric-acoustic guitar offers an amazing loud acoustic performance; that covers a wide range of frequency tones. The best part of this guitar is that it’s lighter than a laptop; it weighs only 3.7 pounds.
The Super AirSonic carbon fiber material is 15% lighter than other materials but 20% stronger than other materials. You will be surprised knowing that this guitar could sustain temperatures between -4°F~176°F and 10% to 90% humidity level.
It does not only withstand such an extremely hostile environment but also performs well; we mainly look into a travel practice guitar. You’ll get a new level of playing experience with this guitar.
The thinner and lighter guitar with an ergonomically designed neck profile ensures utmost comfort while playing or carrying for travel. You can play this guitar without plugging it into an amplifier, as the FreeBoost Technology-enabled L2 pickups use the rear surface of the guitar as a speaker does.
The pickup also lets you apply the effects of reverb, delay, and chorus without using an amp. The pickup comes equipped with a percussion sound receiving mic, so you’ll get enhanced and embellished percussion sound with or without an amp.
HIGHLIGHTS
2. EART GW2 - BEST HEADLESS TRAVEL GUITAR
PRODUCT DETAILS
It’s a headless guitar, which means it relocates all tuning hardware to the bridge area, as it doesn’t have the headstock. Stringing a headless guitar is super easy; anyone can do that.
The hand-polished round-edged Stainless steel frets provide a smooth playing surface for utmost comfort and easy big bends. The unique U to C compound neck profile of GW2 provides comfortable playability for both chording and soloing.
Multi-piece neck construction provides excellent stability for lower tunings. The smaller body is easy to take traveling; on the other hand, the lightweight wooden construction delivers a punchy tone.
Despite being a 25.5 scale length guitar, the guitar is truly lightweight and well-balanced, puts less pressure on your back while playing, and ensures utmost comfort.
We would highly recommend this guitar to rock and metal players or anyone; who needs a wide array of tones, playing comfort, sturdy and lightweight design for traveling.
HIGHLIGHTS
3. TRAVELER (ULA MPS) - BEST PORTABLE ULTRA-LIGHT ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC GUITAR
PRODUCT DETAILS
When it comes to electric acoustic guitars, the neck-thru-body design provides better sustain and resonance, keeps the instrument in tune longer, and allows easier access to the higher frets than other types of construction.
The bronze strings are less expensive and well resistant to breakage, as well as sound great. The piezoelectric pickups are small in size and even available in the desired shapes. They have better rigidity and frequency response. The transducer picks up the actual vibrations of the string and produces noise and distortion-free sound.
As far as travel-friendliness is concerned, you can pick this guitar without having a second thought in mind as it will get fitted easily inside the airline overhead bins. Moreover, it comes with a sturdy gig bag to let you carry it on your back while traveling somewhere to nearby places to perform or rehearse.
HIGHLIGHTS
4. JAMSTIK 7 GT - MINI ELECTRIC TRAVEL GUITAR
PRODUCT DETAILS
The Jamstik 7 GT Trainer Bundle guitar is a good option for the one; who is looking for a simple way for music production without relying on connecting the real instrument to a computer or mobile apps. The enthusiasts; who want to learn more about playing guitar also may find this guitar useful.
This practice travel guitar is simple and lightweight, but reliable and sturdy enough for daily practice and traveling. Don’t judge the guitar by its size alone; it’s a pretty powerful guitar. The training apps make it more interesting as a learning instrument; they help learn the most important parts of playing an instrument.
You can connect a speaker or headphones to it during practicing. You can carry on your practicing season when on the go, even on public transport, thanks to the earphone support. The portable design and convenient size make this guitar a good travel guitar.
HIGHLIGHTS
5. Traveler (ULE BKM) - BEST Ultra-Light Electric Guitar
PRODUCT DETAILS
This is another ultra-light electric guitar of the Traveler brand; that looks overall the same but comes equipped with different specs and pickup configurations. The magnetic double-coil humbucker pickup makes this guitar sound thicker, heavier, and fuller than the previous one.
The pickup will offer various tonal sounds; when you plug it into the quality amp. Unfortunately, you can’t use headphones with it for the silent practice that several traditional electric guitars offer.
The Walnut fretboard has 22 medium frets with a 15.75” radius, which is good for making fast runs. It also has a removable lap rest; made of comfortable foam allows you to keep the guitar close to your chest, which offers more balance and prevents it from slipping from your lap.
It’s a full-sized guitar, but 68% lighter at 3.2 lbs and 28% shorter at 28” longer than others, making it a good one for traveling. We bet this guitar will get fitted into the backseat of your car or overhead cabin on a plane. The gig bag comes with extra protection for traveling.
HIGHLIGHTS
6. ASMUSE AD80-E - BEST FOLDABLE ELECTRIC GUITAR
PRODUCT DETAILS
Look at the key features; it offers everything; that an ultimate travel guitar should have. It is compact, lightweight, and even foldable. This folding electric guitar is 30.2” long as unfolded and 5” wide without the lap rest attachment; you can easily carry it inside a travel case.
Tends to be like the smallest electric guitar; it doesn’t compromise any important feature, like lap rest. Many travel guitars often have trouble staying tuned, but the brass locking nut keeps the instrument in tune.
The combined pickups deliver thick and warm tones with enhanced clarity. The built-in amp lets you play the guitar silently in a public place but loudly to yourself; the most desirable thing for travelers. Isn’t it?
HIGHLIGHTS
7. Traveler 6 String EG-1 Custom Guitar
PRODUCT DETAILS
The EG-1 custom electric guitar model is the top-of-the-line travel guitar of the Traveler brand; that comes exclusively equipped with a proprietary headphone amplifier and integrated tuner.
It is a full 24 3/4-inch scale electric guitar, but the ergonomic body design without headstock makes it 27% shorter at 28”-long and 50% lighter at hardly 5 pounds than other full-size electric guitars.
It also features a chromatic tuner and shadow E-tuner on the pickup ring, so you can easily understand whether the guitar is tuned higher or lower than your preferred pitch or not. If yes, you can easily tune it accordingly.
The custom onboard headphone amp delivers 4-channel tones with fuzz, boost, overdrive, and distortion pedals. Besides having a jack for headphones, it also includes Aux-in input to enhance compatibility with most audio devices.
Aside from the travel-friendly design, we personally like this guitar for the custom headphone amplifier; that helps practice privately while traveling.
HIGHLIGHTS
8. KLOS Deluxe Acoustic Electric Travel-friendly Guitar
PRODUCT DETAILS
When it comes to traveling or even hiking or camping, the lightweight guitar made of durable carbon fiber never lets you down. The wooden construction may get cracked or damaged over time, but Carbon fiber is tough enough to withstand temperature and humidity changes.
This deluxe acoustic-electric guitar comes with Fishman Sonitone under-saddle pickup; that delivers rich, bright, and resonant sound with a nicely balanced tone. You will get more volume if you plug into any amplifier or preamp.
To help you in traveling, the manufacturer also includes a neck sleeve, high-end cotton/leather anti-slip guitar strap, rain cover, and a gig bag.
HIGHLIGHTS
9. Traveler Guitar 6 String Electric (TCD BKG) Guitar
PRODUCT DETAILS
This guitar has a noticeable cutaway; that offers easy access to all 22 medium jumbo frets. The slim body and comfortable curves make this guitar easy and comfortable to play.
It uses three standard-sized single-coil pickups, which can be controlled with the 5-way pickup blade, Master volume, and tone control. The 2-point Fulcrum tremolo bridge has better tuning sustainability, which ensures you’ll not be having any problem with intonation.
The single-coil pickups deliver bright, crisp, and bell-like chimes. The best part of this guitar is; that it sounds great at all positions, and the tuners are reliable to keep strings tuned through multiple sessions.
HIGHLIGHTS
10. Monoprice Indo Classic 66 V2 Series Electric Guitar (625900)
PRODUCT DETAILS
The guitar comes equipped with a wider neck; that gives you more space to bend strings and let you play comfortably. It also carries a travel-friendly weight and size.
The humbucker pickups make this guitar sweet-sounding, but we feel nothing too remarkable. Honestly, this is enough for under $130; right?
It has a bolt-on neck; that keeps costs down on construction and makes it cheaper than others. It is also easy to repair, replace and reset if needed.
The sound quality is overall good, but we are highly impressed with its performance for a reasonable price. We want to recommend this guitar to anyone on a tight budget.
HIGHLIGHTS
BUYERS GUIDE THE BEST TRAVEL ELECTRIC GUITAR
bODY SIZE
When it comes to traveling, you always should go with small and slim body guitars, as they don’t occupy much space inside the travel bag and add a huge weight.
If you’re concerned about the space inside the traveling case, you could also carry a full-sized guitar with a collapsible neck. However, most portable electric guitars have a 3/4 –scale length; smaller than this size could create tuning and possibilities issues.
WEIGHT
The weight of the guitar is the biggest consideration for travelers so choose a guitar as lightweight as possible.
COLLAPSIABLE NECK
For reducing weight, some travel guitars come with a detachable neck, and others even don’t have a headstock. Having no headstock means the tuning pegs are placed on the body. Such guitars are truly functional for packing inside a traveling case.
But don’t forget to check whether the neck is comfortable or not? If you’re a beginner, consider the electrical guitars with fret inlays; they will help you identify frets.
SOUND
Nothing would be as frustrating as an electric guitar with low-quality electronics; that induce off-tune frets and buzz noises. So, don’t forget to check the electronics and how the guitar sounds before finalizing your purchasing decision.
Above all, you could go with some high-end specifications, like – built-in amps, headphone port for silent practicing, distortion, or other EQ controls. If you’re not available for visiting an instrument store or would prefer to shop online, you could check the test sound of your chosen guitar from the reviews on the internet.
In summary, you should check the pickups and electronics the manufacturer has used, different tone-changing features, sound, and tonal quality, and whether the body style and sound fits your playing style or not.
PRICE
You can’t even always get the best instrument after spending $1000; splashing huge cash is not the best solution. We suggest finding a compact electric guitar; whose body style, features, and price tag seem sensible to you.
CONCLUSION
That’s all from our side. We found these guitars worthy in terms of body shapes, hardware quality, and price points. Hopefully, you will also find the same and our buying tips will help you reach the best travel electric guitar. If you find any better option, let others know by commenting below.
Hey all, I’m Elise, I love to play music with the most lovely tuning instruments. I tried many of the musical instruments that I wished to play. Like me, many might have been seeking for good musical instruments. For those, I would like to provide a good list of instruments that I tried playing. This may help your search progress! Move ahead and read the articles.