Picking the best travel guitar that is portable enough to fly on an airplane is kind of tricky. Acoustic guitars are big and bulky, but they kind of have to be in order to get a warm, rich tone. Generally, the smaller the guitar, the worse it sounds.
That creates a problem. If you like to do a lot of traveling, you know how annoying it is to be away from your guitar for long periods of time. What’s worse is it’s impossible to travel with a full-sized guitar unless you want to risk it getting smashed by the airlines or lost in baggage. Moreover, sometimes there just isn’t room in your car to bring your favorite acoustic guitar on a road trip.
That’s why I’ve made this article. I list the top-rated portable travel acoustic guitars that still sound good.
With all of the travel guitars on the market, it is really hard to choose the one that would fits you and your playing style. Let alone, something that sounds good. No matter the nature of your travel or the music you play, here are top acoustic travel guitars that we liked the most.
Let’s take a look!
| Travel Guitar | Guitar Rating | Features | Price Check |
|---|---|---|---|
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Martin BackPacker |
CHECK PRICE |
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Traveler Guitar |
CHECK PRICE |
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Cordoba Mini |
CHECK PRICE |
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Yamaha APXT2 |
CHECK PRICE |
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Hola! Music Travel Series |
CHECK PRICE |
Top 5 Travel Guitars For Acoustic Guitar Players in 2021
Contents
- 1 Top 5 Travel Guitars For Acoustic Guitar Players in 2021
- 2 What We Recommend and Why
- 3 Final Word
Here is a list of the best travel guitars that are portable and still sound great:
- Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar
- Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar
- Cordoba Mini M Travel Acoustic Nylon String Guitar
- Yamaha APXT2 3/4-Size Acoustic-Electric Guitar
- Hola! Music Travel Series Acoustic Guitar Bundle
Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar
Now, we are looking at a true beauty when it comes to travel guitars. No other company offers a body design like this. It’s small, compact and can easily fit in a back pack. Plus, it has a full 15 frets– just how much one travel guitar needs to have.
With a nice looking ”cutaway” (lack of body), you’ll not only fall in love with the look of it, but you’ll be able to play it comfortably as well. You can reach the highest frets easily, without hitting your hand on a bulky cutaway body in your way.
Since this is a travel guitar, it weighs less than 5.5 pounds and is highly portable for even the most adventurous traveler.
Pros and Highlights
Great appearance – Unlike most acoustic guitar shapes, this Martin has a unique V-shaped body. It not only looks cool, but it also helps slim down the size making it even more portable. It’s also pretty comfortable to play.The body is made out of a solid spruce top and tone wood back and sides.
Exceptional performance – Like most Martin guitars, this little portable v-shaped body plays and sounds great. You would have no problem plugging this in and playing on stage at a gig or just jamming with your friends. It’s definitely nicer than just a practice guitar.
Lightweight – The lack of body (actually, its size) affects the weight of this guitar positively. Of course, that doesn’t mean that it takes away from some of the other qualities. On contrary, you will be surprised how loud this guitar can get.
Cons and Potential Flaws
Dot inlays – There are only 2 frets marked on the board, which makes orientating difficult sometimes, but not if you are a more advanced guitarist.
Bottom Line
This is the perfect acoustic to go anywhere with. The Martin craftsmanship is unlike any other guitar. The body bracing is made to take a beating while you are out and about. Plus, it sounds surprising good for an acoustic this small.
Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar
For those traveling a lot, which are in love with music, there is one great solution and it’s called Traveler Guitar. One-piece maple neck and body with natural finish ensure not only durability but a shining appearance of this guitar.
Of course, like any other travel guitar, this one is compact and small, just perfect for long-distance travelers. You can add or remove lap rest frame, which is detachable. In the pack, you can expect a gig bag, which is highly important to anyone that’s carrying the guitar from gig to gig. Nevertheless, it protects your guitar and makes it even more compact and portable.
The guitar features 22-frets which are all highly reachable (there is no bulky resonator), and throughout which, there are dot inlays to help with orientation.
Pros and Highlights
Small, compact, and portable – Being small as it is, you will carry it around with ease and without any back pain problems. With a gig bag, be sure that you will be going from one place to another with ease!
Simple to play – Playing the guitar is not simple, but what we meant is that this one it’s simple as it playing one guitar can get. Easy grip, comfy fretboard, and no bulky resonator box are the things that every musician can dream off.
Great construction – Made of the highest quality materials, this guitar is made to last for years of traveling!
Cons and Potential Flaws
It belongs to a bit pricier price point category.
Bottom Line
This is the ideal instrument if want the option to switch between acoustic and electric guitar playing. It has a full 22 fret neck. That’s unheard of in a guitar this small. It’s compact enough to take anywhere. You shouldn’t have a problem trying to get this on a plane!
Cordoba Mini M Travel Acoustic Nylon String Guitar
This guitar is truly an impressive instrument. It’s small, compact, with a tiny resonator box, yet it can get really loud once you start playing it. Solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides are there to make this little piece of an art shine throughout the ages.
A natural satin finish is what adds to the overall appearance of this guitar. With a gig bag that comes with the guitar, you will easily carry it around and protect from the toughest of weather conditions.
Pros and Highlights
Comes with a gig bag – It might seem irrelevant but it’s rare to see the guitar that comes with a gig bag. Having a gig bag will save you some extra cash that you would naturally invest in buying one, and of course- prevent your guitar from being damaged while carrying it anywhere you go.
Great appearance – Solid spruce top with mahogany back and sides with a natural satin finish just give a “soul” to this guitar. You will fall in love with its look easily, in no time.
Tiny and lightweight body – Even though this guitar features an extremely tiny body, it can get really loud if you want.
Cons and Potential Flaws
None thus far
Bottom Line
This is a great option for someone who wants a more traditional acoustic style guitar. The parlor shaped body really gives you the feeling of playing regular guitar, but it’s small enough to bring with you anywhere.
Yamaha APXT2 3/4-Size Acoustic-Electric Guitar
If you are searching for a travel guitar, but you don’t find their look as something that amazes you, then this classic-looking acoustic guitar might be your mid-ground.
It features spruce top and rosewood fingerboard and bridge, like any other worthy guitar. These are some of the most common and used materials, and there’s a good reason behind. These materials not only that improve the guitar’s durability, but on a certain way affect the acoustics that one guitar makes.
Moreover, this electric- acoustic guitar has everything that one regular guitar has- 21 frets, dot inlays, and a cutaway that helps you reach higher frets.
Additionally, you get a gig bag to comfort yourself while carrying it from gig to gig. Overall, it looks like an acoustic guitar, but with one small difference- it perfect for travelers.
Pros and Highlights
Great appearance (acoustic guitar appearance) – It looks normal, unlike any other travel guitar out there. It has all the characteristics of a guitar that you have already encountered with. Amazing design and appearance of this one are simply breathtaking.
21 frets – There are 21 frets and a lot of possibilities that this guitar offers.
Great acoustics – Materials used in its creation, combined with a great quality resonator box are what makes the acoustics so great that you will fall in love within no time.
Cons and Potential Flaws
A bit bulky
Bottom Line
This guitar is a bit bigger than the others on the list, but it’s also more of a regular acoustic guitar. Complete with a cutaway for easy access to the upper frets, it plays as good as it looks. It’s not exactly a backpacker, but you can easily bring it with in the car.
Hola! Music Travel Series Acoustic Guitar Bundle
Enjoy the quality and everything that one acoustic guitar offers while playing a travel guitar, somewhere outside in the world! Check out this guitar coming from Hola! Music. Spruce top, mahogany back, sides and neck and traditional tortoise-shell like pattern with celluloid binding on body, neck, and soundhole add to the guitars overall appearance.
What you can expect from this one are quality and affordability. As we said, it belongs to an affordable price point category, yet it pays an excellent value for the price. There are 19 frets, which is more than enough for friendly jamming, or gigs.
Pros and Highlights
Easy to play – Dot inlays, quite a comfy fingerboard, and lightweight body are what increase the playability of this guitar. Its neck is quite thin, which eases the gripping part and helps to play those bare chords with effortlessly.
Great durability – Made of top of the class materials, this guitar is destined to last for ages!
Great package – Not only that you get a guitar, but a big package of picks, pickguard, and a gig bag.
Cons and Potential Flaws
A bit bulky for a travel guitar
Bottom Line
This mini acoustic fits nicely in your hands and sounds pretty good for its size. Again, it’s a little on the larger size, so you probably won’t want to put this in your bag, but it is definitely portable enough to take anywhere you want to go with it.
What We Recommend and Why
If we were asked to choose one guitar from our list, we’d definitely pick be the Martin Steel string travel guitar. It’s basically got everything that one guitar needs.
It looks sweet, has great performance, and is extremely well built with it’s unique body style. The price to quality ratio is simply the best deal that you can get.
Final Word
With all of these awesome guitars on the market, it can be really hard to choose which one is right for you, especially if you are a new guitarist. That’s why we put together this list of 5 best travel guitars. Hopefully, it helped you decide on the one that will suit your needs and your playing style the most.
We made sure to include some cheap guitars and expensive ones, so you have some options. Keep in mind that all of the ones we included on this list are built really well, no matter the price.
Now that you know the pros, cons, and features of the most popular guitars, it’s time for you to pick out your new best travel companion.
We’d love to hear you play soon!
