If you said, "The 1971 sketch comedy film from Monty Python's Flying Circus," you get 25 bonus points. It isn't always about the music trivia.
Yesterday, while at Mark's, I asked him about the Traveler Speedster Deluxe travel guitar he has. He said, "Take it home and try it - it is good for traveling."
Yep, that's what I was thinking. Space is a precious commodity in the van - even my Emerald X7 (the smallest guitar I have) would take up too much space in there. This Traveler Guitar .(that's the brand name) is designed to give you full-size guitar playability while staying very compact due to the design. Essentially, there is no body... well, very little body.
I had looked them up in the past couple days. I actually considered one years ago, before I bought the Taylor GSmini that was my travel guitar for a few years. I kinda tried one in a Guitar Center in Las Vegas... the salesman pulled one off the wall, plugged in the headphones, then started banging away on it. He could hear it, we couldn't. After watching him wale away on it for about 15 minutes, I gave up on any chance of getting my hands on it, and we left. I bought the GSmini not long after.
Fast forward about 14 or 15 years: even my Emerald X7 takes up too much space in the van. I started thinking again about a Traveler Guitar. Traveler has greatly expanded their line since that last look. I quickly discovered that the Traveler Speedster Deluxe that Mark has is the best choice for me - it has features that the "acoustic" model I was first considering doesn't have. Like: a preamp that allows you to plug in headphones, if you want to play quietly, but still have big sound. Volume controls for the pickup system. An ergonomic detachable arm that gives you a place to lean your arm when playing (so it "feels like" there is a bigger guitar there...
This particular model of the Speedster Deluxe is the teal blue (reminds me of a '57 Chevy, with that arm resembling the tailfin), white pinstripes, and dice for the control knobs. There are 4 different power effects built into the guitar - just push down on the rear knob... um, die... and it rolls through those tones: clean, boost, overdrive, and distortion.
I found this one on Craigslist, located in Chandler... we were planning to go that way for lunch at Oregano's. I messaged the guy through Craigslist, he called me back very promptly, and we set up a time to meet so I could buy the guitar. The transaction was easy, and the timing great for us to have lunch right after. Pizza and a guitar - no downside to that.
These Traveler Guitars put the tuning keys in the lower body of the guitar - well, what little body there is. No headstock. It is a unique way of making a guitar, but it eliminates a lot of the size and weight compared to a normal guitar.
Should be no problem making some space for this in my cabinet in the van.
Will it take the place of any of my other guitars? Um, no. This will have a specific use, and the size is so much smaller than any of my other guitars. Does it play as good as my Emeralds? Did you really ask that? It is unusual to hold or play wearing a strap, but it does a decent job. And, the price was right. So is the size (did I mention that already?). I played it a bunch this afternoon - not bad at all.
In the words of the philosopher David Bowie: "Rock on." ;-)
2 comments:
We had one of those for years. In an Anchorage music store, Alice spotted it and thought it was cute. I played it some; she played it rarely. Ironically it went to Phoenix several years ago, en route to France. I did not want to get involved in shipping and selling overseas, but that buyer had a friend in PHX that was willing to buy and carry it to Paris on his behalf. It should fit your mission nicely, and I like the '57 Chevy reference.
How did I not know that, Earl? I don't expect this guitar to get a lot of use when we're home, because there are many better options, acoustic and electric. We'll see if it earns its place in the van. It pairs nicely with that small Spark cube amp.
Post a Comment