Traveler Ultra-Light Guitar...

When traveling overseas, the baggage is sometimes limited to
44 pounds (20 kilograms) total. Many of us like to carry our
musical instruments, but size and weight restrict that from
happening. The ukulele is a small and lightweight instrument
that fits that bill, BUT I also like to carry a guitar…



The Traveler Ultra Light Guitar has a full 24 ¾” scale, is 28”
in length and weighs only 3 pounds. The quality chromed and
geared tuners are cleverly protected by the body of the guitar,
protecting them from damage:



There is a Shadow piezoelectric pickup and a ¼” jack installed
in the endpin. The Ultra Light is an acoustic guitar that requires
amplification to play for others:



It also comes with a chromed wire thigh rest for playing sitting
down, For amplification I recommend an amp made for
acoustic instruments. The Roland Microcube and Roland
Street Cube are lightweight battery/AC powered amps that
have an acoustic setting and are ideal as a travel companion
for the Ultra Light, due to the small size, light weight and
superb audio performance:

The Ultra Light comes with a durable quality gig bag that you
can easily stow in the overhead cargo on aircraft. I keep a
guitar cable, picks, strings and a chromatic tuner in the
zippered accessory pouch of the case:



Now, on to the playability of this fine instrument…

The action is factory set low, for easy fingering and chording.
Intonation is accurate all the way up the fretboard and the
shape of the body allow easy access all the way up to the
22nd fret.

The tone is a rich acoustic timber when amplified. I was
expecting the usual passive piezoelectric pickup “bark”,
but this setup produces a very natural and uncolored
sound. It can be played for long sessions without fatigue.

Caveats:

When playing standing a strap MUST be used. The balance
would be off, otherwise. No big deal. I don’t mind the strap.

When playing sitting down, the wire thigh rest must be used
to make the Ultra Light feel and play like other guitars.
Again, no big deal. Just use the thigh rest.

It requires amplification. Also, no big deal. Plug it in and
play.

Highly recommended as a travel guitar, that can also hold
it’s own in a real live gig! Ric

First time seeing that kinda instrument...

I have that same guitar and I personally don't like it too much. It's ackward to tune and tough to play without a strap, even with the metal attachment.

I don't use it without a strap. The tuning's second nature to me, now. They just work in reverse on each side, as opposed to tuning a Les Paul. Use a pegwinder to change strings. Having 59 guitars, I adapt quickly to the individual quirks of each instrument. Last month I used this guitar, my Applause UAE20 acoustic/electric uke, a LR Baggs Para DI and a Roland Microcube to play on a stage at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar. Even the musicians had to stand in long lines to go through the metal detectors. This axe worked great for that application and I did not become fatigued waiting in the long lines to get in. Ric

ricdoug said:

I don't use it without a strap. The tuning's second nature to me, now. They just work in reverse on each side, as opposed to tuning a Les Paul. Use a pegwinder to change strings. Having 59 guitars, I adapt quickly to the individual quirks of each instrument. Last month I used this guitar, my Applause UAE20 acoustic/electric uke, a LR Baggs Para DI and a Roland Microcube to play on a stage at the San Diego County Fair in Del Mar. Even the musicians had to stand in long lines to go through the metal detectors. This axe worked great for that application and I did not become fatigued waiting in the long lines to get in. Ric

Click to expand...

I agree that it is portable, convenient and light. But for me, even with a strap, I feel that it's neck heavy and the balance with a strap is way off.

Not complaining about it, not everything I say is the one and only right answer. It's just not for me...

I've got a Martin Backpacker, one of the original ones with the Martin logo on the body, before they changed the design. I have the same problem with neck balance and difficulty holding it without the strap b/c of its shape. But hey, it's a travel guitar, and its function is reflected in its form, so we can't have everything. I've tried the gutiar that you have Ric, and it is a bit hard for me to hold too. I have seen travel guitars from Yamaha (although slightly bigger than yours) that have two attachments for top and bottom of the guitar, so you basically get the ful guitar shape. I figure those would be better, although the carry weight would be greater.

Yours is a cool guitar though. Personally, not something that I'd buy, just because I don't travel enough to warrant a guitar with (what I feel) is a rather niche purpose.