Everywhere you go, you always take the guitar... or do you?

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Heyho folks,

still wannabe-musicianing hard this week, having spent so much time playing in December. (I feel like I now only know what I don’t know, but that’s for another thread.)

So I thought I’d constructively start a thread instead of researching yet more mini-guitars online to ask you lovely lot: Do you take your guitar on trips? If so, on all kinds? On train journeys, flights, road trips, or only in the camper van? If you are away for a night or only on longer trips? Do you do it to keep practising or because you want to actually jam/get people to ask you to play?

I am finding it hard to part with my guitar to go on a work trip, but it’s two days and it would just wait for me in the hotel. I’ll be going on a long trip involving several long ferry, bus and train journeys in a couple of months though and am sorely tempted to take it - but it’d be on full display throughout.

If you’ve done it, what’s your experience? Great conversation starter and you’ve made lots of musician friends? Source of embarrassment because people will think you’re a show-off? Did people ask you the play, and did/could you? Did they ignore it? Did hotel stuff warn you to keep the noise down?

Thank you, and have a good day!

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I haven’t taken a guitar on a long trip. Only when I drive up to the mountain condo for a weekend. Too much hassle and risk to the instrument.

If you aren’t doing anything but beginner practice, I wouldn’t bother unless you want to bring a small silent guitar and expect some alone downtime in the hotel.

You can put together a plan of off the guitar exercises and learning for that short time and visit a guitar store just to put it in your hands once or twice.

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I’m retired now but most of my working life involved international travel of varying lengths of time and sometimes periods of living outside the UK. And yes, once I got interested in the guitar I usually had one with me.

When I was away on shorter trips either within UK or outside I had an Erlewine Lazer that fitted into a large hard suitcase and with my clothes and stuff packed around it was kept fairly well protected. Here’s a picture of one (not mine).
Lazer

That went with me to a lot of places for a good few years until it got damaged.

I usually managed to find time for it even when I was on relatively short trips staying in a hotel - before breakfast or in the evening.

I moved to Hong Kong for a couple of years so I decided not to take one but buy one there. Ditto when I lived in Japan.

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Hi Tee. Do a site search on “travel guitar” and you’ll find a load of discussion on this subject.
Have guitar, will travel, but without Justin’s lessons. Edit : Now in France! :fr:

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Thanks! I did read quite a few of the threads but only found the occasional “personal experience”. Shall browse again. :slight_smile:

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I have taken guitars with me when I have gone on longer work trips and I am going to be staying in a hotel and expect to not be busy in the evening (e.g. with clients, friends, or exploring a new place).

If I’m driving, I’ll throw my G&L Legacy Tribute electric in the boot. I chose that normally because it’s the least expensive of my guitars and, also, least fragile. Although if space is tight I will take my Travelcaster instead. I’ll normally also take my Katana Go and some IEMs to play through.

When I’ve gone camping in the past, I’ve taken my little Harley Benton GS Travel acoustic.

If I was on a very long train journey and was going to be away for more than a day, I would probably take the Travelcaster. I wouldn’t bother for same-day travel and especially not for commuting.

When I’ve travelled abroad for longer contract periods (months at a time) I have either taken a guitar or, in some cases, acquired a cheap one out there because, often, travelling with a guitar can be painful.

When I went to Singapore in 2020, for example, I purchased a cheap strat copy and a Zoom G1X Four from a local store and used that with headphones whilst we were under Covid restrictions, and I was mostly spending 23hrs stuck in a small apartment.

I also, eventually, bought a Yamaha THR10ii to used with the guitar and as a Bluetooth speaker. When I left Singapore, I gave the guitar and Zoom unit away to a friends kid. I bought the THR10ii back home with me.

I have previously travelled long-haul with a dissembled guitar in my suitcase. If you have the luggage space and weight allowance, and you have a guitar with a bolt-on neck, this works quite well. Make sure you also take tools and new strings.

When I went to Singapore again in 2022 I also bought a guitar out there, but this time I bought something a bit more expensive; a Yamaha Revstar standard. This was because I was going to be there a lot longer (in the end 2 years). When I came back to the UK I was in two minds whether to sell it locally before I left SG, or whether to bring it back with me. In the end, I brought it back.

Cheers,

Keith

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I travel very rarely. Not for work in many years. I have not given any consideration to a travel guitar, but I did buy an ergonomic guitar that is also smaller. Here is my experience:

I make a trip annually for a 5-day stay at a resort. I have taken my guitar each of these trips so I can sit outside or in the room and play. I have taken my PRS most of the time, but last trip, I took the Strandberg. I have taken the effects processor on two or three occasions, but also take a headphone amp for portability and quiet. I can set volume to play quietly and the rooms are isolated enough that I do not think anyone can hear me. I have taken the speaker cabinet once, but this is pretty large to take with.

However, this past Christmas, I took the Strandberg to mom’s house in case I had time to play. I was invited over to a neighbors and had my first experience playing with others. I immediately wished I had my regular setup. We tried to fit my guitar into the neighbor’s clean amp he uses with his violin, but ended up just using my laptop with a small speaker I like for portable practice. Next year I will probably take the whole setup.

here is a good list of my stuff: Really need amp for beginner - #9 by sequences

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80 % of the time I bring my guitar with me. Not worried about the guitar not being pristine, I am super careful anyways. For me it’s like owning a truck or 4 wheeler. I bought it t to be used! I always sleep in my van when I travel. Can’t afford a hotel.room and playing in a hotel room I would think.woukd be limiting to what I can play. Out in the wide open? I’ll play my little heart right out of me!! I have a pretty good setup for travelling, just need a few more things and I’ll be a travelling gypsy!!

Rock on!
Darren

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Do I take my guitar on trips? Absolutely! Couldn’t imagine going without it.

We recently did the “big lap” where we traveled all around Australia with our caravan / camping trailer. For that I took along 2 guitars. 1 my daily play guitar, 2 a spare in case anything happened to the daily play guitar.

When flying, which is something I only do once or twice a year these days on average, I take along my carbon fibre journey of660 travel guitar.

Do I do it to keep practising or because I want to actually jam…

Both. For me, playing guitar has become part of my lifestyle. I play every day without fail and it’s my quiet space and helps my mental health a lot.

Regarding the guitar being on full display…

The journey has worked very well in that regard. It comes with a great case that also doubles as my carry on bag. It has room for a laptop, a powered speaker, my prescription medicine goes inside the guitar and still room for a charger for my phone and stays just within the 7kg carry on bag limit.

It doesn’t look like a guitar, just looks like a back pack. When I’ve been stuck in the departure lounge for hours at end, I find a quiet corner, pull out the journey and away I go. I play a lot of fingerstyle so it’s not loud enough to annoy others.

Once, we bumped into fellow musicians that we knew in the departure lounge, out came the guitar and we had a great session passing it around.

Another option worth considering is the Yamaha silent guitar. When concerned about hotel staff / patrons, just play it through your headphones. When you want a bit of noise, plug in a powered speaker. It’s not really a gig setup but still gives the extra volume. I also use that with my journey and a headphone amplifier.

Someone else mentioned concerns about risk to the instrument. With the journey, it’s carbon fibre so not likely to be damaged by heat or moisture. I don’t take my most expensive hand made guitars around anywhere carelessly, but my campfire guitar and a nicer one I gladly take. I’d rather risk damage to the instrument and gain the experiences I’ve had on the road than leave it at home and keep the instrument safe.

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As a flight attendant who travels internationally quite a bit and who is also doing the Blues Immersion course, I try and take my guitar with me as much as possible especially if it’s a city I have been to lots and seen most if not all, of the attractions. Can be a bit of a hassle juggling a cabin bag, suitcase and a guitar through an airport but I manage. I am lucky in that I can bring the guitar the guitar onboard. However I would never travel with an acoustic because of the opportunity for it to get smashed or otherwise damaged.

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I bought my shortscale headless bass as a travel bass. It’s been on a couple of flights (work trips) and a drive (a full weekend away when my daughter was competing with her cheer squad). On flights I put it in a hard case and check it in. In the car it was in a padded gig bag.

I’m not concerned about it from a security viewpoint as it’s insured for worldwide travel. It might mean I’d be without it for a while, but I’ve got 3 other basses that I enjoy playing.

My PRS 6 string electric is the only other instrument of mine (8 in total) that is insured for worldwide travel. I haven’t taken it away with me, but probably will at some point. My only other six string is an acoustic, but I don’t gig with guitar so again it’s not a problem if I’m without it waiting for an insurance replacement.

I have a £40 headphone amp that plugs into the jack socket that I use in hotel rooms. I’m a bit particular about sound, but I actually think it’s quite good - it doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of playing.

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I only take a guitar when I am taking a car trip and am going to be away for a while. I am currently living in Chicago but am Irish which means I travel back to the auld sod a couple of times a year and have never taken a guitar with me. I actually find a break every now and then does me good. I do visit my siblings when home and there are guitars knocking about at their houses so can pick one up there if I feel the need to play.

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I take one everywhere. I’ve been playing for 1.25 years and I can’t get enough. Im 62 and basically I’m terrible…but I do it for me. I have a Mini Taylor that travels well, but I also have a Martin Streetmaster that is actually a full size but lighter feeling guitar. I just took a week long trip to New Orleans for New Year with wife and kids and had a blast. Played a little every day. My goal is simple… play what I want and leave the rest to whoever cares.

I enjoy it and it beats the heck out of TV.

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Hi Simon.

That’s interesting. You are in the uk, right? I was wondering which airlines let you check in a guitar. Did you have to pay extra for that? I regularly have to fly back to the uk to visit my mum. Looking at baggage specifications, other than weight, the airlines often specify the max dimensions of a bag which is never the shape of a guitar case, ie, the length would exceed the max specified length.

Actually, I don’t need to take my guitar as I can borrow my nephew’s while there. However, when I visit, I’m just near Andertons (Guildford) and had thought of buying a guitar there and bringing it back to Switzerland.

What sort of case did you buy that’s strong enough to stand the rigours that checked in luggage has to suffer?

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@Prof_Thunder Hi Ian,

Yes I’m in the UK, and also not far from Andertons (I live in Ashtead).

I am fairly confident that I’ve flown with both BA and EasyJet with my bass. I thought I’d kept the rules / measurements for each, but couldn’t find it. As far as I recall both BA and EasyJet will only accept guitars in hard cases. I think I may have found the info in a section dedicated to musical instruments rather than general luggage requirement.

I did have to pay extra for both airlines, but I’ve a feeling it was similar to the cost of checked hold luggage.

I bought a Gator case. It’s their generic electric guitar case. The closure clasps aren’t as solid as the ones on my Rickenbacker case. I’m not overly concerned about that though as I just try to be compliant with what the insurance company requires.

I bought the case from Andertons. They brought a few out for me to try. Although my bass (a headless shortscale) is shorter than a guitar it didn’t fit in any of the cases due to the length of the upper horn. I went for the case which needed the least modding - the sales guy was really helpful in advising on the one to go for and how to mod it. The mod was easy to do.

My PRS fits in the case (just). I don’t recall if it would have fitted without the mod I had to make for the bass.

Cheers, Simon

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I’ve taken a travel acoustic guitar on flights between UK and Germany as cabin luggage on Lufthansa flights. It comes in a padded case I can strap on like a rucksack. It’s still a full-size guitar, just a bit shorter. So it still does not fit cabin-luggage specifications. The key is to queue at the checkin / luggage drop and speak with a person and get an “approved cabin luggage” tag.

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I totally get your dilemma—taking a guitar on a trip can be a bit of a hassle, but it’s also such a fun way to keep the music vibe going. I’ve taken mine on road trips and even on flights (with a decent gig bag), and it’s always a conversation starter! People either get curious or don’t pay much attention, but I’ve had a couple of cool impromptu jam sessions along the way. I’ve never had any noise complaints in hotels, but I do try to be mindful of the time. If you’re itching to take it, go for it!

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