I should also add my latest acquisition:
Traveler Guitars Travelcaster
This is a cut-down electric guitar designed to be easy to travel with (apparently it fits into the overhead lockers of most airlines) and, yet, to provide most of the capabilities of a full-sized electric guitar, including the proper neck/scale length.
In this respect, it delivers. The neck really does feel just like a normal electric guitar, and the pickups sound pretty good. It even has a whammy bar. It’s quite lightweight and comes with a gig bag. As an option for travelling, it’s hard to beat. Of course, you need an amp with it, but I’ve been using it with my Yamaha THR10ii (as in the photo which was from the apartment I was staying in) as well as with my Boss Pocket GT.
It does, however, have some downsides:
One is that, because they have cut down the size by removing a large part of the body, compared with a normal Strat, the weight distribution is towards the headstock, so you get a lot of headstock dive. This is mostly when standing up with a strap, but you get some whilst seated too.
Another is that the jack socket to connect to the amp is around the back of the guitar, which means the cable catches on your leg a bit. I’m using it with a wireless transmitter which exacerbates the issue. It’s a minor pain rather than being a show-stopper.
The biggest issue for me is that the part of the guitar body where you normally rest your arm is missing. For me that means I end up resting my palm on the bridge, which often results in unwanted muting. I also feel that my arm is in the wrong position to play normally, which makes it feel more awkward to play.
I think as an option for travelling, it’s great and I’m going to keep it (at least for now) but it looks like I might be doing a little less travelling that was anticipated originally, so when I get back to SG in a few weeks, I may consider getting a more conventional electric guitar once I have settled into my new accommodation, on the basis I can probably sell it second hand when I eventually leave.
Cheers,
Keith