best travel acoustic guitar

THESE 10 Best Travel Acoustic Guitars For On The Go!

Updated on April 1, 2022 by Dan Harper

In essence, a travel guitar is created with mobility and portability as its key functions. Typically, this is an indication that the musical instrument has a considerably lower weight or smaller body. Additionally, they usually incorporate creative solutions to storage, tuning and other such common issues. From its conception to its construction, this type of guitar for travel is meant to be thrown in a case and taken anywhere or everywhere.

Quick Links To My Best Travel Acoustic Guitar Recommendations

This is the opposite of standard-sized guitars that can be too heavy, too large or too delicate to be lugged around. Below is our take on the best travel acoustic guitar choices.

Our Travel Acoustic Guitar Reviews

Journey Instruments Carbon Fiber Travel Acoustic

Its proven durability and stability are noted benefits of real carbon fiber construction. In high temperatures it will not warp and in low temperatures the body will not crack or become brittle. In addition, you do not have to worry about the bride coming off or the fingerboards de-laminating. This type of acoustic guitar construction delivers a significantly longer sustain and a purer transfer of energy. The patented soundboard design of this guitar has an offset sound hole with a unidirectional weave made from carbon fiber and an original dampening panel for a remarkable wood-like tone with incredible bass response.

A carbon fiber twill weave that has a patented dampening layup is used to make the back and sides. Additionally, the wedge design has a lower bout/shoulder depth that is lower than a dreadnought, enabling the smaller body size to produce booming bass and great volume. The wedge, the arm bevel, rib bevel and scoopaway combine to make this the most comfy acoustic bass you will ever play. It also has a travel case with a laptop fold-out panel that is TSA compliant and can be easily scanned at the airport without having to remove the guitar.

Pros:

  • Lightweight.
  • Looks Pretty Good.
  • Mid Range Response
  • Not too expensive.

Cons:

  • Tuning can be an issue.

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The Journey Instruments Carbon Fiber Travel Acoustic

LAVA ME 2

The ME 2 is among the finest carbon fiber acoustic guitars made by Lava, particularly for stage performances. The guitar has a formidable built-in pre-amplification system. They collaborated with L.R. Baggs to ensure the system adequately efficient.

Among the best features of this instrument is its built-in effects that are similar to professional electric guitars; however, pedals are not necessary. The portability and the built-in effect functions of this guitar boost its appeal to guitarists.

The soundboard of this lightweight guitar is made out of a carbon-based lava material that merges all carbon fibers into a cellular structure. It delivers strong and organic sounds and works quite well under all conditions.

In addition, it features a mix control function which is designed for the purpose of mixing the sound between the piezo and the body microphone. As such, you get a sound that is customizable and natural. Carbon fiber and aluminum are used to make the neck of the guitar for impressive stability. The saddle, nut, bridge and other parts of the guitar are also made form high-quality materials. There are also 6 strings of phosphor bronze on the guitar. All these elements combine to play a vital role in transmitting sound vibrations.  It’s a jim dandy!

Pros:

  • The guitar is well-made and the strings provide an excellent sound.
  • The size of the body makes it easy to transport.
  • The guitar can be amplified with a PA system or amplifier.

Cons:

  • None. The instrument has proved to be excellent in all respects, so far, including durability, tone, feel, and playability.

Our Rating –
4.5/5


Check The Latest Price On The LAVA ME 2

Traveler Guitar Mark III MK3 MHG Acoustic Travel Guitar

The Traveler Guitar Mark III is uniquely designed. In an effort to save space, the headstock of the instrument was taken off of the top of the neck and placed into the body of the guitar. This enables the instrument to take up less space amongst your travel gear. It also provides it with a very distinctive look reminiscent of a headless horseman.

Mahogany is used to make the body of the guitar and this tonewood is popular for its lightweight yet sturdy property and its dark coloring; this further adds to the portability of the guitar. The hardwood provides the guitar with a good resonance with both the highs and the lows, producing a mellow, warm sound. The wood is incredibly beautiful and quite sturdy as well.

Bolted on mahogany is used on the neck of the guitar. Although mahogany has a solid resonance with all ranges of tones, the bolted-on neck is not the favorite setting of every guitarist. However, it is sturdy and comfortable on this guitar. It also features exceptional electronics, the build and design of which enables the instrument to sound like an acoustic guitar. In addition, the guitar has a headphone preamp designed to deliver a clean sound during composing sessions or private practice. The instrument has a built-in tuner as well.

Pros:

  • Extremely lightweight
  • Sounds great for fingerpicking and strumming.
  • High quality materials.
  • Great customer service.

Cons:

  • High price.

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Traveler Guitar Mark III MK3 MHG

Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar

The Steel String Backpacker Travel guitar from Martin is a slimmed down version of the bigger guitar. Its ultra-lightweight appeal and tiny size are what make it a desirable guitar for travel. It has been aptly named as we believe it is perfect for backpacking and individuals who will be carrying it for most of their journey.

This backpacker travel guitar features a spruce top and it has been made from solid wood and as such is it vibrates well and is quite durable. Its tiny body provides remarkably good acoustics that matches a typical body shape. However, its distinctive contour neck and body shape means there is some amount of adjustment to the playing style required which some more easily adapt to than others.

Even though this Martin travel guitar is usually subject to criticism since the sound is far from being as rich as a traditionally-shaped martin. It is true that the bass does not have much space to reverberate inside and it does not have a lot of volumes. Overall, the Martin Steel travel guitar produces a decent sound level and in spite of a few poor reviews the guitar is a best-selling travel option that the majority of guitarists fall in love with.

Pros:

  • Comfortable.
  • Easy to carry and travel with.
  • The perfect size for students and teachers on the go.

Cons:

  • Strictly an acoustic guitar with no electronics.

Another slightly different Martin option is the GS Mini or the Little Martin. Check out our full Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel guitar review as well.
Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Martin Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar

Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Acoustic

Eastern American hard maple is used to make the body of this fascinating little instrument. The guitar comes finished in either antique brown, black or natural, which nicely shows off the gorgeous grain. More interesting, is the size this is a little guitar, which is only 28-inches long and ideal for transporting in the overhead bin of an airplane. Despite its size, it retains a full-size scale length of 24.75 inches. It is also lightweight, weighing a bit over 2 pounds.

Its neck appears from its one-piece maple body and an ebonized rosewood fretboard is fixed on it with 22 medium frets that are easily accessible. Additionally, the body is available with a detachable lap frame designed to make it a lot easier to rest on your lap. With the hand-friendly satin finish, this guitar is a comfortable travel guitar with impressive playability, which feels well-built and sensibly designed.

There is no headstock, so it is tuned by accessing the tuners in the body of the guitar. The body actually doubles as the headstock and is outfitted with a set of closed-gear tuning machines with an exact 14:1 gear ratio.

Pros:

  • The strings and the neck are made of metal to make the guitar as light as possible.
  • It’s really durable, so you won’t have to worry about damaging it when you travel .

Cons:

  • It can be difficult for a beginner to tune this guitar.

Check out this traveler guitar review as well.
Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Traveler Guitar Ultra-Light Acoustic

Shop4Omni Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar

The compact body style of this steel string backpacker guitar from Shop4Omni makes it ideal for traveling. It is a perfect guitar to seamlessly take to music festivals, on road trips, camping trips, to parties and so many other places. The dimensions of the guitar are 35 inches x 7¼ inches x 2 inches. In spite of its compact size, the guitar still has an impressive 15-fret finger board.

The Shop4Omni Steel String travel guitar has wood construction and is available with an accessory kit that includes a strap, a nylon bag, three guitar picks and an additional set of steel guitar strings. The instrument is low cost and designed with the beginner in mind.

Pros:

  • Lightweight, so it’s easy to carry around.
  • Great price point.

Cons:

  • Kind of a strange shape making it hard to play while sitting down.

Our Rating –
4/5

Check The Latest Price On The Shop4Omni Steel String Backpacker Travel Guitar

Washburn RO10 Rover Steel String

This Washburn Rover travel guitar is available with a decent set of specifications. It is ultra-compact and this is an incredible feature of the Washburn RO10. Not only is the guitar a well-crafted instrument, but it also produces truly quality sound. Even with its small size, the sound quality is similar to that of a full-sized acoustic guitar. Additionally, the tone and sound are not excessively loud; it is generally soothing to the ear.

Mahogany is used to make both the body and the neck of this travel guitar. This material is renowned for its high-quality guitar sound. The neck is adjustable as well and can be modified based on the preference of the player. The look of the instrument is enhanced by the neat satin finish. A significant benefit of the mahogany neck is the sound clarity it offers. Since the neck is made out of mahogany, it has the capacity to produce quality music. Furthermore, authentic solid spruce is used on the top.

The guitar has remarkable features all packaged in one small instrument. It comes in a package with several components, which include a strap, three picks and a soft shell casing. Additionally, the manufacturer includes an instructional DVD, which is provided as a guide for the player so he or she can more quickly and easily learn to use the guitar.

Pros:

  • Good Sound Quality
  • Low Price
  • Portable

Cons:

  • Mediocre Action and Low Volume output.

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Washburn RO10 Rover Steel String

Yamaha SLG200S NT

The Yamaha SLG200 NT guitar has some key features with its bodiless design being. Because of the lack of a traditional guitar back and top, the strings produce sounds that do not get much amplification, which significantly lowers the volume of the instrument. The guitar still delivers some acoustic guitar sound; however, it is very quiet and it is unlikely that your neighbors will be able to hear it. Another interesting feature of the design is that it is lightweight. It is likely that this is not the reason you are buying a silent guitar; however, the bodiless design is still a nice bonus.

Mahogany is used to make the neck, rosewood to make the fingerboard and rosewood and maple are used on the frame. These materials are traditional for acoustic guitars; therefore, the instrument will provide an authentic feel. Furthermore, its build quality is nothing short of remarkable.

The SLG200 utilizes a sound engine known as Studio Response Technology (SRT) to send music to output devices like your speakers or headphones. This technology is backed by top-quality sound guitar samples of an authentic acoustic guitar that is recorded in the environment of a professional studio. For transportation purposes, the top bout also comes off and for secure transportation, the package includes a hard gig bag.

Pros:

  • Yamaha SLG200S NT is a nylon-string guitar that comes with a hard case for convenient travel or acoustic guitar flight case.
  • The hardware is extremely durable and has been tested in professional conditions.
  • Comes with a built in preamp to plug in.

Cons:

  • Yamaha SLG200S NT is not intricately made like many high end guitars so it may not be as aesthetically appealing to some people the nylon strings may not be optimal for everyone’s needs.

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Yamaha SLG200S NT

SX Portable Travel Guitar

The body of the SX Portable travel guitar is similar to that of old Spanish acoustic guitars and it also looks like another stringed instrument that did not become as prevalent around the world as the guitar. It has a small body and is rather lightweight. The shape of the guitar enables the player comfortable keep it in his or her lap similar to a full-size guitar. It produces a powerful sound due to the slightly elongated shape of the body and it also has a remarkable effect on the mid-tones.

A solid spruce hardwood is used to make the top of the guitar, resulting in the top and mid tones being highly nuanced in their projection and very well expressed. Solid mahogany is used on the back and sides and this gives the sound a pleasant detail of bass. Mahogany is also used on the neck, which is topped with a fretboard made of rosewood that is exceptionally smooth and very satisfying to look at and to play. The choice of hardwood is a great since the material is very lightweight material and it very sturdy as well. This is certainly a winning combination for a travel guitar.

Pros:

  • Very light weight.
  • Durable construction.
  • Easy to carry in the included case.
  • Comes with a padded strap for carrying on your shoulder and an adjustable neck strap for carrying by hand.

Cons:

  • Sound is not great but acceptable.

Our Rating –
4/5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwV51TnZRL8

Check The Latest Price On The SX Portable Travel Guitar

Cross Guitar 2.0

This guitar has a range of convenient functions. For example, an external music player can be connected to play music, a variety of real effects can be used to improve performance and headphones can be used to enjoy the pleasure of playing alone. Additionally, it has a built-in precision tuner and there is an option to use battery or electrical power. The bodyless design and the transformer have quite a natural sound but are incredibly quiet. This feature is great when in a room with others or when practicing at nights since the guitarist can play without disturbing individuals in his or her surroundings. It has 80 percent lower volume in comparison to traditional guitars.

This powerful instrument is designed for professional performance and recording and is ideal for serious players of intense music. It is meant to deliver the quality, tone, look and feel desired by professional musicians, while still being reasonably priced. It includes premier components and has a vintage looking headstock binding, body and neck and gold hardware. To improve your playing experience, the guitar has a built-in pickup system and headphone jack 3.5 millimeter Aux-in, 6.35mm main output and 3.5mm headphone.

Pros:

  • Cross Guitars are very lightweight.
  • Quality sound for an acoustic guitar.

Cons:

  • Lack a body depth.
  • Not the most durable guitars.

Our Rating –
4/5


Check The Latest Price On The Cross Guitar 2.0

How To Choose A Travel Acoustic Guitar

Are you looking for a good acoustic guitar that you can travel with? If so, there are some features that you may want to take into consideration when picking out the perfect guitar for you.

Guitar Size

The first thing that you may want to consider is the size of the guitar. A lot of people prefer a small body acoustic that they can easily pack up and take with them on their travels. These guitars are typically smaller and lighter weight, which will make your life a lot easier when traveling with it. Another good thing about smaller acoustic guitars is that they are very easy to store. Some of them can even fit inside of a drawer in your home.

Price

The next thing you may want to think about is the price of the guitar. There are some great travel acoustic guitar prices available on the market, so you should easily be able to find a great deal on one if you look around enough. Before you buy though, consider your budget and how much money you can realistically spend.

Durability

If you want to travel with your guitar, then you will need to find one that is as durable as possible. Some guitars are built using more fragile materials, which can damage the guitar much easier if it is unfortunately knocked around. The best guitars for traveling are those that are made out of sturdy materials such as wood. These guitars will be able to withstand any bumps that they may receive when traveling with them.

Our Travel Acoustic Guitar Conclusion

Travel acoustic guitars can be used to write a new song, sketch out ideas or strum along on a few songs with family or friends by a campfire. When traveling, your music can still be taken with you. This is a big reason why more and more individuals are now looking to travel acoustic guitars since it saves them the trouble of attempting to lug around a full-size instrument which is not really practical while traveling. The best travel guitars are lightweight and do not take up much room. This allows you to revel in music and musically express yourself when visiting new locations.