Silent and travel guitar in plans -any experience?

[Jonah]

I will have to travel more on my daytime job. At the same time I got more gigs in between now.
I wanna keep playing while travelling.

So I need something
Silent enough for hotel room when unplugged
More or less easy to plug in I can't bring an amp
Very compact
About 200-300 dollars
Preferably headless

I can buy online only

I am thinkingbout

Ultralight traveller. It's a bit bigger than others but has some nice options and seems nice too.


Any other ideas?
Thanks in advance

[whiskey02]

You don't mention if it's specifically air travel that you'll be doing; that will have the biggest impact on what will work for you

[feet]

its out of your state price range, but i was most intrigued by the yamaha silent guitars, both the nylon and steel string. though i suspect that they don't sound as great through an amp as they do direct or through headphones, it is a fairly impressive and convincing sound that makes it more useful than the average travel guitar. most just sound like a kleenex box with rubber bands to me. they are also collapsible and have a headphone jack, which is neat. but they are a little big, because they are essentially full sized.

the only other things that were remotely intriguing were either a godin of some kind of small parlor, neither of which is ideal.

[marcwhy]

This one, licensed by Soloette: Aria AS-100C Sinsonido Travel Guitar | Reverb

[Jonah]

It's for air.. and also I would not like it to be very noticeable for people that meet me to ask questions.


Yamaha are good but too expensive and big. I tried one.

I like art & lutherie amo parlour a lot. But acoustic will not work here. In hotels or travelling with kids at night you can only smoothly caress the strings.

I like laostick but it's too expensive. I do not want big investment.

So far I look at ultralight traveller and at anygig
guitar.

In brief I just need a neck with more or less acceptable tone)))

[Little Jay]

I have the Aria Sinsonido. It's a great travel companion, plays like butter and if you replace the electronics by a normal passive pickup and circuit it even sounds good! I never had any problems taking it on a plane (although for Ryan Air I took off the neck to made it fit in a hand luggage to meet their size requirements.

Here's how it sounds after I put an SD Little '59 in it:

[Jonah]

It's very cool man.


By the way I need real travel silent... I mean mostly will not have other gear.
Aria has an option for direct headphones

But if a guitar does not have an installed preamp what would be the easiest and most compact way to make it sound through headphones?9

[Guitarbean25]

I have the Aria Sinsonido. It's a great travel companion, plays like butter and if you replace the electronics by a normal passive pickup and circuit it even sounds good! I never had any problems taking it on a plane (although for Ryan Air I took off the neck to made it fit in a hand luggage to meet their size requirements.

Here's how it sounds after I put an SD Little '59 in it:

That sounds fantastic...geez

[grahambop]

I have the Aria Sinsonido nylon (i.e. classical) silent guitar. It sounds a bit synthetic (but then I wouldn't expect it to get a proper classical guitar tone). But the neck and frets are good and you can plug headphones straight into it. It's got some kind of contact pickup built into the bridge and it is powered by a 9v battery inside a compartment.

So it is virtually silent but works ok through headphones. I find it invaluable for practising classical guitar stuff late at night when kids are in bed etc.

[Rainer]

I own a Frame Works classical guitar from Germany.


Not really cheap, but good.
They sell also steel string & 7 string versions.
Many of them come with additional Midi Out.

You'll find more on youtube

[339 in june]

It's very cool man.


By the way I need real travel silent... I mean mostly will not have other gear.
Aria has an option for direct headphones

But if a guitar does not have an installed preamp what would be the easiest and most compact way to make it sound through headphones?9

This :
amPlug 2 Guitar/Bass Headphone Amplifiers

I have the older version, together with a Hohner G3T ( Enjoy Music - Play Hohner - G3T-BK) and that's the solution I found to your problem

I got the guitar used, and with a string adapter, there's no need for special stinky slinky 9-42 spaghetti double ball strings.

[Scotto]

Pick up a Pignose or a Vox Apache. The Vox is a cool travel guitar. You can use the speakers on the guitar or use your headphones. You can plug in an iPod and play with a song, also play with drumbeats and it has an e string tuner, or just buy a small guitar.

[Jim Soloway]

I have the Aria Sinsonido. It's a great travel companion, plays like butter and if you replace the electronics by a normal passive pickup and circuit it even sounds good! I never had any problems taking it on a plane (although for Ryan Air I took off the neck to made it fit in a hand luggage to meet their size requirements.

Here's how it sounds after I put an SD Little '59 in it:

Sound great. I was wondering about the idea of installing conventional electronics. Great to see how well it worked out. What do you have it strung with?

[likeshisjazz134679]

I have the Traveler Pro electric/piezo, and its fine. Sometimes I found it uncomfortable, sometimes not. I would recommend a strap for these types of small guitars because i find they can fatigue my arms, trying to hold them in place. The stethoscope was uncomfortable after a while too, so a bit of a distraction from the notes. I can't imagine myself being comfortable with any travel guitar in a plane seat, but that's just me with my back issues.


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[Little Jay]

Sound great. I was wondering about the idea of installing conventional electronics. Great to see how well it worked out. What do you have it strung with?

Flatwounds! D'addario .011 I think (I switched to Thomastik, but haven't changed these in a long time....still sounds good :-)

[Jonah]

THank you so much to everybody... great suggestions.

Considering my circumstances it looks I will have to choose between Traveler and Aria... My considerations are price, availability on local market with reasonable delivery price, and design and functionality...

Just some thoughts - feel free to add...

Now I begin to think about the type og guitar again

My first idea was actually going for electric with magnetic pickup like humbucker. I decided it would be better than acoustic steel or nylon simulation with pieao. At least even without bidy there's a bug chance that you cn have a decent sound with decent pickup (as the post above showed).. and similators... it's hard to call acoustic a guitar that has not body at all)))

But after this thread I began to think of nylons again(I played classical very intensively and seriously since I was a kid..
but now I do not even own a nylon string guitar))))

And I though maybe that would be a sort of compromise (I was not going to buy real classical nylon string so far) but still it seems to be interesting option...
Besides, being unplugged nylon sounds quieter than steel strings.

By the way - a question here: are these guitars really much different when they are steel sting or nylons? It seems both models have truss-rod.
I mean you cannot put nylons on Martin... but for example if I can get a usedTaveler Steel String at a good price and put nylons on it , it should not be a problem?

As per steel string acoustic simulator - I do not dig them... sound terrible to me.

As per brands..

I like Ultra-Light regular series (non-pro)...
Pros:
- price is ok
- the design is simple but nice to me.. small body is no problem - I am used very different sizes and shapes.
- the size is vey small. I like the idea of tuners in the body

Cons:
- no frame in case I would feel I want one (only support)
- no installed preamp (so extar cost)
- I am not really sure about nylon string instrument tone... I woud rather go humbucker guitar only (unfortunately no decent demo in youtuve I could find.. only rockers)

Aria:
Pros:
- I like the looks in general
- many positive reviews..
- Nylons seem to be more or less ok if I choose one
- Frames
- Installed preamp

Cons:
- Bigger than the Traveler (tuners are on the back side - not under the strings)
- a bit more pricey


on certain reasons i have to choose quickly - s in case you have something to add I will appreciate

[Jonah]

I can't imagine myself being comfortable with any travel guitar in a plane seat

I am not planning to play in a plane seat))) Just when I arrive)

[Jonah]

[Jonah]

[holgit]

Here's how it sounds after I put an SD Little '59 in it:

That sound really great! I did the same with my Aria Sinsonido Steelstring a few years ago, removed the electronics and built in a humbucker pickup. I usually use it with my Line 6 Pocket-Pod.

[Takemitsu]

I am in an hotel room right now with my ultralight. I went in the plane with it no problem. It is very light and small. I hate the small body. I never plug it. Fretboard is ok.

[Jonah]

I am in an hotel room right now with my ultralight. I went in the plane with it no problem. It is very light and small. I hate the small body. I never plug it. Fretboard is ok.

Is it well balanced on strap?

I have no problem with body size usually... get used to any quickly...

Why don't plug it in?
I can understand hollow body or semi hollow... But this is even less than stray... sometimes I playvstrat unplugged at home... But only when too late or too lazy

[rlrhett]

What about the Yamaha silent guitar? I played one once under headphones (nylon version) and was very impressed.


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[Takemitsu]

Is it well balanced on strap?

I have no problem with body size usually... get used to any quickly...

Why don't plug it in?
I can understand hollow body or semi hollow... But this is even less than stray... sometimes I playvstrat unplugged at home... But only when too late or too lazy

It is playable with a strap. It is well balanced I guess since it weight nothing. My main problem with it is the difficulty to stabilize it, this is where the "frame" come into play. I do not plug it because I guess i prefer to imagine how it would sound on a good guitar. Having kids I often play my tele unplugged and I'm used to it.

[Jonah]

What about the Yamaha silent guitar? I played one once under headphones (nylon version) and was very impressed.


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It was mentioned already... But it's a bit too expensive.. and I would like to get headless guitar.

I need very compact one.