Do you travel with a guitar?

dennisg
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 7:28 am

I just got back from a two-week vacation in northern Italy where my wife Jamie and I did a bicycle tour through the Piedmont region and Lakes district. This is, no exaggeration, the most beautiful terrain I've ever seen -- and cycling has taken me to a lot of places.

But I digress.

When plans for the trip were finalized, I knew I wanted to take along a guitar so that I'd be able to keep my chops and my callouses. But which guitar? I could have taken the Taylor 814, but the idea of airline baggage handlers flinging it around didn't appeal to me. Or I could have taken the little Taylor GS mini, a perfect travel guitar. In the end, I decided to take the Yamaha Silent Guitar, which turned out to be a great choice. I was able to flail away on it in my hotel rooms without disturbing anyone, and several times I sat outside the hotel, watching Italian life pass by, playing the guitar. I can't tell you how many times people stopped to look at the guitar. I'd put my headphones on them, play a couple verses of Blackbird, Mother Nature's Son, or Sad Songs and Waltzes -- and watch them smile at the sound this bizarre-looking guitar is able to produce.

It got me thinking: do any of you travel with a guitar? If so, what's the experience like for you?

(Good to be back, but all things considered, I wish I were still in Italy.)


wrsomers
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 8:55 am

I carry around a thing I bought called a "Shredneck". It's just a neck, about 18 inches long. The tuning nuts are down, not up. Silly looking contraption!

What can one do with a neck only?

While waiting for the car to be fixed, I practice chords. By laying a finger on the strings, I can practice picking patterns.

My wife takes ages to order a glass of tea. When I get up the nerve, it's going into a restaurant!

Must check out the silent guitar. I have a silent keyboard. If there are silent drums, I can start a Garage Band and annoy no one!!

And..........my buddies and I will be very, very good! B)

TwoCat


willem
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:17 am

No EXperience yet Dennis,when i travel it is just in town or to an other town just for one night or day and i take the big one with me,,when i sit in the train i wish that i could hear what people were thinkin when i put it on the luggage hold..i alway sit in the silent coupe,,just afraid if they would ask ''can you play something''?


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Music Junkie
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 10:26 am

Dennis:

First off, welcome back! Glad you had a nice trip.

When I travel, I usually just drag along the Baby Taylor. It is a nice size and produces a pretty good sound for such a small body. I have done some strap engineering on the case for it as well, so it will strap to my backpack while on the trails in the Sierras. Looks rather silly, but works great. My friends gave me a hard time about it, but the first night we had it last year changed their minds. I brought it out and proceeded to bang away on Rocky mountain High. Fun night.

MJ


tovo
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 1:07 pm

Well like you Dennis I have a Yamaha Silent Guitar (Thanks to Al really who showed his off on TG) that I travel with. In fact, I have just been sitting in my hotel room in New York writing notes from my meetings and the silent guitar is calling me.

One notable thing, in Australia the airlines almost always force me to check my silent guitar in as hold luggage which annoys me particularly when I see guys hauling on 2 massive carry on bags. What the hell is the difference?? Anyway, here in the US nobody blinks when I carry it on. Very nice.

I like the sound of Sam's neck...easy to stick in your luggage, but the Yamaha is a complete guitar and a real good option.

Den, I can't believe that you would even consider for a second taking your 814!! I sure don't have that much faith in airlines and fortunately it appears neither do you.


Chasplaya
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:03 pm

Visions of Captain Corelli with a Yamaha...

What a great trip that must have been Dennis, good to have you back.

Most travelling I do is by car so I can take whatever guitar there is room for after baggage. I did recently fly domestic to Christchurch and I took my old Epiphone which is a smallish guitar. Air NZ were very good carefully labelled it top stow only and I could see from the observation deck them loading it and the handlers treated almost as carefully as i do. Never travelled international yet that might be a different story.


tovo
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 5:01 pm

Chasplaya wrote:
Never travelled international yet that might be a different story.
Ummmm......how did you get to NZ??


Chasplaya
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Tue Jun 21, 2011 11:58 pm

tovo wrote:
Chasplaya wrote:
Never travelled international yet that might be a different story.
Ummmm......how did you get to NZ??
That's nae international travel laddie that's circumnavigating the world!! I did mean with guitar or wasnae that obvious pal!


tovo
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Wed Jun 22, 2011 2:34 am

Chasplaya wrote:
tovo wrote:
Chasplaya wrote:
Never travelled international yet that might be a different story.
Ummmm......how did you get to NZ??
That's nae international travel laddie that's circumnavigating the world!! I did mean with guitar or wasnae that obvious pal!
Yeah it was obvious....couldn't resist.


Chasplaya
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Wed Jun 22, 2011 3:15 am

tovo wrote:
Chasplaya wrote:
tovo wrote:
Chasplaya wrote:


Ummmm......how did you get to NZ??
That's nae international travel laddie that's circumnavigating the world!! I did mean with guitar or wasnae that obvious pal!
Yeah it was obvious....couldn't resist.
Real belly laugh... I just knew it..


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