The travel guitar market seems to be expanding as quickly as the guitars are shrinking, but Guild’s new offering – the name-it-as-you-see-it Traveler acoustic guitar – looks like it’s about to offer some serious competition.
It’s all-mahogany construction with a rosewood fingerboard and bridge (plus a gig bag) that comes in at just under $250 – which might well make it the best value travel guitar we’ve seen.
And we’ve seen it all in recent years: from James Bond-esque guitars that fold into suitcases, to Enya’s speaker- and effects-adorned Nova Go Sonic, right down to Harley Benton’s wallet-friendly carbon fiber TravelMate-E smart guitar.
However, Guild has headed down a more traditional – and, we suspect, appealing – route for its journeyman acoustic.
A guitar “made for those who live life on the move”, it sports a mahogany body and neck for “rich, warm” tones, a rosewood fingerboard, a compact body with an open-pore natural satin finish, and an easy-to-play short scale length.
The Traveler has a 22-3/8" scale length and a provided image reveals that it should sit just below the nut of a standard-sized acoustic. It uses its D-55 Natural for comparison, which comprises a 25-5/8" scale length.
The open-pore finish meanwhile bolsters the guitar’s resonance. Guild is also talking up its “innovative archback design” that puts comfort front and center, and the Traveller’s sleek aesthetics, including an all-black headstock design and black bridge.
Two important travel-conscious plus points go to it coming with a deluxe gigbag, and that it “easily fits into an overhead bin on an airplane”.
“The Guild Traveler is your ultimate companion for musical adventures on the go,” says the luthier. “Whether strumming your favorite tunes from a mountaintop, serenading friends by the campfire, it’s the perfect go-everywhere guitar.”
Guild Guitars have been part of the Cordoba Music Group since 2014 after Fender sold the firm.
Last year, it made a major play for the made-in-USA acoustic market with the “no frills, boutique quality” Standard Series.
The Guild Traveler is available from 22nd July and costs $249.
Head to Guild to learn more.
