The ultimate travel guitar?

[joeguam]

Anyone try these Chrysalis guitars out yet? There's a video demo on their site:
http://www.chrysalisguitar.com/

[GSM]

subscribed for more info

[email4eric]

While I don't think that the concept is for me, I find this all very intriguing and impressive. You've got to admire the ingenuity. Thirty years in the making! The website is worth perusing, especially the history section. Who knows where guitars are headed? This is but one possible pathway.

I was curious about what it sounds like unplugged because I didn't appreciate the plugged-in sound so much. There's a clip at the bottom of this page:

http://www.chrysalisguitar.com/history.html

Fascinating.

[Rosewood99]

Very cool. I wonder how much they will go for.

[Bluside]

That is very interesting.

[laughingskunk]

I find those guitars strangely beautiful.

[fazool]

That is really cool. I like the spruce insert option as well.

I can't wrap my head around the CF latticework making sound like a soundboard.

[J Patrick]

,,i did sound for Harvey Reid and Joyce Anderson some years back and Harvey was playing one...it sounded really good through the system and looks even cooler in person...

[Doug Young]

I've seen them at shows. Very cool. I seem to recall they felt more like an electric guitar, which could be fine. There are also similar guitars like the Miranda, the Yamaha silent practice, etc.

[joeguam]

How much do these things run?

[woodstock64]

Depends on ones criteria for a travel guitar. There are many fabulous hand crafted solid tone wood travel guitars being made today in the $750+ range. I'm sure they are great guitars but for me, a travel guitar should be "disposable". If I want fabulous tone and quality build, I'm not buying a travel guitar. I personally don't want to have to worry about my travel guitar. It should be something that fits easily in an overhead and is cheap. Tone is not my primary concern when considering a travel guitar, though all things being equal I'd obviously choose the best sounding guitar. I just want an instrument I can practice and "noodle" on when on vacation. If I ever paid $750+ for a travel guitar I'd find myself worrying about it and trying to baby it. Sort of defeats what personally, a travel guitar is to me.

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by woodstock64

Depends on ones criteria for a travel guitar. There are many fabulous hand crafted solid tone wood travel guitars being made today in the $750+ range. I'm sure they are great guitars but for me, a travel guitar should be "disposable". If I want fabulous tone and quality build, I'm not buying a travel guitar. I personally don't want to have to worry about my travel guitar. It should be something that fits easily in an overhead and is cheap. Tone is not my primary concern when considering a travel guitar, though all things being equal I'd obviously choose the best sounding guitar. I just want an instrument I can practice and "noodle" on when on vacation. If I ever paid $750+ for a travel guitar I'd find myself worrying about it and trying to baby it. Sort of defeats what personally, a travel guitar is to me.

I disagree. My worry about traveling with a guitar is that it will get damaged. If I can have a great sounding guitar that I don't have to worry about getting damaged in transit than I'm all for it.

Not sure why even want a "travel" guitar. You would be better off getting a cheap guitar, put it in gig bag and throw it in the overhead. Any OM guitar will fit in 99% of aircraft overhead bins. If not they will gate check it and if it's a cheap guitar like you say, you won't worry about it.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

I disagree. My worry about traveling with a guitar is that it will get damaged. If I can have a great sounding guitar that I don't have to worry about getting damaged in transit than I'm all for it.

Not sure why even want a "travel" guitar. You would be better off getting a cheap guitar, put it in gig bag and throw it in the overhead. Any OM guitar will fit in 99% of aircraft overhead bins. If not they will gate check it and if it's a cheap guitar like you say, you won't worry about it.

I've had a few guitars damaged... Always at home, a far riskier place than when traveling!

But I think the benefit of a "travel guitar" is convenience. I don't want to be racing between flights lugging a heavy guitar case. I have two solutions, depending on the situation: 1) Put it in a Calton and check it, 2) Take a Voyage-Air, which fits in a backpack. I could see where something that folds up even smaller could be attractive, as long as it was something that you would actually play.

[Carmel Cedar]

Originally Posted by paulzoom

Not sure why even want a "travel" guitar. You would be better off getting a cheap guitar, put it in gig bag and throw it in the overhead. Any OM guitar will fit in 99% of aircraft overhead bins. If not they will gate check it and if it's a cheap guitar like you say, you won't worry about it.

Paul, you're point is a good one, and I'm sure spot-on for folks near decent size airports. For those that live in smaller towns, my humble local airport reflects their situation: two airlines with 100% of flights sporting overhead bins that are truly limited to FAA's 22x14x9 carry-on limits (a Voyage-Air is even way too big!). Flying from my place without a compact travel guitar means gate check (or, for planes that even have a first class coat closet, begging for that) every time. Sometimes that's fine - other times the hassle/weight of a hard case is enough of a barrier to require a music-free trip. I'm too nervous to put even a cheap guitar in a soft bag into the hands of baggage folks - even for the comparatively gentle gate check treatment. Seems there are many sad stories from folks that did that!

[Rosewood99]

Originally Posted by Carmel Cedar

Paul, you're point is a good one, and I'm sure spot-on for folks near decent size airports. For those that live in smaller towns, my humble local airport reflects their situation: two airlines with 100% of flights sporting overhead bins that are truly limited to FAA's 22x14x9 carry-on limits (a Voyage-Air is even way too big!). Flying from my place without a compact travel guitar means gate check (or, for planes that even have a first class coat closet, begging for that) every time. Sometimes that's fine - other times the hassle/weight of a hard case is enough of a barrier to require a music-free trip. I'm too nervous to put even a cheap guitar in a soft bag into the hands of baggage folks - even for the comparatively gentle gate check treatment. Seems there are many sad stories from folks that did that!

If it's a cheap guitar, what's your worry? And I still don't understand why if you could have guitar that could be dissasembled to fit and sounded great, why you wouldn't prefer that?