Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Low Budget Luthier on March 13, 2012 at 8:59am

junk!

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Permalink Reply by c# merle on March 13, 2012 at 11:25am

gimmick.  this is ugly as hell...and gonna ruin the strings quick when put into "travel mode"

imagine pulling this out at your local open mic night...

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Permalink Reply by Yankee Dog on May 21, 2012 at 8:10am

How will this ruin the strings. Reason I ask is I want to come up with a folding/collapsible CBG. Of course, all such designs will involve a tangle of strings.

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Permalink Reply by David L. on May 21, 2012 at 9:18am

The concept interests me but like you have said you end up with a mess of strings and often a bolt on system that doen't look like it will last very long.  Youtube has numerous "folding guitar" videos and this site has 3 pages of travel guitars (some folding or with detachable necks) which might be of interest  http://www.jedistar.com/travel_guitar_2.htm

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 21, 2012 at 5:52pm

Bah.

 

If you're already playing a CBG, get a decent soft case or make one yerself, throw it in the overhead bin (last, not first, so's it's on top of all the other stuff). I've traveled internationally recently with both of mine in soft cases in overhead bins, no problem. I also have an electric TravelGuitar and Martin Backpacker that have their own soft cases, and have traveled internationally with those as well, same way. In my opinion, all of these collapsible instruments are gimmicks. I've played a couple, and they sound OK - until you take 'em down, then reassemble 'em. They still just sound OK, and sometimes worse. 

 

Ask yourself this question: How many collapsible guitars does Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, or Buddy Guy have? Yes, they are famous musicians, who get First Class treatment, and have historic instruments traveling in special cases. The whole point of a guitar, though, is that it is a compact, portable orchestra.

 

Ask yourself another question: how many "throwaway" CBGs can you make for 299 dollars, much less pounds? Somewhere between 5 and 10, if they have pickups, and somewhere nearer 20 if they don't.

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Permalink Reply by David L. on May 21, 2012 at 11:56pm

I recalled seeing this video for a collapsible CBG

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/video/collapsible-travel-guitar

 

I took the easy option and got a soprano uke, lowered the string height and put classical strings on it (EADG strings) and tune it to DGBe.  Good for a bit of strumming.

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