Product: Traveler Guitar Escape Steel
Price Paid: USD 350
Submitted
09/22/2006
at
11:25am
by
r corpus
Features
:
10
Features are well-described on their website. The two main features that made my choose this guitar over competing travel-size guitars and other Traveler Guitar models:
1. full-sized fretboard and scale
2. preamp has a "headphone" setting so there is no need to take anything else on a trip except earbuds or headphones (which I would take anyway).
Sound
:
7
It sounds like a piezo-guitar. It is what it is. If you hate that sound, don't buy it, because you won't hear the tone of a good rosewood/spruce acoustic. But you can't get the sound of a good acoustic into ANY maple/plywood travel guitar, or into ANY $350 guitar for that matter.
The sustain, intonation, string-balance are all good. It plays and sounds "true".
I can easily play it for an hour and be quite happy with the sound I'm hearing.
Action, Fit, & Finish
:
8
The guitar was fine right out of the box after I stretched the strings and re-tuned it. There were no flaws.
It was awkward changing strings at first but I got used to doing the whole process backwards (and upside down. I tend to change strings at least monthly and it won't be a big deal.
It's real odd playing a guitar that is so light and has no headstock, and due to the placement of the tuners I haven't gotten real comfortable finger-picking it yet (I haven't figured out where to anchor my pinkie). But those are issues that come with the package and I'm sure I'll adjust my playing style to the instument just like any guitar.
Reliability/Durability
:
9
I did pull this out at a "gig" and ran it through a Fender Deluxe. It was fine but live performance is not what this is designed for.
Customer Support
:
9
I sent them an email right after I got the guitar letting them know I was enjoying it and they emailed me a thank you note the next day. They have a nice informative web-site also.
Overall Rating
:
9
I have been playing since 1965 as an avid hobbyist. I own a 1/2-dozen other guitars plus a 1/2-dozen amps (and some amateur recording and PA gear). I had never purchased a travel guitar until now because I didn't like the way they felt or sounded (like kiddie-toys, in my opinion). But I travel quite a bit on business and always wished I had a guitar to occupy down-time in hotels. This would not be the guitar I would choose as my primary instument but it plays and sounds darn good for its size, and it sure is small! It's not real cheap but it doesn't cost a fortune either, and it should get plenty of use over a long time.
