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Guitar chord forum - chordie → Chordie's Chat Corner → Would You Buy a Folding Guitar?
I've gotta ask this. There are numerous praises and accolades for the Voyage Air Guitars. These are the ones that fold in half at the 14th fret. I've never played one or even seen one but the idea that you can break fold it in half is something I cannot warm to. Maybe I am a structural purist...whatever that is?
Of course this purist accepts multi-piece necks and laminate construction.
Probably not.
Would the price be " adjusted " too?.
Seriously now, I have never heard of a folding guitar before.
Are they really viable instruments for a decent player or just something you buy to impress your mates ( once )?.
Like Zurf, I would probably not buy one.
Nah. What's the point?
I read several other guitar forums and these things are all the rage over a the Acoustic Guitar forum. I don't understand it.
Here's the link to their website: http://www.voyageairguitar.com/site/
They are nice looking. I am sure the neck strength integrity would suffer after a while. And what about tuning? I guess I don't see the point.
Note: I am NOT considering one of these. (Don't think I could.) But a lot of people rave about them and I was just curious and trying to get some seasoned, objective opinions to make sure I wash't the only one doubting the need for this complexity. I would rather tote my Little Martin or just bring a full-size along. Like many of you have said, I don't get it either.
dj
Might be cool to have as a novelty piece. I don't understand how tuning would work, would you have to start over every time you unfold it? And as for warping and whatnot, that could probably be disastrous. What's the big deal about them? Just carrying convenience? I can't imagine the tone being better with a neck that folds in two.
I would have to see one in person. I watched the vid and it doesn't sell me on it. Wouldn't buy on e anyway. The heel just doesn't have enough meat to sustain the pressures of not only opening and closing but the twisting also. I'm thinking one good side bump when the neck is folded down and that hinge is busting out. You would have to tune it every time you unfold it too.
No thank you. Even if the build and engineering were perfect, I would still have my doubts. My dog's not in that hunt. Maybe my dog is old-fashioned but he's still my dog.
no thanks I do not think you would get that good of sound out of one.
I've had a Voyage-Air since November 2008, one of their Rosewood Premier Dread models. I also have some high-end (Martin HD28, Gibson J200). Serious, the VA gives up nothing in tone to the Martin, and has the same size and feel. The J200 is not a fair comparison... completely different kind of guitar. But the VA has been my 'go to' guitar for over 2 yrs. The guitar and case together weigh less than 12 pounds, and finally a full-size dreadnought that doesn't take up the whole trunk of the car. I play it every sunday in church, and I'm picky about the way I sound in public. How many times have you gone somewhere and thought about taking a guitar... and then didn't because it's big and heavy in the case and there's no room for it? Find a VA and try it.
Finally! A folding guitar fan on Chordie.
Welcome to the forums BadjerJim. I look forward to your input. Good early post there. Found a way to disagree with folks, but did it gently and made a valuable contribution to the conversation. Plus you got Naoslager all excited.
- Zurf
I'll concede to BadjerJim's opinion since he actually has some experience with the instrument, plus his username's pretty awesome
Where do the strings go ? Do they just go slack and flop around or does something keep them slightly taut ? They could get kinked too ...Just wondering...
Where do the strings go ? Do they just go slack and flop around or does something keep them slightly taut ? They could get kinked too ...Just wondering...
Thanks for the welcome, everyone. As you fold the neck, you just guide the strings into the sound hole. No kinks or problems with 2+ years of use. VA uses a zero-fret design, so what appears to be a 'nut' has holes drilled through it for each string - so the strings stay connected at the headstock. Only real drawback to the design is don't use an under-saddle piezo pickup; the constant tensioning and then untensioning against that would be a Bad Thing. But then I've never heard a good sounding piezo, so this really is not an issue.
Recently, I sat in on a Bluegrass Open Jam, and I was the first one there. After playing for a couple hours, I got up to leave, folded the guitar into the backpack, and you could hear the jaws drop - nobody had any idea that I'd been playing a "folding travel guitar." Oh yeah: then I got on my motorcycle and rode home!
I'm a fan. Let me know if you guys have any questions.
The whole point of a folding guitar is portability which to me says 12 fret OO cutaway in composite. Such a beast would go on a motorcycle, smaller boat, RV, private plane *AND* be impervious to environmental issues. In my book that's a good enough reason for me to add one to my arsenal but a folding dred or 14 fret wood OM? As a former aerospace engineer with a composite background and more than a passing knowledge of luthiery I'd be eating Rainsong, CA, and VA's lunch if I ever came up with the start up capital to make it happen. Oh, and the answer is yes, I'd buy one if anybody ever got it right.
I own about 15 guitars Martin, Taylor, Goodall, PRS, Strats, LP, etc. I know a good guitar. Recently I had to go to France & England for a business trip, and really wanted to take a guitar with me. Not a mini POS "travel guitar," but a real instrument.
I purchased the Voyage Air OM-02 after a lot of research and it is one of the best purchases I ever made. I thought all I was buying a convenient travel guitar but I take this guitar with me all over and as one of my main go to instruments. It also fit in the overheads of all my flights and no security issues what so ever and I can take it on bike with me! Its no longer "do I take the guitar or do I take the bike," I take both.
There are no structural issues AT ALL with the neck and most people either can't tell or don't even notice until I fold it and walk away. I challenge all you doubters about this to just go play a Voyage Air, you'll be totally convinced. I know cause I was!
This is totally a pro instrument, the fact that it folds in half and is super easy to carry around is just a bonus.
I guess I'm just old and to much of a traditionalist, but then I bet when Les Paul came up with his idea, the traditionalist were mumbling under their breath. Genius is often looked at as stupidity and misunderstood, now that I think about it, that explains why I'm always getting these odd looks all the time, but no, it's more than likely I'm just stupid.
Cam
PS: Welcome to the board BadjerJim
Good discussion. For 35 years I've tried to find the best way to take a guitar along on my raft trips. I've tried several small travel guitars but never liked the sound. On a week-long float down the Middle Fork of the Salmon a couple years ago I bought a cheap Johnson, re-worked the frets, nut and saddle to get a decent sound without risking one of my better axes. The guitar weathered the trip well in my dry bag but was bulky, took up a lot of space, needed to be "babied" when loading and unloading the raft each day, and needed re-tuned each evening due to exposure to varying temperatures and changing environmental conditions as we dropped altitude each day. A folding guitar would sure help the bulkiness issue. A folding composite guitar would be ideal - however I doubt that there would be a large enough market to make it viable.
http://www.aggipah.com/salmon_history/camping_music.jpg
DE
Barndoor61, if the issue is "performance" then I'd have to assert that any sized Rainsong or Composite Acoustics will eat the lunch of any of the VoyageAires. I would further assert that the bridge placement on 12 fret guitars makes for a much better sound. If the goal is to put guitars in more places that they currently aren't practical then a OO or parlor sized composite folder would open up a whole 'nother niche. Believe me, if I had a talent for attracting venture capital or won the MegaLotto that guitar would be out there. It wouldn't just be selling in guitar shops either. Boat stores, outdoor outfitters, motorcycle shops and a host of other outlets would be fair game because guitarists like Dirty Ed and myself live in a world that's often far removed from the chair and music stand at home.
guitarists like Dirty Ed and myself live in a world that's often far removed from the chair and music stand at home.
I don't know much about you, but I do myself a favor by trying not to think about the world Dirty Ed lives in. Physically, it's the same as ours. But in other ways... not so much.
I guess I'm just old and to much of a traditionalist, but then I bet when Les Paul came up with his idea, the traditionalist were mumbling under their breath. Genius is often looked at as stupidity and misunderstood, now that I think about it, that explains why I'm always getting these odd looks all the time, but no, it's more than likely I'm just stupid.
Cam
PS: Welcome to the board BadjerJim
I'm a bit long in the tooth myself and if I could only have one guitar it'd be traditionally built wood but a lot of us (most?) have a few guitars. The hole in my arsenal is where anything involving motorcycling, playing outdoors (I live in Seattle and the drizzle here would kill a wood guitar in a heartbeat) and a variety of other scenarios where the hassles of storing, transporting and weatherproofing a guitar just aren't possible. With a couple of McAlisters and a custom shop LKSM I have pretty high expectations for whatever I play and the quality I've experienced in the composites is good enough that I'd settle for a little less just to have a guitar wherever I was. It ain't about replacing the traditional, it's about making it possible for a guitar to be in almost as many places as a harmonica.
JD Blackwell wrote:guitarists like Dirty Ed and myself live in a world that's often far removed from the chair and music stand at home.
I don't know much about you, but I do myself a favor by trying not to think about the world Dirty Ed lives in. Physically, it's the same as ours. But in other ways... not so much.
If you ever saw a guitar strapped to the back of my '69 Shovelhead bobber you might think a little more highly of Dirty Ed <g>
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