Blackbird Rider Steel String Guitar Review

When I started Best Travel Guitars It was really about traveling and finding that perfect guitar to fit the journey. It wasn’t so much about the guitar as I have my old trusty Martin and it fits me well. Despite being old it’s in great condition and I don’t like slopping it all over the place. The solution was a small portable beater…..right?

I thought so but after being giving the opportunity to play a lot of different travel size guitars I find myself in a new predicament. I have a new found appreciation for small pint size guitars and they can hardly be called beaters.

When the Blackbird Rider Steel String arrived (thanks to Joe Luttwak at Blackbird Guitars for letting us DEMO it), my appreciation was never greater. As I pulled the guitar out of the box I was actually giddy. “Oh wow, this is nice”, I thought. Yeah, my mind wasn’t in technical guitar review mode yet and I was thinking like a kid on Christmas. After I settled down a bit, passed the guitar around to some friends this was the consensus among us.

Action, Fit & Finish: First pulling this thing out of the box I was struck with shiny envy.  The body just looked awesome, very sleek and shiny like I was looking at a high end performance race car.  The only complaint anyone had here was the shape, some liked it, some didn’t.  It also only comes in one color -carbon fiber, with a  high gloss polyurethane clear coat.

Being the guitar I played was a demo model there were a few minor cosmetic flaws in the urethane clear coat which could have been buffed out.  I should also note there was no pickguard which makes scratches in the clear coat almost inevitable.   I think earlier versions of the blackbird may have had a pickguard but after noticing some sound dampening qualities they decided to forgo it.  Otherwise, the craftsmanship was excellent.

Setup was pretty much spot on, in-tune and delivering clean crisp notes without any issue.  The action was pretty good overall and intonation excellent up the neck.  I really had to point this out as its been a problem or has become a problem with some small guitars I’ve played.

The rider also stood out in one other crucial area, playability.  I have to admit, the first day I walked around with it strung around my neck as this was immediately comfortable.  I don’t just mean comfortable as in adequate either.  I felt like I could chase my cat down outside while still holding a tune.  Sitting down took a little longer and it tended to slip a bit but once I got the feel of where it should sit in my lap and using the neck-up support it became very comfortable to play.

Features: Being a bunch of backpackers we opted to test the Steel String Rider (No Electronics) to reduce weight.  It’s also a bit  smaller than the Nylon version.  This model don’t have a ton of frills but just a solid design plan that makes up a ton of useful features.

First, the ultra light and ultra strong one piece carbon fiber construction makes it the perfect travel guitar.  This thing can take a serious beating both physically and environmentally.  Also unique to the design is the hollow neck that carries sound up and out a second sound hole near the tuners.  The tuners are Gotoh solid quality.  I never encountered any trouble with tuning or pitch.  Sometimes while fitting the guitar into the tight fitting case I became concerned about the tuning but every time I pulled it out it was fine.  Everything about the guitar speaks high quality, this is no toy.

Sound: If you have any experience with travel guitars you know this is the real test.  This is the bread and butter question,.. how does it sound?  Travel guitars are not known for producing great sounds.  This is because most travel guitars are a diminished interpretation of the full scale guitars we have come to know.   The diminished size does not translate well and often results in poor intonation, weak deficient tones (especially bass) and compromised playability.

This is where the blackbird rider really shines with its full 24.5″ scale and unique innovative design.  The first thing my friend said to me after showing it off a little bit was “wow, its pretty loud”.  Indeed, but it’s not just loud, it resonates with amazing sustain and a full range of warm acoustic tones.  Seriously, this thing sounds better then some full size acoustic guitars I’ve played.

Whatever magic is taking place with the smart hollow neck engineering, unique shape, additional sound hole and carbon fiber construction its definitely working.

Durability: Two words, Carbon Fiber…cmon this thing is military grade!

In the end its unfair to compare the Blackbird Rider up against say, the Martin Backpacker.  The one guitar that strikes me as comparable is the Composite Acoustic Cargo and they are not in business anymore.  Lets be honest, these guitars are in a class of their own when it comes to travel guitars.

Still, for anyone that has to consider cost this is probably not going to be your best option.  The Blackbird Rider comes with a price tag of around $1600 which is a serious investment for some folks.  At the same time, we would expect to spend this much for a nice notebook computer or serious camera so why should we skimp out on our music.  If you bought one today I would bet in 10 years you would still have a great functioning innovative guitar.  I can’t say that about a computer.

The Blackbird Rider Steel String is a Good Solid Investment and its not a stretch to say it’s the Best Travel Guitar.  Our votes in, whats yours?

Blackbird Rider Steel String Guitar Features:

• Compact 2/3 size acoustic
• Durable and stable Carbon fiber construction
• Resonance-driving hollow neck and head with sound port
• Ultra-light at 2.75 lbs and not neck-heavy
• Full 24.5″ scale length

Composite Acoustics Closes the Doors

I hate to see a American Company producing such a great product go under but I guess it is so, Composite Acoustics has officially closed the doors. This leads one to speculate, what happened? Are they just victim of these difficult economic times?

Lots of speculation has surfaced but perhaps some answers as well. I remember when doing some research into the composite fiber travel guitar I looked at two in particular. The Composite Acoustics Cargo and the Blackbird Rider. I remember thinking, “why was there such a difference in price?” The Composite Acoustics Cargo sold for at least a couple hundred dollars less. Now I wonder if its possible that they simply under priced their guitars in a attempt to get a bigger share of the market.

This could stand to reason because carbon fiber is not cheap and the cost and time to manufacturer such guitars would ultimately lead to higher prices on the shelf. Still, for some reason they seemed able to eat the cost and offer prices that were somewhat reasonable to their wood counterparts.

I guess anything is possible and there is probably a combination of factors at work here that ultimately led to this fate. The only thing I am sure of is that it wasn’t the quality of the product being produced that ultimately harmed them. More likely it was somewhere in the management of the company and overall business plan because composite acoustics made great guitars.

So where does that leave the consumer? I’ve heard that they are shipping all inventory out to the dealers so whats out there is whats left. Don’t expect any barn burner deals either, in all likely hood the value of such guitars will probably go up. If you were thinking about investing in one now would be a good time if you can find one.

The future? Who knows, maybe some investor will come along and pick them up or something. For now, viable alternatives exist for those in the market for a carbon fiber guitar. Currently we are in the process of reviewing a Blackbird Rider Steel String and everyone I’ve shared it with has been very impressed including myself. Stay tuned for this complete review.

Aria Sinsonido Travel Guitar Review

I travel all over the world for work as a cinematographer (www.dancoplan.com) and for vacation. I’ve suffered guitar withdrawal enough that I decided it was time to find a travel-friendly instrument. I needed something light, compact, relatively indestructible, and quiet enough so I could play anywhere without disturbing other people. I also wanted something fairly inexpensive but still good enough quality that I wouldn’t regret the purchase. I’ll save you the details of my exhaustive search but I ultimately chose the Sinsonido by Aria (www.adirondackguitar.com/electrics/aria/as-100.htm).

Licensed by SoloEtte (soloette.com), the guitar is nearly identical yet less than half the cost. The main part of the guitar consists of a single block of wood including neck and body, minus the upper and lower bouts. The headstock and tuners are built into the base which saves inches off the length while maintaining full size playability. This single piece, similar to an Irish hurley (a field hockey-style paddle used in hurling) is all you need to play, though this would be awkward without the upper and lower bouts to rest against your body. Three lightweight metal rods covered in foam padding fit into the body and form the guitar’s body shape. Compact, lightweight, rugged – perfect! This also makes for a great conversation starter because it looks so unique.

A pickup is built into the bridge and a standard 1/4” jack lets you plug in to an amp or with headphones. An easily accessed 9V battery on the back supplies power to the jack. This is perfect for playing at volume without bugging anyone. Controls include volume and tone.

The guitar plays really well. I had to dial in the action at the bridge (thumbwheels on bass and treble side – easy peasy) and tweak the truss rod (allen wrench included!), but the neck and frets feel great and sometimes I don’t even put on headphones – I just pluck and strum away, satisfying my 6-string fix. The tuners are plastic – not the best quality, but for less than $20 I replaced these with a metal set that fit the peg slots and mounting holes perfectly. The volume and tone knobs are pretty cheap as is their functionality, but they work well enough. For the cost, travel-friendliness, and the way the guitar plays I’m willing to accept this as a compromise. Finally, I find the tone to be a bit twangy, but I’m willing to forgive juicy tone just to be able to put a guitar I feel good about in my hands while traveling.

The Sinsonido includes a pair of fold-up headphones with the proper 1/4” plug adapter, an allen wrench to adjust the truss rod, and soft padded carrying case. I’ve literally taken this thing all over the world and played in airports, on buses, boats, trains, on hikes, and countless other places where a standard guitar would be too cumbersome. As far as travel guitars are concerned, this one gets high marks.

Dan Coplan is a Los Angeles based cinematographer and staff writer for www.sharemyguitar.com. He can be reached through his website mentioned at the top of the article or at dancoplan@sharemyguitar.com.

Aria Sinsonido Travel Guitar Features:

• Back and Sides Mahogany
• Fingerboard Rosewood
• Hardware Black
• Neck Material Mahogany
• Nut Width 1 11/16″
• Frame Aluminum encased in soft rubber
• Pickups Soloette Original made of two stereo condenser
• microphones
• Controls Volume, Tone
• Controls Stereo, Built In
• Includes Includes headphones and free Aria gig bag.

Blackbird Rider Nylon String Guitar Review

The Blackbird Nylon Rider is my first travel guitar and it has proved to be a revelation.  To my great astonishment it has become my #1 favorite out of my collection of acoustic, electric, steel string and nylon classical guitars; all luthier instruments.  I bought the Nylon Rider for accompanying groups of singers.  This music is from Brazil where nylon guitars prevail so I set out to find the very best electric nylon guitar and this turned out to be a travel size instrument!

I was tipped off about the Rider from a musician’s blog site.  The writer also owned the two nylon electrics which were at the top of my list but he personally recommended the Nylon Rider.  I decided to take the leap and ordered one from Joe Luttwak at Blackbird Guitars.  My Rider has the RMC gold pickups with Polydrive II preamp, I feed this signal into a 96K digital reverb and then into two KRK studio monitors.  The results in sound and playability are simply outstanding.

The Rider has a unique, one piece design with the vented hollow neck incorporated into the body resonance chamber. Also the interior surfaces all face each other at angles.  These design elements reduce the typical lower midrange resonance peak which is the reason most acoustics sound too boomy when amplified.  The ultra fast carbon top articulates the higher harmonic series of each note with an astonishing clarity and purity. Higher notes are warm and pure yet the crisp bass notes are supported with a true fundamental. This harmonic correctness has an ear candy result that really inspires my practice time.

The Nylon Rider’s sustain is superb.  Musical details, chords and polyphony retain clarity even in complex music like Bach.  Plugged-in, the guitar sounds natural and acoustic, not really possible with a solid body design.  This sound can be eq’d very effectively because the usual boxy resonances are not present.  Its like being able to dial in the sound that studio engineers strive for on recording sessions.

The construction of the carbon fiber top and the electronics in the Polydrive have all been specially tuned to eliminate feedback, I have experienced no problems in this area even when supporting over 50 singers.  The Nylon Rider is the most playable nylon guitar I have ever experienced.  The luthier work is excellent.  Carbon fibre construction makes the instrument impervious to temperature and humidity changes.  Perfect action is maintained regardless of season changes and the usual tendency of the bridge to rise due to string tension.  This also makes for more carefree use, I don’t have to worry about leaving the instrument in the car in summer or winter.

Another carbon fiber benefit is pitch stability.  Tuning time is much reduced, I really appreciate this when performing.  The neck is radiused which helps make a steel string player feel at home. Intonation is excellent all the way up the neck.  My Rider came with a neck-up support which is attached by a suction cup so the guitar is always perfectly balanced in my hands.  I am able to play standing up with perfect ease.  It is a featherlight 3.3 pounds; this is so comfortable.  I even practice walking around the house with the guitar strapped on.  In the gig bag I can take it anywhere on my back and I barely notice its weight!

The Rider is so ergonomic that it reduces stress on my body, Previously I had some signs of tendinitis in my left elbow, this has now subsided in a few weeks.  The physical balance is perfect due to the hollow neck.  A light instrument is a real joy but not if it is unevenly balanced to the neck.  In short, the Rider is comfortable and really fun to play!

Most of my hours of playing are practicing and having fun, for this the Rider’s acoustic performance is quite satisfying.  It has less volume than my (very expensive) concert classical, yet I find myself drawn to the tone of the Rider because of its purity.  I would not say this if there was no true fundamental on the low E string.  This is essential for long term playing satisfaction and the Rider delivers, size notwithstanding.

I am very grateful to have received this instrument from Blackbird.  The design is really excellent. The usual trade offs for tradition, marketing schemes and bean counters have been set aside so that all aspects of tone, playability, consistency and durability are optimized.  For example I know they are using the best quality carbon fiber and excellent tuners, these details are not obvious at first but are very important for long term playing satisfaction.

The RMC hex pickups and the Polydrive are the perfect setup for driving a guitar synth.  The Rider’s low action is entirely free of fret buzz so that synth tracking will be consistent.  I really look forward to exploring this exciting possibility.

The Blackbird Nylon Rider is a true synthesis of intelligent design, high technology and dedication to quality.  It is a really cool guitar!  Finally I can say that dealing with Joe Luttwak has been a real pleasure.

BlackBird Rider Nylon String Features:

• Carbon Fiber strength and environmental stability
• Body cutway to reach the higher frets
• 3 lbs. among the world’s lightest guitars
• Resonance-driving hollow neck and head with sound port
• 25.6″ (650mm) Scale Length
• RMC string saddle MIDI compatible pickups available
• Optional Guitar Support for enhanced comfort

10 Easy Campfire Guitar Songs

Nobody is cooler then campfire guitar guy right?  Well, maybe just campfire guitar girl but that depends.  With a beer in hand and the night unfolding there’s no better way to spend the night then rocking out around the fire.  It’s even cooler if you have a few guitar players and a set of hand drums.  The more the merrier right.  With just these ten easy campfire songs you can be that cool guy or girl.  And lets face it,  everyone knows the cool guy never goes back to his tent alone, right?…

So what are some quick songs you can pickup and learn for the campfire?  Some are old songs, some are new, and well some just aren’t anything you have listened to in a while.  Still for some reason, here at the campfire, with a beer in hand, everyone loves that song……..

Ten Easy Campfire Guitar Songs in no particular Order

1. Society – Eddie Vedder
2. The Scientist – Coldplay
3. Ain’t no Sunshine – Bill Withers
4. Time of your Life – Green Day
5. Hotel California – The Eagles
6. Throw your Arms Around me – Mark Seymour/Pearl Jam
7. Ring of Fire – Johnny Cash
8. Flake – Jack Johnson
9. What I got – Sumblime
10. Have You Ever Seen the Rain – Creedence Clearwater Revival

Here’s a few more I have heard around the fire, maybe not the easiest, maybe not traditional but they were fun.

1. Gangsters Paradise – Acoustic Coolio- nothing more fun.  Have the whole campfire goes sing the chorus  and bridge.  Chorus: “We’ve been spending most our lives living in a gansters paradise” Bridge: “Tell me why are we — so blind to see–that one ones we hurt- are you and me”  Good sample of acoustic cover here
2. I will Survive – Cake’s Version, Everyone knows the words
3. Tribute – Tenacious D – Still Easy to Play- Fun Crazy song you can get as carried away as you want.  Rock it!

So- whats your favorites?

Fender Squier Mini Player Electric Guitar Review

I received the Fender Squier Mini Player for a birthday present from my girlfriend.   She wanted to buy me something that I was passionate about but she knew she couldn’t afford to buy above the two full size electric guitars I already own.  Solution:  go practical.

I admit, at first I thought it was a joke or something until she explained why she bought it.  So many times we travel places or just end up in a situation where I would like to play a guitar but I either

A.) didn’t bring it because of space and storage issues
B.)  don’t feel like hauling it out and setting up
or
C.)  just don’t find it practical

Whats great about this little guitar is that the amplifier, speaker and distortion are all built into the guitar.  You have two separate knobs for volume and distortion to tune it just how you want it.  There’s  no cords, no boxes, just pick it up and play.  It also provides a headphone jack for those situations where you need a silent practice.

So what does it sound like?  Surprisingly, and I wasn’t expecting much, it sounds really good.  You get really decent clean tones out of this guitar but don’t expect the neighbor to call the cops on account of you playing to loud.  It has only the one humbucking pickup.  I really wish it was a little louder but when playing without a preamp the volume is pretty low.  Turning up the distortion helps and it does sound pretty cool.   If I need more volume I noticed there’s a 1/4″ jack that allows you to hook up your favorite amp and really rock out.

As far as playing it goes, well, this is where you realize your playing a fender and not just some toy.  It has a nice maple neck and rosewood fret board with 20 medium jumbo frets.  The body is lamenated hardwood and the hardware is all chrome.  It feels pretty sturdy, like it could take some serious abuse.  Even though its a smaller guitar it doesn’t feel awkward at all like some small travel guitars are notorious for.  It pretty much feels just like a normal guitar so playability isn’t a issue.

Overall, I would recommend the Fender Squier Mini Player to anyone who likes to travel, the portablity is just awesome.  Yes, there are smaller electric travel guitars but they do not offer a built in amp and speaker.  Whats interesting is I find myself picking up this guitar over my other guitars even when I’m just messing around at home.  Why?  Because I can just pick it up and start playing.  I really like having it around and I owe it all to by wonderfully smart girlfriend.

What about kids? Well we don’t have any together yet but  this guitar would be perfect for a kid.  A lot of times people buy their kid a guitar for 40 bucks at Walmart to see if they are going to stick with it.  The problem with this is that the guitar sucks and it rarely stays in tune if you can even get it in tune.  Of Course they give up.  This guitar is relatively inexpensive, a quality instrument (not a toy), and its small stature fits perfectly into the arms of a child.

Fender Squier Mini Player Features:

• Series: Affinity Series
• Scale length: 22.75″ (575mm)
• Colors: Black (polyurethane finish)
• Body: Laminated hardwood
• Neck: Maple, C-shaped, (polyurethane finish)
• Fingerboard: Rosewood, 9.5″ radius (241 mm)
• Frets: 20 medium jumbo
• Pickups: 1 humbucking pickup
• Controls: Volume, Gain
• Pickup switching: None
• Bridge: Hard-tail 6-Saddle Bridge
• Machine Heads: Covered tuners
• Hardware: Chrome
• Pickguard: None
• Width at nut: 1.61″ (41 mm)
• Unique features: Built-In amplifier and speaker system, Volume and Gain Controls, easy access 9V battery compartment (battery included), Headphone jack for Silent practice, 1/4″ Input, 9V DC adaptor Input, Black silkscreen Logo, White dot position inlays
• Strings: Fender Super 250L, (.009 to .042) Nickel Plated Steel p/n 073-0250-003

Traveler Escape EG-1 Travel Guitar Review

The Traveler Escape EG-1 is a travel-sized guitar with full size sound. The EG-1 is co-designed by John Carruthers for Traveler Guitar and the craftsmanship put into this axe shows it.

Whether it was tone, awkwardness, poor action or thin sound, travel guitars of the past have always been encumbered by something that just wasn’t quite right. That has changed with the EG-1. When I first pulled the EG-1 out of the shipping box, I was amazed at the size and weight. Obviously, since it’s a travel guitar that fits in an overhead airplane bin, it’s going to be small, but still, this thing is like a baby. However, we all know the old adage about how big things can come in small packages. The EG-1 delivers.

First, the guitar features a single humbucker pick-up, Alder body, maple neck with an ebonized rosewood fingerboard with 22 frets. I immediately needed to play this guitar, so I sat down with it and plugged in the Pocket Rock-It headphone amplifier and tuned it up. Let me say this, if you don’t have a strap, the EG-1 is a bit awkward when you rest it on your leg in a sitting position. However, beyond that, the sound is amazing. For a stock pick-up, the humbucker delivers big, warm sound. If you’re looking for a hotter sound, though, you may want to switch it out.

The action on the EG-1, for an electric, seems a bit high to me, but it’s really not bad out of the box. It’s also easy to adjust with the top-slotted bridge posts. The fat frets are also a plus. The overall feel of the guitar is pretty stout, even though the neck is relatively thin. I purchased the blue stripe model and I love this finish. From a looks standpoint, it reminds me of a fast car with a wicked racing stripe.

My one complaint about the EG-1 is how hard it is to re-string. After my first session, I decided to go with a lighter gauge set of strings. Due to the design of the guitar, re-stringing it is pretty tough, but after a call to their customer service department (thanks Dave!) I was able to get the job done.

Overall, this guitar is a great investment if you travel a lot. It stays in tune and has great sound, so you can rock wherever you go.

Traveler Escape EG-1 Features:

• Full 25-1/2″ scale
• 5 pounds light and only 29-1/4″ long
• Built-in Pocket RockIt headphone amp with distortion and clean tones
• Fits in airline overhead compartments
• Alder body
• American hard maple neck
• Fretboard: Ebonized rosewood
• 22 jumbo frets
• deluxe gig bag

Traveler Speedster Travel Guitar Review

Perhaps one of the newest innovations to hit the market concerning travel guitars is the Traveler Speedster guitar. It possess the ability to emulate the sound, feel, and look of a solid-body, full-size guitar; and, it’s perfect for any frequent traveler who would like to keep their chops up while on the road and/or concerned about damage to more conventional, valuable models.

Although the Traveler Speedster looks deceiving, the neck has the normal scale of 22 frets, with its width being narrower than a Gibson guitar, and closer to a Fender Stratocaster. It has a comfortable, detachable arm rest which helps it feel like a conventional guitar. The entire package comes with an attractive soft case(can be used as a carry-on), a pick, and a manual you will need regards to tuning and assembly.

This is not a guitar that I would use on a recording session or any gig situation, simply because of the single coil pickup which makes the tone sound deficient, if not a bit weak.   Overall, the sound quality is not that bad for a travel guitar, and as mentioned before, the neck is regular size, so players who have larger hands need not be concerned with any complications.  [UPDATE:  All New Traveler Speedster's come with a dual-rail Humbucker.  In no way is the sound or tone deficient but instead quite amazing.]

Although the action of the guitar was just fine as set by the factory, you can easily adjust the string action by raising the height and/or lowering the roller bridge. The tuning pegs are cumbersome, so extra care will be needed while tuning the guitar. The only disadvantage to the aforementioned roller bridge is the way the strings wrap around it provide an inconsistent tension distributed to the strings. This can make tuning this guitar a nightmare, but still easier to tune than any guitar with a floating tremolo bar.

Overall, I do recommend the Traveler Speedster, despite what I consider to be minor flaws in design. While the tuning system will take you some time to get used to, you will be able to adjust your tuning fairly easily within 2-3 weeks of practicing it. Even more encouraging is the fact that it can withstand knocks, bumps, etc. and still keep its tuning – thus reducing the fear of the tedious process of tuning this guitar. The easy portability of the Traveler Speedster, and full-size feel, make this an excellent choice.

Brian’s Input- there is several things im doing to make it a awesome guitar. I put in two micro switches, parrallel serial, cut out coil. Seymour Duncan pickup will be installed , I hope this isn’t a 95 dollar mistake. The original pickup does sound pretty good. The soider joints should be checked on anything from china, they put stuff together to fast, I used to soider for a living, yea i spelled it wrong. Not quite sure how I’m going to address the peg mounting for the armrest, you need the armrest and it works well. butt mine in on there kind of wobbly and will ruin the guitar in the long run. It needs two screw downs…. you cant put weight on something with a cheesy peg that doesn’t go all the way through the hole. I hope I don’t mess it up taking the peg out and making a secure screw down like with the strap screw. which was done nicely. It would be great if the company would just send me another one to replace the peg. I sent in the warranty but of course it isn’t useful now anyway. I don’t want this guitar gone for a day anyway. The ernie ball slinky 11 to 48 strings were a big improvement for me, and the guy who said tuning this guitar is hard …. I have to laugh. This is the easiest guitar to tune, plus it stays in tune. I love it. Feel free to take any positives out of this and compile a shining review if you like , I have no problem with that. For anyone stuck in a reclined chair or wheel chair etc. girl etc. this guitar is your only low cost and big bang for the buck you can get. I could find no other guitar to suite my needs at all. Plus its really a beautiful guitar. Have a great day -Lizard

Traveler Speedster Features:

• Full 24-3/4″ scale
• 4 1/2 pounds light and only 28″ long
• Fits easily in airline overhead compartments
• Dual-rail humbucker
• Volume and tone controls
• Upper armrest detaches for travel
• high quality gig bag

Ministar Castar Travel Guitar Review

The Ministar Castar is a travel electric guitar that is designed to resemble a Stratocaster and is great for playing rock music. The price is relatively affordable at $199.99. This type of guitar is great for travelers because it is extremely portable. It can be taken just about anywhere. It will even easily fit in the overhead compartment of an airplane. Even though the Castar weighs only 3 pounds, it has all the features of a full sized Stratocaster.

This guitar features a maple neck with a 24-fret fingerboard, an adjustable bridge and nut, master volume controls, an on/off switch, 3 single-coil pickups, die-cast tuners, a tremolo bar, a leg rest rod, and extension rods to resemble a full-sized guitar body. It also has a one-piece construction to allow for maximum tone, sustain, and strength. The Castar is packaged with a strap, should strap rods, a gig bag, and an amplifier lead.

Even though this a great travel guitar, it does have some flaws. The tremolo bar will frequently come loose while you play. Also, the volume control does not work like a volume control should. When the knob is set to high the volume will not change for most of the turn. Then the tone will change when the volume is almost set to “off”. Other than these two flaws the guitar is designed pretty well and the playability is impressive for something so compact.

The sound is pretty impressive as well. The tone is comparable to a regular sized guitar. The pickups are custom made and they give a clear quality tone making this guitar sound great through any amp. The bridge pickup creates a great “twang”. The neck even feels like a Stratocaster neck. The action is quite low and can be adjusted to reduce fret buzz. It also stays in tune surprisingly well. The Castar is very easy to assemble and comfortable to play because it is so light. The adjustable floating armrest works great to comfortably hold your arm in place.

This guitar is basically made from one piece of maple wood, which gives it durability and strength. This product is a quality instrument with the exception of the volume control and the tremolo bar. It is ideal for the traveler and is less expensive than some of the other travel guitars on the market. This guitar is unique, but simple and fun to play. If you want the ultimate in portability, this is the instrument for you.

Ministar Castar Features:

• 3 matched B-M-F pickups
• 25 1/2″ Scale
• 22 Frets
• 1 volume, 1 tone
• 1 5-position switch
• Micro-Adjustable Vibrato
• Sit Rod
• Carrying Bag
• Cord and Strap

Ministar Lestar Travel Guitar Review

I was going on a trip where space was at a premium, but I wanted to bring a guitar. I had heard good things about the Ministar Lestar guitar on an online chat and so I ordered one and received it really quickly. With the tool I needed included and in hand, I first picked the Lestar up and adjusted the truss bar. Then I took my time looking the Lestar over. I guess I had kind of expected it to be slightly shoddy workmanship because of its low price, but I was surprised to see that the instrument was free of rough fret ends and its wood had a nice and smooth decent finish.

It’s still difficult to call it a guitar, because it’s so super lightweight and there is no body, just a neck. It’s really strange and a little awkward to play at first, but now that I have gotten used to it I am still surprised by how easy it actually is to play! The neck holds twenty-two frets, and because I have rather small hands, I really like that the guitar is thin, too. It makes it so much easier for me that I am able to play for a lot longer. I find that I no longer miss the presence of the normal guitar body, and am enjoying more maneuverability while I’m playing.

Some full-size guitars come with way too many bells and whistles. The Lestar has just two: one button for volume, one for tone. Nice and simple, just like I like it. The action feels a lot like what you would find on a more expensive guitar, though. It’s slightly high, but still good. The sound I am getting out of the Ministar Lestar is surprising for such a small piece of wood. It’s gutsy and bluesy and is just what I need to play mini-concerts in my living room. I play a lot of classic rock and rock ballads and I am even able to get some funky distortion buzz out of it through my amp!

The Lestar seems like it’s going to hold up pretty well, too. The guitar feels solid and durable, and I think it’s going to last for a long time. My friends kind of made fun of me for playing it at first, at least until they played it. Even though they thought it looked really odd, they all admitted that it played well and sounded good.

Ministar Lestar Features:

• 2 Humbuckers
• 24 3/4″ Scale
• 22 Frets
• 1 Volume, 1 Tone
• 1 Selector Switch
• Sit Rod
• Carrying Bag
• Cord and Strap

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