Applecreek Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar

The Applecreek acoustic-electric travel guitar is a great little instrument, provided that you are looking for a very basic practice or travel guitar. It is conveniently light weight and has a much quieter sound than the typical guitar, which is great for opportunities to practice without disturbing the entire household. As a fairly low priced model, the Applecreek acoustic-electric travel guitar is not terrible durable, and the company has received low marks from other users who have had some minor problem or another with their new instrument and were unable to obtain any reasonable warranty support from Applecreek. However, as with most consumer goods, you get what you pay for, and the Applecreek acoustic-electric travel guitar is a perfectly acceptable guitar to have around as a back up instruments. It is also an ideal choice for new musician who is looking for a guitar with a decent sound but not dedicated enough to make a serious investment in an upscale instrument.

As far as the individual features of the guitar, the Applecreek acoustic-electric guitar comes out of the box ready to go with very nice action and fit. Although it won't win any beauty contests, it is still a very nice looking instrument made entirely out of good wood with a pleasant, lightly glossed finish and a light spruce top to the body. If you have not played or seen a true travel guitar before, be aware that they are do have a rather oddly shaped body that looks like a cross between a ukulele and an acoustic guitar. However, the instruments still manages a very authentic guitar sound with tones that are perfect for playing down-home music such as blues or folk. The unique size and shape also make the Applecreek acoustic-electric travel guitar a great companion instrument to take on trips where a regular sized instrument would be far too awkward, such as backpacking, camping or hiking. The guitar comes with its own gig bag so that you are ready to hit the pavement as soon as you have her tuned up.

As far as flaws go, the Applecreek acoustic-guitar just doesn't have the big sound that you need to play some music, especially rock. Also, the odd shape of travel guitars in general make them look a little silly when performing anything that requires much of a macho stage presence. The strings that come with the new guitar definitely are not the best on the market either, but this can be addressed by picking up an extra set of higher quality. Lastly, although the sound and fret board are similar enough to a regular guitar to make it a decent first instrument for a new player, I'd be a little concerned about the player becoming accustomed to the smaller shape of the body and having trouble adjusting to a normal body when he or she is ready to move up to a normal model.

Applecreek Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar

Applecreek Acoustic Travel Guitar

The Applecreek Acoustic Travel Guitar has been a really nice lightweight solution to a very bulky and heavy guitar problem. I go camping and backpacking a lot and I have often wished that I had a way of bringing a guitar with me that I don't fear for its safety.  My full-sized guitar is just too cumbersome to carry and I'm constantly worried that its going to get ruined.  The other brands of travel guitars that I had seen before were much too expensive for my budget. The Applecreek guitar was much more economical, but it has all the features of all of those other travel guitars.

I am really pleased with how durable my new guitar is, as there have been several times when my climbing skills have let me down and though I was afraid it would be broken when I dropped it, I opened up its case and it was fine.  Although, I have to say, I'm using a high quality hard shell case of my own.  Not the gig bag it came with.

I will admit that the Applecreek acoustic travel guitar is pretty quiet on its own, but I don't need high volume for what I play. The guitar doesn't feature a really deep sound, but more of a mellow tone. I'm not Sammy Hagar, I'm more James Taylor, so it suits my needs. I don't think I will be playing any high profile arenas with my Applecreek, but it can't be beat for friendly sing-alongs around the campfire!

I don't really mind that the action of the guitar is a little higher than some others that I've played, or that the neck is fairly wide. My hands are used to playing a much larger instrument, so those things aren't much of a consideration for me. The only thing that's been just a little difficult for me to get used to is the smaller size of the guitar because I'm used to my full-sized model at home. The neck is almost regular size, but the body is quite small and slightly odd shaped. However, it has been so convenient on my trips that I can overlook its small stature.

I did eventually change the strings from what came standard on the guitar, though, to a lighter weight string to compensate just a little bit for the higher action. That changed its playability quite a lot.  I found mine on eBay and paid under 70 bucks total which is a steal, I've seen them listed for a lot more. I know there is an electric-acoustic version of this guitar as well.  I thought about buying that one but at the time the ones on eBay were like 30 dollars more but the price just seem to vary.

In the end I know the Applecreek Acoustic doesn't compare to some of the more expensive models in any shape or form.  It doesn't sound as good, it don't look as good, and it sure as hell ain't built like a martin but it fills the bill.  Its perfect for campfires, backpacking and situations where I just need a beater that won't cause me to much grief if I get to drunk and leave it out in the rain.

Applecreek Acoustic Travel Guitar Features: