The prospect of heading to Kunming, China for three months without my guitar was not appealing. But the thought of dragging around my Martin Custom D did not enthrall me either. So I went in search of the perfect travel guitar.

It had to be lightweight, but still put out great sound. I wasn't expecting remarkable warmth or quality, like my Martin or other full-size guitar, but I didn't want it to sound like a ukulele either. I looked around town for something that would fit my needs but I didn't have much luck. The local guitar store only had one and it sounded more like a banjo, like a toy. I wanted something that would give me that warm, homey feeling when I played it.

I did a lot of research online and finally decided on the Washburn Rover Travel Guitar. I looked at a couple of Martin travel guitars, but overall, I liked the features the Washburn had: 24" scale, spruce top and nice mahogany on the neck and back just like my Martin, nice binding and inlay, and straight-forward butterbean tuners.

The reviews I read convinced me to give the little Washburn a try. And it is little. It looks a bit like a toy, but the sound is really amazing. The headstock was heavier that I thought it would be, but after playing it for a while, I got used to it. I really loved the full-scale fret board! It makes playing a breeze. I went ahead and put different strings on it, which really made the sound come alive. And it stays in tune pretty well.

This little guitar came with a strap (that I didn't like either - went ahead and bought a different one), and a molded hard case that actually fits into the overhead storage bin on the airplane. What a difference from the last time I flew with my full-size Martin. I banged into almost everyone on the way down the aisle and got quite a few dirty looks since it took up the full space in the bin after shoving it in diagonally. The Washburn Rover was a compact little friend that caused no social discomfort.

Nice price. Great sound. Portability. I'm so glad I don't have to sacrifice my music in order to travel anymore.

Washburn Rover Travel Guitar Features:

• Full size 24" scale
• Solid spruce top
• Mahogany body and neck
• Rosewood fingerboard
• Quality geared tuners
• Professional binding and inlay
• Sized to fit airline overhead storage