But even with the large selection of extras and options, Traveler doesn’t like to mess with established luthier formulas. “We stick with traditional woods,” explains Oliver. “We use a maple neck and rosewood fingerboards because it’s the look and feel people are accustomed to. These guitars stand up to the rigors of travel just like the Fender you’ve had for 30 years.”
Traveler has also used woods like alder for their non-gloss versions because of the wood’s weight and durability. According to Oliver, another of alder’s benefits is that it wears extremely well, providing an easyto- repair surface when the inevitable dings and dents occur. For players constantly on the go, this equals an instrument able to stand up to their demanding schedule without having a detrimental effect on sound quality.
To keep prices down on these feature-rich instruments, Traveler outsources all of their production to China, completing a quality check when the instruments arrive on American soil. In contrast, while both Vagabond Guitars and Miranda Guitars lack the selection of Traveler catalog, both produce their guitars predominately in-house with only a few people involved.
Vagabond only features one guitar model, available in a left or right-handed configuration. It is created with a traditional solid spruce top, mahogany neck and rosewood fingerboard and bridge. Producing one model by hand has enabled Kevin Smith to incorporate an intricate amount of craftsmanship into each of his guitars. The guitar’s unusual Florentine contour makes it remarkably similar to a mandolin, but it is a guitar through and through with laminated birch sides and back and steel strings. Every order includes an adjustable nylon strap, cordura gig bag and an unconditional satisfaction guarantee.
Miranda Guitars follows Vagabond’s model of limited selection and in-house production, offering both a steel string (S- 250) and a nylon string (CFX-200). In a show of true design prowess, both models lack a true acoustic body, but make up for it with a sturdy, skeletal frame mimicking a full-bodied, classical acoustic guitar. “I wanted to have a guitar in a small package and not a full-body acoustic because I wanted to practice silently in any situation,” says Miranda’s Phil Green. Players also have the option of removing the acrylic heel plate for a sleek cutaway feel, and purchasing tapping plates for the CFX-200 or a pickguard for the S-250.
 |
| Vagabond Guitars keep things light without collapsable parts |
|
Both models feature a lacquered mahogany neck and body, and are coupled with a rosewood fingerboard. Green’s guitars also go the silent route, including an undersaddle pickup system, a line-in headphone jack and ¼” output. But perhaps the guitar’s most notable attribute is the ability to be broken down into two easily transported, travel-friendly sections. Green jokes that with his guitars, “players can be one-minute luthiers.”
And although the uniqueness of Miranda’s collapsible nature provides travelers with a sleekly packaged instrument and other travel guitars find inventive ways to shed weight and bulk, some people are quick to dismiss the travel guitar as being less of an instrument. “A lot of guitar companies say they are full-scale, but they are a full 22” scale and it shouldn’t be said like that,” Oliver emphasizes. Each of the builders clearly stated in their individual interviews that they are proud designers of full-scale guitars built with traveling in mind.
In fact, these luthiers are building for many of the same reasons as those working in larger instruments. “My goal was that if you closed your eyes, you’d imagine playing your old acoustic from home and we’ve gone to great extents to achieve that,” explains Green. “We’ve covered everything to ensure its authenticity – the look, feel, size, dimensions, minor details, and as much as possible, the tone and sound.”
Art has even crept into the world of travel guitars, a niche segment of the industry motivated more by size limitations than aesthetics. “When I’m building, I envision my guitars as a work of functional art in every respect, with fine fretwork and precise intonation, great sound and yet still very stowable,” says Vagabond’s Smith. He has developed and tinkered with his Vagabond design for the last 20 years by changing woods (currently a spruce top and mahogany neck), components, soundhole placement and shape. Throughout all of his experiments, Smith has searched for “a remarkable, full-size and distinct instrument to be respected by travelers, collectors and professionals in the music industry.”
It seems his efforts have paid off. With customer accolades spanning the globe and his Vagabond used by Neil Young during live performances, Smith has received a stamp of approval that few companies can claim.
Help Wanted
Some luthiers are able to conceptualize their perfect guitar, but others seek help in refining their designs. After coming up with several designs, Oliver and his team at Traveler sought outside help in the form of famous luthier, John Carruthers. Before helping out at Traveler Guitar, Carruthers had solidified his name in guitar lore by creating instruments for legends like Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Presley and Robby Kreiger of the Doors, to name a select few. Carruthers applied his talents and produced the newest members of the Traveler family, the Escape EG-I and Escape R-II. The experience for the upstart entrepreneur was humbling.
 |
A Miranda guitar packed and ready for travel
|
|
“We’d like to think that we know what we’re doing and we just struggled with constructing a new body style, but to have [Carruthers] come up with the whole thing in one day was phenomenal,” says Oliver. “What he came up with in 24 hours was something we couldn’t picture at all. John got it done right away and with unbelievable accuracy, balance, size and proportion. The guitar just looked right
Besides seeking outside help from seasoned professionals, travel builders frequently solicit ideas for improvements from their customer base. These avenues of communication have directly and indirectly influenced several modifications on their instruments. “Everything from our initial prototype [the Pro Series] up to our current selection is derived from customer comments and requests,” says Oliver. “Not one specifically, but we compile comments together until we make a new model where we can incorporate the most popular requests.”
Often the suggestions are as simple as new colors and electronics, but sometimes customers can push for a whole new sound. “Customers always seemed to enjoy what they heard, but some would hint at changing the soundhole or its placement,” says Vagabond’s Smith. “After a little tinkering on the location and reforming the hole from a circle to an oval, this slight change provided the Vagabond with more tone and original sound than ever before.”