https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:20:25 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-361034 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 09:48:49 +0000
Oktay]]> Guitar Players Discussion oktay https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-361034 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-360612 Tue, 09 Nov 2010 07:00:47 +0000
Woody (the travel guitar) and I are back in Korea after a semi-lengthy stint in Myanmar. (Nice place.)

If you're looking for a guitar like that one, or practically anything else guitar related in Seoul, go to Nakwon (or Nagwon) Arcade. ( 낙완 , I think) it's in the Insadong neighborhood, fairly famous. It's a big building filled with dozens upon dozens of music stores. Very cool place.

Be sure to walk around and shop around, though. Virtually everything you find in one shop, you'll find in another sooner or later. Prices vary, and are rarely marked, so check things out. (And negotiate, at least a little!) My guitar was 170,000 Korean Won. (About 150 US, give or take.)

Also, try things out, and be sure to trust yourself. There's lots of GREAT gear in Nakwon, much of which it's hard to get in other parts of the world, and some one of a kind used axes as well. BUT...there are counterfeits. And junk. And merchants who will figure a foreigner doesn't know the market, and see if they can take advantage. Be smart, but there´s GREAT stuff there.


BEst,
Ande]]> Guitar Players Discussion Ande https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-360612 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-360599 Mon, 08 Nov 2010 16:07:23 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion oktay https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-360599 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-359394 Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:23:50 +0000
Last Saturday night, I went out with some new acquaintances to a local barbecue place. (chargrilled things I don't recognize, curry with noodles, and beer.) I took Woody along, cause you never know when you'll need a guitar. While we were having dinner, a stranger with a guitar case came over to ask what was in my case- he was surprised and fascinated by a guitar that size, and wanted to hear it, so we took over an unoccupied table (this is an outdoor place) and discovered that we both know some of the same Dylan songs.

Also discovered some things about playing a travel guitar with others- it's got a nice tone, quite bright, but is still quite quiet compared to bigger guitars. The short scale means the strings aren't under much tension- if you hit it harder to get louder, it gets buzzy. Rather than play the same as the other guys (another joined in) we did it this way- one did the “regular” chords, while another, probably the best player, did some arpeggios and twiddly bits. I stuck to essentially the basic chords, but higher up the neck, and kept kind of a counter rhythm to the main rhythm. It gave a nice treble sound, and cut my quiet guitar right through. (nothing too extreme, just that in a song, for example, with Gmaj, Dmaj, Cmaj, and Amin7, instead of the “usual” G (32001) I would either play a slightly higher G like 355433 or quite a lot higher A-shaped bar at the 10th fret. (With a quick strum, cause I get no sustain on barre chords that high!) Or just focusing on the notes on the higher pitched strings. (Playing xxx010 as a Cmaj chord, for example.) This added a cool sound to the mix, and made the most out of a small sounding guitar. There are people who will tell you that a travel guitar isn't a “real” guitar at all- I say it is. You just have to adapt to it and play it in a way that makes the most of its particular sound. Like all musical instruments.

It was a good chance to think about guitars playing together in general- learning how to arrange so that two guitars sound better than one!
All the best,
Ande]]> Guitar Players Discussion Ande https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-359394 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358981 Tue, 14 Sep 2010 19:00:03 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Kroikey https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358981 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358923 Mon, 13 Sep 2010 02:46:48 +0000
I played a baby Taylor a couple of years ago at a music store in Chicago, and they're probably the best small guitars in the world. Still big enough to be a pain while flying, though. (And if something happens to a baby taylor, you're gonna feel bad.)

"Woody" (yeah, somehow the guitar got named- I blame my wife)is sort of a compromise- small enough to carry, cheap enough not to worry about too much.

Which is cool, cause in the...let's see...one month since I got Woody, we're in a our third country. (Thailand now; Spent a couple of weeks vacationing in Korea, hopped over to Japan for a brief visit...and then we had to go back to work. I'm in Thailand for 2 days- visa papers- then jumping to Myanmar tomorrow evening; six weeks in Myanmar.) It's exciting, it's fun...but if you've ever spent time in places where you don't speak the language or know much about anything...a good travel guitar is loads better than other entertainment options you're likely to find.

I've wanted a travel guitar for a while, but I finally felt like this year, I NEED one.

Funnily enough, Kroikey, I don't actually know very much about Korean Budhism- just learning. Brought up Methodist, but very involved with (and have enormous respect for) Catholic charitites while I was in Latin America. Spent a little time in North Africa- it all gets hard to remember. So far, what I love best about Budhist temples in Korea is they build them in beautiful forests, and they don't mind if you sit down under a tree and play geetar. I know there's more to it than that, but until I get better at the language, I'm not gonna know too much more. A funny thing for everybody-

At the entrance to all of Korea's major temples there are four "Guardians," (also called four heavenly kings) enormous statues left to protect the temple from the world- these are traditional figures, and are similar from temple to temple. And one of them is always playing something that looks like a guitar!



Without getting too deep here, I really liked the image of music being something to protect that which is holy.


All the best,
Justin]]> Guitar Players Discussion Ande https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358923 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358800 Thu, 09 Sep 2010 16:17:46 +0000 Do you like the Buddhist or Hindu belief system?

I grew up in the UK with a very loose Christian background, but it was just a placeholder really. After studying the different religious systems for a while, I find myself more inclined to Eastern belief systems. They're much less damning :)

Nice guitar though! I bought myself a Baby Taylor while I was in Las Vegas for a fortnight. I lost a fortune playing cash poker the first week, then bought that guitar and began winning in every tournament I played. I came back with the same £3000 I started with, and must have blown 10k lol. Shame I lost £1000 changing money both ways :(]]> Guitar Players Discussion Kroikey https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358800 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358729 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:00:34 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Blue Jay https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358729 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358722 Tue, 07 Sep 2010 09:57:34 +0000
The thing cost about $80 so it wasn´t too expensive, and I guess it did the trick after all. But the one you reviewed above sounds much nicer!

/S]]> Guitar Players Discussion Staffan https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358722 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358687 Sun, 05 Sep 2010 13:16:00 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Nuno https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/new-travel-toy/#post-358687