The 7 Best Travel Size Acoustic and Electric Guitars

The Yamaha SLG200S is the granddaddy of travel guitars and solves just about every problem guitarists have when traveling.

Acoustic guitars are such a pain to travel with, which is why Yamaha uniquely slimmed down the body, making it easy to toss over your shoulder and take with anywhere.

You have the choice to either play in practice-like silence or plug-in for some studio-quality tones. The Yamaha SRT powered pickup system is top-notch, and the preamp system offers a ton of fresh ways to adjust your guitar's tone. They even give you the ability to add reverb and chorus with a small knob near the body's edge, something that we've never seen before.

The SLG200S is the perfect guitar to hop on stage with and perform too, as it gives you the ability to plug in and project without having to worry about the nasty feedback that comes from large acoustic openings.

Lastly, they’ve even included a small, onboard tuner so you can tune with ease without having to deal with a phone app or clip-on.

​Steinberger took travel guitars to the next level with their GTPROBK1. With a gorgeous easy-to-play Steinberger body, a 40:1 ratio direct-pull tuning, it's a travel guitar like no other.

The coolest thing about the GTPROBK1 is the R-Trem tremolo system, as you don't typically see trem systems on guitars of this size. At just over 30", you can take this bad boy just about anywhere.

It's made with a hard Maple and has a headless design, meaning you won't have to worry about any adverse environmental effects when you travel to temperature-extreme places.

One of the other beautiful things about this guitar is that it's comfortable to play thanks to the leg rest that folds into the guitar when you're not using it.

Let's not forget about the sound on this bad boy though. The humbucker pickups are unique in tone and the middle, single coil gives it added versatility. You get a 5-way pickup selector too so that you can shuffle through the different pickups depending on the sound you want.

The Baby Taylor BT2 is excellent for those who want a scaled-down version of their regular acoustic, as it plays just like a traditional Taylor, but in ¾ size.

We love the Mahogany top on this guitar, as it outputs a rich, dark tone unlike we're used to with the spruce top Taylor guitars. Beyond it being an excellent traveling partner, it's also perfect for kids who are looking to learn, as it has a shorter scale length.

The symmetrical design of the BT2 gives it a gorgeous aesthetic, and when paired with the durable, layered hardwood construction, it almost seems like you're getting a pro guitar for insane value. The symmetrical build also helps to provide a substantial amount of comfort too, as it forms to your lap nicely.

Martin is known for having some of the best-sounding acoustic guitars on the market, so it's no surprise that their Backpacker model also sounds top-notch.

It's easily one of the most interesting guitar shapes that we've ever seen. It almost looks like it jumped straight out of a Renaissance painting.

The great thing about it is that it's incredibly portable and surprisingly resonant, even with the downsized body. Of course, you still get the gorgeous Mahogany-neck design with the rosewood fingerboard that adds to the sound, but that's just standard Martin quality.  

What surprises us the most is the sound and hardware quality that you get for such a low price. Most Martin guitars are way beyond beginner and intermediate player price ranges, so the fact that they've wrapped up all of their beloved specs into a small, cost-friendly axe is pretty impressive.

The people at Traveler seem like they made the company name so that you know precisely what their guitars are for right off the bat.

At just under 3lbs and 2.5-feet long, this is one of the smallest and lightest travel guitars on the market. Don't underestimate it though, as it's packed with several incredible features.

One of the unique things about the Traveler guitar is that the tuning system is placed in the body of the guitar, ridding the need for a headstock. Basically, you get full-scale playability with more portability.

There is a high-quality Piezo pickup with your standard ¼ inch output jack, allowing you to plug it into your amplifier or recording apparatus when you're ready to lay down some tasty riffs.

The sound that comes out of this little guy is ridiculous. The metal lap rest that it comes with is easy to attach and detach, giving you a bit more comfort when you're playing while sitting down too.

Cordoba is best known for its high-quality classical guitars, which can be found in beginner and expert ranges. For classical players out there, we highly recommend the Cordoba Mini M.

It's a reliable alternative to your heavy classical guitar, yet provides the same playability thanks to the standard fret spacing and wide-width neck.

The best way to describe the sound of the Mini M is "bright." With that said, it also has excellent projection, even with the smaller size.

The Mahogany body is not only gorgeous to look at, but has a natural resonance for dynamic playing.  Do note that it comes with A-A tuning off the bat, though you can change it to standard E-tuning with ease.

Washburn has always been known for their line of beginner guitars. They continue to output quality instruments for a fraction of the price of big-name brands, which is excellent for those who are on a budget.

Not everyone wants to spend $400+ on a guitar that they're going to be taking around the world in unpredictable conditions. For those people, the Washburn RO10 Rover reigns supreme.

The first thing that you'll notice is the shape of the Washburn. The symmetrical shape is unique and eye-catching, making it far more portable than its traditional cutaway cousins. With that said, playing it might take a bit to get used to if you're sitting down.

The Rover is made with a solid spruce top and Mahogany neck, materials that are no strangers to top-notch instruments. It does have a brighter sound than full-sized acoustics, though it resonates and cuts surprisingly well. We would almost go so far to say that the design gives it a twangy, banjo-like quality.