Travel Guitar vs Ukulele | Normans Blog

What is a Travel Guitar?

A travel guitar is usually a compact guitar that is smaller than a regular guitar with a full scale or a full length. The decreased length of the scale is generally meant for children, having a length of scales as one-half, one quarter, and three quarters.

It's more peaceful for voyaging, better in harsh climate conditions, and generally purchased when you are travelling in the most crowded transport system.

As with any other guitar, there are advantages and disadvantages which are not too much and not too little. In case you're shopping one from the market, do take care of the following:

Advantages:

The size of the body is smaller (generally of ¾ size)
It has full or close to full scale-length
More reasonable than a full-sized acoustic guitar
Great for travelling
Suitable to carry by land, water, and air transport

Disadvantages:

People with larger hands/fingers find this challenging to play
It may not sound as a regular-sized guitar
May not provide warmth and feel as one gets from a regular guitar

Why A Travel Guitar?

The first and most striking point about travel guitar is the compactness of the guitar.
Second, this is a guitar that is made with the best, quality materials. The excellent quality of the wood makes it resistant to many harsh conditions.
Third, they sound great and hold their tune very well.
Fourth, you don't require to buy individual strings when they can utilize bass strings/regular guitar.
Fifth, aux-input, headphones, and built-in distortion are all included in a travel guitar.
Sixth, they come with a soft bag so you can be carefree from the manner the flight authorities handle your guitar. Just do one more thing: Do stuff clothes or old papers if you aren't allowed to take it with you.

What is a ukulele?

If inventors in a laboratory were asked to create a musical instrument that's small, easy to hold & friendly, they would conclude with something like the ukulele.

It is a small guitar of Portuguese origin (brought by Portuguese immigrants) renowned in Hawaii in the 1880s and strung employs with four strings. It's one of the world's best instruments for teenagers and mature beginners.

It is the member of the family of the lute instruments. They commonly come in four sizes: Soprano, concert, tenor, or baritone.

Ukulele has way many merits yet less number of demerits.

Merits:

Volume and tone vary with size.
Mahogany is the solid hardwood used.
Small and easy to carry.
Most ukulele chord shapes are easy to play and memorize.
Best for songwriting and are unique.
Perfect for musical folk

Demerits:

Cheap woods like plywood and laminate woods are sometimes used.
It is challenging to play for those with big hands.
A smaller range of tone.
Fewer options for lessons.

Why A Ukulele?

Being small, light, and portable, you can take one in a backpack or throw one anywhere.
Not an expensive instrument, though.f.
The instrument itself can play chords. Hence, it's best to sing together.
Relatively easy to learn compared to other instruments, makes it a champion in the vast ocean of musical instruments.

Guitar vs Ukulele: What's Better value?

Ukulele being taken as:

A limited range instrument in standard soprano ukulele, especially inadequate bass response; hence travel guitar takes a driver's seat here.
Usually not taken as a "serious" instrument, but rather cute musical "toy" or a musical prop.
In terms of price, a ukulele is better than the travel guitar.
Quality of ukulele is also better (in few cases) than travel guitar.

Taken being noted, Travel guitar being seen as:

It doesn't give a feel of a standard guitar the same as that of a ukulele.
Not favourable for large hand players, which is the same as that of a ukulele.
Travel guitars are considered as prestigious and recommended by everyone while the ukulele is best for beginners and can help you learning fast.

Conclusion:

As everything been served before you, you are the one making the final verdict. There is no bound from our side to choose this and leave that, but you are free to choose whatever suits your price, your taste in music, and indeed, your choice to travel!