What are the issues of travelling by car with a guitar?
Travel guitars take care of most logistical concerns of ramming a guitar into your boot along with all your other travel gear, Snap Dragon Guitars offer folding versions of almost every style of guitar, with some taking up just centimetres of space. However, there are other things that you should think about when heading out on the open road.
1: The weather. Extreme temperatures are not good for guitars. If you’re travelling in spring or autumn, this probably won’t be an issue. But in summer and winter your guitar might suffer. Heat and cold can both dry a guitar out. This can lead to: a bowed neck, a lifting bridge, or misaligned frets. Leave it too long without attention and the neck might even snap. In extreme heat, you might also be looking at melted glue, so there will be nothing to hold your instrument together.
2: Temperature fluctuations. Exposing your guitar to fluctuating temperatures is almost as bad for it as leaving it in the heat or cold for too long. So, a day in the boiling or freezing boot of a car before being moved into a heated or air-conditioned hotel room can really stress the instrument, causing the rapid expansion/contraction of the wood. This, in turn, can lead to cracking and warping. The obvious way to avoid this is storing your guitar in the main cabin rather than the boot. Admittedly more difficult with a traditional model; much easier with a travel guitar, especially as Snap Dragon guitars use poly carbonate, aluminium and bamboo in our construction, which are much less susceptible to changes in temperature and humidity. Speaking of which...
3: Humidity. Guitars are kind of like Goldilocks when it comes to humidity. Everything has to be ‘just right’. Not to dry. Not too sticky. This is an issue however and wherever you’re travelling. It can also be an issue at home, depending on the location/age/condition of your house. There are some fairly simple precautions you can take to protect your guitar against humidity though, so don’t panic! There are great humidity systems you can use, like the D'addario humidipak, that will keep the humidity in your guitar case stable.
As much as we all love to do it, travel can be an almighty pain. The packing alone can be enough to put a person off. And that’s before you’ve even factored in your guitar. But, when you think of the pleasure of strumming away on an isolated beach at sunset or picking out chords in front of a roaring campfire as your family or friends gather round, it all begins to feel worthwhile. Travelling with a guitar can be awkward, but choose the right instrument, pack it well and treat it like a passenger, and it will give you some amazing travel memories.