Left Handed Travel Guitars and Basses

Travel guitars are ideal for when you’re on the road or even just for when you need something handy in the office for a quick lunchtime jam session.  There are plenty of great options whether you’re after an electric, acoustic or bass guitar and I’ve compiled a quick list of some of the best left handed models.

As you’d expect from a guitar likely to be thrown around a lot, none of these models are desperately expensive and so should be accessible to most.  Designs range from models which are simply smaller in size, to clever guitars that save space through folding necks or other similarly innovative designs.

Left Handed Travel Acoustic Guitars

Traveler Escape Mark II Left Handed Acoustic Travel Guitar ($500)

Traveler Guitar consulted with revolutionary guitar builder John Carruthers to improve the ergonomics of the Escape line; making the Escape MK-II feel more like a traditional guitar than ever before. Not only has the body been updated, but the new MK-II also boasts a custom Hybrid-Element pickup system from none other than the industry’s leading pickup innovator, L.R. Baggs. All three models come equipped with the system which has onboard electronics with a 2-band EQ, a built in headphone amplifier, and like all Travelers, the ability to be plugged directly into a traditional amplifier for live applications. The entire Escape MK-II line features classic finish options with elegant binding, laminate spruce and cedar tops and traditional mahogany stains. This top of the line acoustic series from Traveler comes complete with a road worthy gig-bag from High Sierra; making the Escape MK-II the absolute best solution for acoustic players on the go.

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Traveler Ultra-Light Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar Left-Handed ($300)

The left-handed Traveler Ultra-Light is the smallest, lightest full-scale travel guitar ever made. Complete with a Shadow acoustic piezo pickup and a lightweight detachable lap rest frame, the guitar weighs just three pounds and is only 28″ long. The Ultra-Light fits into an included high-quality gig bag that stows easily in airline overhead compartments. The Traveler Ultra-Light is the perfect solution for players on-the-go and on a budget.

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Martin Backpacker Left Handed Acoustic Travel Guitar ($200)

If you absolutely have to have a well respected brand name on the headstock then the Martin Backpacker is probably your best bet for a travel guitar.  Backpackers are fully playable compact travel guitars economically designed to meet the needs of musicians on the run! For their size, both this original steel-string style and the nylon-string classical model have a surprisingly rich and loud tone. Ruggedly built to withstand the rigors of outdoor situations like camping, hiking, and summer music festivals.  Comes with strap and custom gig-bag.

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Martin Backpacker Classical Left Handed Acoustic Guitar ($200)

Same as above but with nylon strings, but you knew that right?

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Voyage-Air Songwriter VAD-04LH Left Handed Travel Acoustic Guitar ($550)

The Voyage-Air VAD-04LH is a full-size left-handed acoustic guitar that folds in half, so it can fit into a special backpack case – small enough that it qualifies as carry-on luggage for all commercial airlines.

The revolutionary design makes traveling with a guitar a breeze. Simply loosen the strap button and easily fold the guitar in half for easy storage inside the custom backpack carrying case. When you’re ready to play it, unfold-tighten the bolt and it’s nearly in tune.

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Johnson Trailblazer Left Handed Travel Guitar ($99)

For those on a tighter budget the new left-handed Trailblazer (JG-TR1-L) guitar is truly the traveller’s dream with its small-scale design and wicked looks. It features a spruce top and mahogany back, sides and neck, die-cast tuners, 22-fret fingerboard and Martin strings. It also features a 24-3/4″ shorter scale length. The Trailblazer boasts features you wouldn’t expect to find on a travel guitar, such as neck and body binding and full-size frets. Whether you’re camping, hiking, or just taking a quick road trip, the Trailblazer is the perfect companion for your odyssey. The Johnson Trailblazer includes a custom carrying bag.

Left Handed Travel Electric Guitars

Traveler Speedster Electric Guitar ($350)

With its unique modern-retro look and detachable tear-drop arm support, the Speedster represents a design revolution in travel guitars. The Speedster is built for portability and performance with a high-output dual-rail humbucker pickup, 24 ¾” full-scale neck-through-body, and volume & tone controls. The Speedster fits neatly inside an included gig bag and is small enough to stow in airline overhead compartments.  The upper arm is removeable for the ultimate portability.

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Ministar Castar Left Handed Travel Guitar ($170)

The Castar has all the features you would expect, being inspired by the Strat, but it also features new innovations too.  A one piece neck/body design with detachable extension rods to simulate a full size body when standing make this guitar incredibly light and compact.  The 3 “HOT” single coil pick-ups are made in a special configuration that gives you HUMBUCKER capabilities when the Lead and Centre, or Neck and Centre pick-ups are on together.  Featuring a stacked volume and tone control with a five position pick-up selector switch where each pick-up also uses individual alnico magnets for each string.  The Castar also features a spring loaded tremolo and it comes complete with gig bag, shoulder strap and an amplifier lead.

Left Handed Travel Bass Guitars

Traveler Escape Mark II Left Handed Bass Travel Guitar ($500)

The Escape MK-II Bass is a combination of traditional features and innovative design. It includes an L.R. Baggs Custom Element-Hybrid pickup system with an onboard headphone preamp so you can plug directly into the bass and play anywhere – or plug into an amp. The MK-II bass features 24 medium frets, a 32″ scale, an ebonized rosewood fingerboard and an ergonomic body co-designed by master builder John Carruthers and is 5 1/4 pounds light and only 36″ long.

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Ministar Basstar Left Handed Travel Bass Guitar ($180)

The Left handed BassStar Travel Bass features a one-piece neck and body design allowing maximum tone and sustain with minimum body size. Other features include a 24 fret maple fingerboards, a fully adjustable bridge, truss rod, nut (allowing the strings to be set as “close as Mother Nature will allow” without buzzing or rattling), a single high-output pickup with a master volume control, and folding extension rods to simulate a full-size body.  When the instrument is folded and packed in their nylon carrying bag, they can go just about anywhere. Travelling musicians will no longer need to worry about checking their precious guitar at the airport; the BassStar can easily fit inside the overhead compartment in an airplane.

Other Options

Headless Guitars

If you find that your guitar is just that little bit too tall to take on the road then a guitar with a headless design may be what you need.  For example Steinberger guitars are famed for their headless neck and smaller body size – whilst not technically travel guitars they could just save that extra couple of inches that your main guitar would take up.  Something like this Steinberger Spirit bass could be just the ticket!

Small Scale Guitars

Smaller scale guitars are not just for kids – they can make a perfect travel guitar for anyone!  Many guitars will come in all shapes and sizes all the way down to a 1/4 scale.  Obviously smaller sized guitars come with their trade-offs but these issues can probably be overlooked in place of their portability.

Take a look at my previous articles on smaller scale left handed guitars for ideas…
1/2 Sized Left Handed Guitars Article
3/4 Sized Left Handed Guitars Article

eBay and Google

Obviously availability will vary depending on where you live, but for extra options be sure to check ‘eBay‘ and ‘Google Shopping‘ for travel guitars.  As I am writing this article there are several more cheaper travel guitar options available on eBay UK and this is probably your best bet if you’re trying to buy on a budget.

I hope you found this article to be useful.  Please let me know if you have any other suggestions for guitars to add to the list!