We know you travel, and that’s why the Voyage-Air Guitar enables you to take your music with you, anywhere you go. This section features photos, stories, and videos from real owners. Play. Fold. Travel.

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Namaste from India

I have been traveling throughout India with my Voyage Air guitar since late December, from South to North, and East to West.  From the tip of India where three seas meet (Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal), to the beaches of Kerala, the caves in the foothills of the Himalayas, the banks of the Ganges, the shores of Puri and the mountains of Pune.

With performances at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Mumbai, at a resort in Kerala, and at an outdoor event for 1500 people in New Delhi.  Many hours chanting at the Pilgrimage sites of Yogananda, Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Anandamoyi Ma, Vanamali Devi and Babaji.  Impromptu Kirtans at a huge Shiva statue in Hardwar by the banks of the Holy Ganges, on trains and buses.

I love my Voyage-Air guitar, and so does everyone else who meets it!

Not only is it lightweight, convenient, with great action and beautiful tone, it is very cool!

The only complaint is that I have to tune it a lot, but that is a small price to pay.  One way I’ve dealt with that is to not fold it up all the time—instead I just let it poke it’s neck out the top of the pack.  Works fine!  (see pictures)

One of the smartest things I’ve done was to get this guitar!

In Gratitude,
Elizabeth (Dhuti) Johnson

Island of Vieques

Note: Guitarists know Tim Brookes as the author of the critically acclaimed best-seller Guitar, An American Life. He’s also a Blogger, magazine writer, commentator on NPR Radio, and a notorious world-traveler. He occasionally sends us updates of his travels and adventures with his Voyage Air guitar. Here’s his latest:

“I originally met custom luthier Harvey Leach when I was doing research for a book. At the time, Harvey was showing me his legendary inlay work, but then he showed me an early prototype of the Voyage Air guitar. Harvey sent me home with that guitar, and it has changed the way that I travel, and the way that I can make music during my travels.

“My Voyage Air guitar is now over six years old, and has been literally three-times around the world. I’ve taken it to Pakistan. A couple of times to Bangladesh. I’ve played it live at the Cairo Jazz Club in Egypt. It’s never let me down.

“I recently took a vacation to the island of Vieques, which is off the coast of Puerto Rico. This page has pictures from the trip. As usual, the Voyage Air guitar easily fit in the overhead bin for the flight from New York to Puerto Rico.

“A much smaller plane is used for the hop from Puerto Rico to Vieques. As you can see in the first photo, the ‘baggage compartment’ is forward of the pilot, up near the prop! The Voyage Air fit easily in this space, and the buzz from the engine caused no harm to the guitar whatsoever.

“I spent a long weekend on the island with my family. My wife plays the flute, and we performed duets as we made stops on our way around the island. Every time I opened up the Voyage Air, it never failed to draw a crowd!

“Well, that’s the latest. It’s great to have a no-hassle, great-sounding guitar with me during my travels. Whether it’s killing time during an airport layover, or just strumming chords while hanging around the pool on a tropical island, I’ve always got my Voyage Air!”

Tim Brookes

In Yaounde-Africa

Andrew Palmer is well on his way, traveling around the world solo on a motorcycle – with his Voyage-Air guitar. That’s right: packing his guitar on a motorcycle. He’s found his guitar to be a great tool for introduction in far-away lands, and considers it an essential part of his journey. Periodically, he sends us updates about his travels, and here’s the latest:

Hello, Voyage Air Guitar!
Here are some of my latest pics for you. I really hope that you can use them because it wasn’t easy to take them. I’m using my smart phone to take photos and its a little too fiddly for the locals to use. That, and I dropped it in Burkina Faso damaging the screen making it near impossible to see anything on it in daylight!

I really should of taken some more pics in Nigeria as I had loads of opportunities then. Now, I’m on my own, and its not so easy, but I will bear it in mind when I next meet people who can help me take some more.

Yaounde is a fairly modern city, but during my stay here, I spent some time with African kids in a dirt school yard.

Its a real pain finding decent internet connection out here. I’m currently sat in the Hilton hotel using their expensive, but reasonably fast WIFI.

Please stress the durability of the guitar and case as I’ve now fallen off loads of times, damaging myself and the bike (I’m okay) but the guitar is fine. I’ve included one picture of me camping with bike and guitar in Western Sahara that a soldier kindly took for me.

Regards
Andy

See how his adventure began click here

More pictures from the road with a Voyage Air on a motorcycle…

In Quebec

Charles Picard is a helicopter engineer, and his travels take him to the northern reaches of Canada – on up near the North Pole. He works with pilots at remote ‘base camps,’ and his trips can last months at a time. Temperatures dip to 50-below zero.

Storage space is cramped on a helicopter, and Charles sorely missed having a guitar with him for off-hours practice and play. His solution? Voyage Air Guitar!

Charles’ native language is French, and his French-Canadian accent was deep and enthusiastic during a recent satellite-link phone call. “I choose the Special Edition VAOM-06 without a pickguard,” he said. “It is for my style of play, and I prefer to see all the wood of the Solid Sitka Spruce top.

“For me, the Deluxe Voyager Case of the guitar is perfect. The hard foam padding is rugged and has the zippered pocket for my extra things. The handles make it easy to carry, and put in the helicopter. When I have to walk through the snow with my things, I wear it like a backpack.

“This guitar I have sounds beautiful and is already my favorite one, and I know it will sound better the more I play. It is more than I expected for a guitar I can take with me.”

If you’re in Northern Canada and see a helicopter zoom overhead, it might just be Charles, with his Voyage Air Guitar.

These pictures have been taken up north quebec… (James Bay)

Traveling the world

“My name is Glen Harris, and I am a proud new owner of a Voyage Air VAOM-04. I purchased this guitar based on the recommendations of an acoustic guitar forum I visit frequently. I serve in the US Military, and my job involves traveling the world.”One aspect of being a chaplain is providing the opportunity to worship in a remote setting, for men and women who are thousands of miles away from their home churches. For many, a worship service would feel incomplete without music. Music is an integral part of spirituality… but in remote countries, musical resources are often limited.

“For me, the ability to strap a great sounding, great playing guitar to my back when I travel is a major asset to the ministry I can provide. That was the main reason I purchased my VAOM-04.

“I keep several “go bags” packed all the time, and they include the essentials that I need, should I receive a phone call and have to mobilize in haste. My VAOM-04 is now included as one of those “go bags.” I know that I can have it packed up and ready to go in less than a minute. When I get to my location, I can unpack it and play it in a worship service in no time flat.

“I’ve owned a few other travel guitars in the past, but they all pale in comparison to my VAOM-04. First of all, most travel guitars are scaled down proportionate to full-sized guitars, which means that the neck is often uncomfortable and cramped. Not so with the VAOM-04. The neck is smooth and fast and the 1 3/4” nut width is comfortable.

“Secondly, other travel guitars sound like what they are: small guitars. They often have anemic low end and shrill trebles. Since the Voyage Air is full-sized guitar, it has a rich, mature voice all across the tonal spectrum, especially with an upgraded bone saddle.

“Thirdly, to keep costs low, other manufacturers often skimp on fit and finish. They exclude interior kerfing, and use cheaper satin finishes. The VAOM-04 had a great set up right out of the box. I love the gloss finish which gives the mahogany back and sides an almost flamed, three dimensional appearance.

“I realize now that the VAOM-04 is a great guitar. Period. I don’t know of another OM guitar of equal quality in the same price range. The fact that I can fold it up, put it in a backpack and take it with me, anywhere, makes this guitar an outstanding choice for me. I am excited about this new guitar and look forward to taking it with me when I encounter other men and women of the US Military. Wherever that service may take me, you can bet my VAOM-04 will be along for the ride.”

Sincerely,

Glen Harris

Airline Pilot

Ned Robbins knows quite a bit about airline travel.  In fact, he’s (was) a full-time pilot for a major airline!  His guitar is always along for the ride. Ned will soon own the Voyage Air Guitar with the most total airline miles.

“I play bluegrass music,” explained Ned.  “I went to a local jam in Phoenix, AZ, and one of the other players had one of your guitars.  As a pilot, I had been looking for a travel guitar that was easy to take along on trips.  I played your guitar, and decided to order one.

“I actually have 2 of your guitars.  The first one I ordered from your website: the VAOM-02 model.  I did not tell my wife that I had already ordered one, and she had ordered one for me as a Christmas present – the VAOM-04.  I like both of them but the one my wife ordered sounds a little better than the other one.

“I originally contacted Voyage Air guitar to find out about the strings.  I like the way the guitar sounds and plays so much that I only want to replace the strings with the same ones it came with.

“Now that I’ve spent some time traveling with the Voyage Air, I have a few comments:

“I like the way the case for the guitar appears to be a “normal” back-pack. Most people never suspect it is a guitar, and this is great from a security point of view.  I feel comfortable leaving the case unattended for a short period, as compared to a “regular” guitar case that is not safe to leave unattended at all.

“I have played with some other travelers who have the carry-on electric guitars. While they are still trying to figure out how to plug their guitar into the clock-radio in the hotel room, I am up and playing a full-size acoustic guitar in under a minute.

“Finally, the compact size of the Voyage Air guitar case meets all size requirements for carry-on luggage.  It fits in the overhead bins of every style plane in our fleet.  And it legally fits under the seats of most planes.  As a pilot, I’ve been able to personally confirm this.

“Thanks for the fine product.  I’ve already handed out all the business cards that came with the guitar.  Send me more!”

– Ned Robbins, Airline Pilot