I'll go over the Donner Hush-1, Traveler Guitars ( Electric and Acoustic-electric), Martin Backpacker, Washburn Rover and the Cordoba Mini II. I'll unbox the products and let you hear each one.
Hush-I is targetted mostly to acoustic guitar player. It's pickup is designed like acoustic. You can plug-in it in an acoustic guitar amp and it will sound like an electric acoustic guitar. You can also practice using the earphones.
Just had my Donner hush this week end, I wasn’t home and took it with me. A pleasure to play. Of course I prefer my Gibson Custom but I was able to train properly without annoying anyone.
Hey you’ve got exactly what I was looking for: guitar comparison. My mind has already been sold for the Donner but this video made everything sealed. Great video!
The Hush is Donners version of an acoustic. I travel with one and it’s excellent, but if you can’t do setups you’ll have to take it to a Luthier as mine wasn’t close to being playable out of the box. I also carry a Spark Go amp. It all fits easily into an overhead bin on the jet, and it’s super light.
Possibly my most picked up guitar, extremely light and comfortable, with an excellent action. The extension with the controls is wood, and also acts as the leg rest.
Traditionally, to make an acoustic instrument full range and loud, you need a longer soundboard, which is necessarily counter to the travel guitar concept. So... if you want to have a very compact guitar, you have to give up either low end (like the backpacker) or compactness (like the Cordoba) or volume (like the rest). There are other options, like the Enya Nova Go and the Anygig, but they are all going to either be bigger, quieter, or tinnier sounding than what you want. Personally, I prefer the Anygig. It is full scale, and feels good in the hands. The nylon string version has proper string spacing, too, which a lot of travel nylons do not. I have not tried the Donner, but that one looks like it just has too many options. Sometimes simpler can be better.
just purchased a used Martin backpacker. I fully agree with your review. Travel size should include a smaller case, be fairly loud without an amplifier, and easy to tune without pegs concealed in the body of the guitar. The Cordoba seems to simply be a 3/4 scale parour guitar, which is fair. Great review and comparisons!
I had just bought the Donner Hush 1 guitar because it seemed to be a very good price and after seeing this video I am much more confident to have made the purchase. I'm still waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I can't wait to pick up where I left off years ago. I wonder if I can add electric guitar bridges to play it either way.😉😎
With the leather shoe string on the strap you can attach the Martin (and the Washburn) strap to the headstock. Elvis Presley wore his straps like that (plenty of pictures on the web).
Try nylon strings on the Martin Backpacker, you might like the acoustic sound better. Also, for both the Martin and The Cordoba, tie the shoestring end of the strap to the peg head, that will help the neck dive problem.
@@_.hello_friend._ I have had one for over 20 years that I have taken as far as Europe and Africa, and it has held up both time wise and in long distance travel. I didn't like the sound of the original metal strings, too brash, harsh and tinny. With ball end nylon strings, it sounded more like a regular classical guitar, warmer and fuller. Other musicians have reported amazement that I can get such a sound out of so small an instrument. I wouldn't dismiss it so quickly without experimenting with strings and setup.
@@johnnybgoode1950 that's wonderful. You're right about it producing a much louder sound than the other minis. For me, however, after comparing those minis- the martin backpacker was definitely the lowest quality of craftsmanship and feel. But I'm glad that you love it. :)
@@_.hello_friend._ The construction is logical and cost effective. I have had mine for 25 years and it has has held up. It is made with a long mahogany board for the neck that is split and bent outwards to form the sides, then a mahogany end cap, a mahogany back and a spruce top are glued together. It is left with natural finish, which reduces cost and doesn't hurt performance. The only trouble I have had with it is that it needed some regluing after I foolishly left it in a hot car over several summers, but it sounds as good as ever.
This was a great review, and has a very genuine feel like a manuf just didn’t hand you guitars to review. I actually own the Donner hush I. I’m just in the early stages of learning. Im curious on what you finally settled on for for a travel guitar.
Lol no I was actually on the hunt to finding a perfect travel guitar and figured I'd do a review when I found myself with all those guitars lol. I ended up with keeping the Washburn. But ended up selling it a few months later because it wasn't ideal for learning new songs or playing on the fret. I'm really glad you liked the review :) thank you
@@_.hello_friend._ it is pretty small and has the same issue as some of the ones you talked about here, where most of the weight is in the headstock. Comparing its probably right about the same size as the Cordoba Mini 2, but with a thinner body.
I'm happy with my Yamaha SLG ... comes in steel and nylon strings versions ... I can play it using a very tiny Bluetooth speaker or as Silent Guitar with earplugs ... it also has a Auxilary input
@@_.hello_friend._only the upper arch can be disassembled, but the resting-piece is small enough to make it a perfect traveling-guitar with a weight of under 2 kg. It comes with a quality gigbag, adapter, headphones and a few other accessorries. It's a bit more expensive then your models ... but definitely worth every penny ...
Well done! You know I think you got a pretty good acoustic like sound out of the DONNER..with your finger style playing..its the only one of these I would consider, even if you have to plug it in. Thanks😁
the traveler acoustic plugged in sounds good to me,, just bring along positive grid GO amp.. im wondering since it has been 6 months have you found your acoustic travel guitar,, im looking for the same to carry when i go on motorcycle trips ..prefer steel string..
Hi, not sure why UA-cam doesn't notify me of all comments. I didn't see this one till now. So I apologize for the delay. I ended up keeping the Washburn- but a few months into it I had to sell it because it was not enjoyable to play. Because it's so small, your fingers get crammed up so much trying to bar or really do anything. So I'm still on the hunt for something more fitting for me.
You're adorable! Nice video by the way. By any chance are you at all familiar with acoustics that feel like electrics? I've been looking for one with a cutaway that has 24 frets. I know there's a Steve Vai Ibanez model but I haven't been able to find many others for a reasonable price. I think I'm gonna settle with the tod10n, which at least is a good size to carry around and has 22 frets, and also sounds fine unplugged from what I know. Anyway, thanks!
Haha lol, thank you. No I'm not too familiar with those, I'm sorry. Would actually love to hear your feedback on it. The tod10n is beautiful. You're making me want to find one and see how it plays lol
Quick question, Regarding the Washburn Rover.. did you put the nylon strings on there?? Because i prefer Nylon.. its a warmer sound.. and doesn't slice up your fingers like steel string .. i looked but i only see this in steel string
@@reoscorpio I can't remember to be honest, but yes I prefer nylon as well- just for the warmer sound. And I most likely did switch it if it came with the steel strings. They have nylon strings with ball ends.
@@_.hello_friend._ ok. It does come with steel strings though, i check a lot of different places, and none were nylon. Can i ask one more question, while i have your attention ( 😋 ) .. Being that it is a smaller size format.. how do you find the play-ability of the frets at the top of the neck?? are they smaller than regular size or normal. i have big fingers, and it makes it hard to chord some smaller size guitars.
@@reoscorpio I do think it came with steel strings. And I'm sure my fingers are prob smaller than yours and I couldn't stand it after playing with it a few weeks. It's too crammed of space on the fretboard, even for my fingers. I ended up selling it.
You’ve definitely got some chops as a player, but I’m not sure why you’d show us these guitars without tuning them and without plugging them into an amplifier, considering half of them clearly are intended for that. I’m mystified. I do agree however that in the area you said you’re looking for, the Washburn seems quite interesting. However, is the action really as high as it looks? It’s a little hard to tell from this, but it looks like some adjustment there could really improve the playability.
Hey, that would be a mystery. However- they were tuned and they were plugged into an amp. I played both- plugged in and without an amp. And yes. Even with the action as high as it was, one of the strings were still hitting the metal frets
Haven't done an update yet. Don't think I will. I ended up keeping the Washburn for a few months. But it was a n unenjoyable challenge to play something that tiny
There were some that I saw that the neck slides off. It still had the big body though, that's why I was not interested in it. But maybe that's what you're looking for
@@NikosAnimals I hope you find what you're looking for. You'll have to compromise on something if you're looking for acoustic, the sound, quality and neck action get worse. But if you're looking for electric, it's less compromise.
Actually, the Hush-I version is acoustic with a piezo pickup, and the new version, the hush-x, released several months ago, is an upgraded electric version with HS pickups. That's the most recent version which would have been helpful to include in your comparison.
hahahahhaha as someone who loves guitar and rollerblading, I got a kick out of this comment xD And I seriously wish there could be travel size roller blades
@@rickgiannone6304 lol. I didn't write that this was a definitive video on travel guitars. Why you so unnecessarily aggressive? I think the docs left something in you when they did a colonoscopy or something. You may wanna go back and let them pull it out. Chill geez.
Hush-I is targetted mostly to acoustic guitar player. It's pickup is designed like acoustic. You can plug-in it in an acoustic guitar amp and it will sound like an electric acoustic guitar. You can also practice using the earphones.
Just had my Donner hush this week end, I wasn’t home and took it with me. A pleasure to play. Of course I prefer my Gibson Custom but I was able to train properly without annoying anyone.
Yeah it's really such a beautiful build.
:3 Thanks a bunch! You reinforced my favour to get the Donner Hush, but the X version, and probably all in black. Hehe. Shalom.^_^ Fellow musician.
Dinner I think is vegan, and Gibson tends not to be.
Hey you’ve got exactly what I was looking for: guitar comparison. My mind has already been sold for the Donner but this video made everything sealed. Great video!
Ayyyy that's awesome! So glad it was helpful
The Hush is Donners version of an acoustic. I travel with one and it’s excellent, but if you can’t do setups you’ll have to take it to a Luthier as mine wasn’t close to being playable out of the box. I also carry a Spark Go amp. It all fits easily into an overhead bin on the jet, and it’s super light.
I am a beginner who travels a lot, and I think I'll go with this exact setup! Thanks for the tips :)
Traveler Guitar actually has "Pro-Series" model, that has both acoustic & electric pickups, as well as a volume knob & a blend knob.
Oh awesome, thank you for that info.
Possibly my most picked up guitar, extremely light and comfortable, with an excellent action.
The extension with the controls is wood, and also acts as the leg rest.
This is exactly the video I need. Thank you so much!
So glad it was of some use :)
5:49 the input next to headphones is AUX IN, like for silent practice with a backing track
Traditionally, to make an acoustic instrument full range and loud, you need a longer soundboard, which is necessarily counter to the travel guitar concept. So... if you want to have a very compact guitar, you have to give up either low end (like the backpacker) or compactness (like the Cordoba) or volume (like the rest). There are other options, like the Enya Nova Go and the Anygig, but they are all going to either be bigger, quieter, or tinnier sounding than what you want. Personally, I prefer the Anygig. It is full scale, and feels good in the hands. The nylon string version has proper string spacing, too, which a lot of travel nylons do not. I have not tried the Donner, but that one looks like it just has too many options. Sometimes simpler can be better.
@@spastickitchen I'll check that out thank you
The difference is the pickup on the acoustic one the pickup is made to enhance the acoustic sound.
just purchased a used Martin backpacker. I fully agree with your review. Travel size should include a smaller case, be fairly loud without an amplifier, and easy to tune without pegs concealed in the body of the guitar. The Cordoba seems to simply be a 3/4 scale parour guitar, which is fair. Great review and comparisons!
Thanks so much, I appreciate that :)
I had just bought the Donner Hush 1 guitar because it seemed to be a very good price and after seeing this video I am much more confident to have made the purchase. I'm still waiting for it to arrive in the mail. I can't wait to pick up where I left off years ago. I wonder if I can add electric guitar bridges to play it either way.😉😎
I'm excited for you. It was a beautiful guitar to test out
With the leather shoe string on the strap you can attach the Martin (and the Washburn) strap to the headstock. Elvis Presley wore his straps like that (plenty of pictures on the web).
Yes very true, had just switched it like so after doing the video lol. 👍
The difference is the pickup it's made to enhance the acoustic sound.
For nine-year-old boy, he played the guitar very well thank you
That's rather specific lol and inaccurate
Ur younger ??@@_.hello_friend._
@@sneescampers lol it's all good
Donner HUSH-X is their new travel "electric" guitar
Thanks a bunch! You reinforced my favour to get the Donner Hush, but the X version, and probably all in black. Hehe. Shalom.^_^ Fellow musician.
Awesome, I'm so glad! I'll check that one out too
Hello friend, thanks for this one! Super chill, honest and useful review, nice work!
Thanks so much! I really appreciate that
Try nylon strings on the Martin Backpacker, you might like the acoustic sound better. Also, for both the Martin and The Cordoba, tie the shoestring end of the strap to the peg head, that will help the neck dive problem.
Thank you for the tips. Unfortunately the Martin backpacker overall quality isn't even worth changing the strings to nylon.
@@_.hello_friend._ I have had one for over 20 years that I have taken as far as Europe and Africa, and it has held up both time wise and in long distance travel. I didn't like the sound of the original metal strings, too brash, harsh and tinny. With ball end nylon strings, it sounded more like a regular classical guitar, warmer and fuller. Other musicians have reported amazement that I can get such a sound out of so small an instrument. I wouldn't dismiss it so quickly without experimenting with strings and setup.
@@johnnybgoode1950 that's wonderful. You're right about it producing a much louder sound than the other minis. For me, however, after comparing those minis- the martin backpacker was definitely the lowest quality of craftsmanship and feel. But I'm glad that you love it. :)
@@_.hello_friend._ The construction is logical and cost effective. I have had mine for 25 years and it has has held up. It is made with a long mahogany board for the neck that is split and bent outwards to form the sides, then a mahogany end cap, a mahogany back and a spruce top are glued together. It is left with natural finish, which reduces cost and doesn't hurt performance. The only trouble I have had with it is that it needed some regluing after I foolishly left it in a hot car over several summers, but it sounds as good as ever.
@@johnnybgoode1950 I'm glad you like it. It's comes down to preference I suppose
This was a great review, and has a very genuine feel like a manuf just didn’t hand you guitars to review. I actually own the Donner hush I. I’m just in the early stages of learning. Im curious on what you finally settled on for for a travel guitar.
Lol no I was actually on the hunt to finding a perfect travel guitar and figured I'd do a review when I found myself with all those guitars lol. I ended up with keeping the Washburn. But ended up selling it a few months later because it wasn't ideal for learning new songs or playing on the fret. I'm really glad you liked the review :) thank you
Why does the washburn's action look like it s a zoom out between the earth and the moon
Enjoyed your review! Just got hush 1, hope it is good
Awesome thank you! Lmk how you end up liking it
I feel like the Enya Nova Go would crush most of these in price and sound.
Hey just looked it up, looks cool- but it doesn't seem like a compact travel size guitar
@@_.hello_friend._ it is pretty small and has the same issue as some of the ones you talked about here, where most of the weight is in the headstock. Comparing its probably right about the same size as the Cordoba Mini 2, but with a thinner body.
@@jonmedders3866 ohhh ok. Would of been awesome if I had it in the line up. Thanks for letting me know about it
I'm happy with my Yamaha SLG ...
comes in steel and nylon strings versions ...
I can play it using a very tiny Bluetooth speaker or as Silent Guitar with earplugs ...
it also has a Auxilary input
Oh that's a beauty of a guitar. Does it disassemble to make it travel size?
@@_.hello_friend._only the upper arch can be disassembled, but the resting-piece is small enough to make it a perfect traveling-guitar with a weight of under 2 kg.
It comes with a quality gigbag, adapter, headphones and a few other accessorries.
It's a bit more expensive then your models ... but definitely worth every penny ...
@@rik_mr.aap866 yeah thank you! It's beautiful
you got them all! congrats!
Lol thanks!
Nice review
Thank you, I appreciate that
Well done! You know I think you got a pretty good acoustic like sound out of the DONNER..with your finger style playing..its the only one of these I would consider, even if you have to plug it in. Thanks😁
Thanks so much!
Woah the action on some of those are way too high. Might need to adjust that to get some better results 😊 but good video overall 👍
Thank you 🙏🏼
Cool comparison. Thanks!
Thank you!
the traveler acoustic plugged in sounds good to me,, just bring along positive grid GO amp.. im wondering since it has been 6 months have you found your acoustic travel guitar,, im looking for the same to carry when i go on motorcycle trips ..prefer steel string..
Hi, not sure why UA-cam doesn't notify me of all comments. I didn't see this one till now.
So I apologize for the delay. I ended up keeping the Washburn- but a few months into it I had to sell it because it was not enjoyable to play. Because it's so small, your fingers get crammed up so much trying to bar or really do anything. So I'm still on the hunt for something more fitting for me.
@@_.hello_friend._I ended getting to nova go,, cheap and carbon fiber so it can be dropped , cold hot doesn’t effect it
@@davidadkins2563 oh that's awesome!
@@_.hello_friend._ i ended up getting the enya carbon fiber.. hard to fret but nice little travel guitar
You better prepare for some British humor when Philomena Cunk reviews the best travel guitars out there..
@@quartaltrio747 lol I'm ready and waiting
You're adorable! Nice video by the way. By any chance are you at all familiar with acoustics that feel like electrics? I've been looking for one with a cutaway that has 24 frets. I know there's a Steve Vai Ibanez model but I haven't been able to find many others for a reasonable price. I think I'm gonna settle with the tod10n, which at least is a good size to carry around and has 22 frets, and also sounds fine unplugged from what I know. Anyway, thanks!
Haha lol, thank you. No I'm not too familiar with those, I'm sorry. Would actually love to hear your feedback on it. The tod10n is beautiful. You're making me want to find one and see how it plays lol
Enya Nova Go carbon fiber guitar is NOT being represented…😢
Hey! This video was for travel size guitars. Even the Enya go mini is still too large to actually be considered a travel size
@@_.hello_friend._if only I had a dollar every time someone treated me like an outsider because of being just a little too big…🙄.
@@bikerider4326 I'm guessing you'd be broke
@@_.hello_friend._ I actually have more money than I know what to do with…🥴
@@bikerider4326 that's great!
Quick question, Regarding the Washburn Rover.. did you put the nylon strings on there?? Because i prefer Nylon.. its a warmer sound.. and doesn't slice up your fingers like steel string .. i looked but i only see this in steel string
@@reoscorpio I can't remember to be honest, but yes I prefer nylon as well- just for the warmer sound. And I most likely did switch it if it came with the steel strings. They have nylon strings with ball ends.
@@_.hello_friend._ ok. It does come with steel strings though, i check a lot of different places, and none were nylon. Can i ask one more question, while i have your attention ( 😋 ) .. Being that it is a smaller size format.. how do you find the play-ability of the frets at the top of the neck?? are they smaller than regular size or normal. i have big fingers, and it makes it hard to chord some smaller size guitars.
@@reoscorpio I do think it came with steel strings. And I'm sure my fingers are prob smaller than yours and I couldn't stand it after playing with it a few weeks. It's too crammed of space on the fretboard, even for my fingers. I ended up selling it.
@@_.hello_friend._ Thanks again for the feedback.. i'm going to check one out right now.. so i'll see if it fits 😋
washburn sounds like ukelele 😊
😊👍
You’ve definitely got some chops as a player, but I’m not sure why you’d show us these guitars without tuning them and without plugging them into an amplifier, considering half of them clearly are intended for that. I’m mystified.
I do agree however that in the area you said you’re looking for, the Washburn seems quite interesting. However, is the action really as high as it looks? It’s a little hard to tell from this, but it looks like some adjustment there could really improve the playability.
Hey, that would be a mystery. However- they were tuned and they were plugged into an amp. I played both- plugged in and without an amp. And yes. Even with the action as high as it was, one of the strings were still hitting the metal frets
i was so confused because i thought a little boy was reviewing this but you had tattoos
Lol... I'm a 32 year old woman with tattoos..... But good job. Lol haha
You ever try the traveler guitar speedster deluxe model?
No I haven't, do they have an acoustic version?
plz let us know if this has been updated (new guitars)
Haven't done an update yet. Don't think I will. I ended up keeping the Washburn for a few months. But it was a n unenjoyable challenge to play something that tiny
I just need one of them that
folds
There were some that I saw that the neck slides off. It still had the big body though, that's why I was not interested in it. But maybe that's what you're looking for
@@_.hello_friend._ I want it to fit in my backpack
@@NikosAnimals I hope you find what you're looking for. You'll have to compromise on something if you're looking for acoustic, the sound, quality and neck action get worse. But if you're looking for electric, it's less compromise.
Where's the Donner hush x review?
It seems to be nearly the same thing as the 1, unless I'm mistaken
Actually, the Hush-I version is acoustic with a piezo pickup, and the new version, the hush-x, released several months ago, is an upgraded electric version with HS pickups. That's the most recent version which would have been helpful to include in your comparison.
@@flppr1 oh ok. I put this together because I was on the market for an acoustic travel. But if I end up doing another one, I'll try to get that
Why did you not use the Yamaha silent guitar? I thought that would be the go to.
Does that disassemble? I was choosing guitars at and under$300
Yes and no @@_.hello_friend._
MarTin, not Marin....
😐 who's saying "marin" lol.
I have a Washburn Rover. A piece of crap, despite many upgrades. Won't stay straight.
@@Diasporaliving yeah I ended up selling mine after a few months.
Travel guitars sound so terrible they’d have to make them to be plugged in - this like making travel size rollerblades not much you can do
hahahahhaha as someone who loves guitar and rollerblading, I got a kick out of this comment xD And I seriously wish there could be travel size roller blades
Obviously its for musicians who travels in different places for gig.
You’re clueless!
Voyage Air guitars blow away anything on your list.
Oh so very kind of you.
Hey I’m not the one making a “definitive” video on travel guitars. Do your damn homework!!!
@@rickgiannone6304 lol. I didn't write that this was a definitive video on travel guitars. Why you so unnecessarily aggressive? I think the docs left something in you when they did a colonoscopy or something. You may wanna go back and let them pull it out.
Chill geez.
@@rickgiannone6304wow,relax,, no need to get excited,, she did a good job,, if you don’t like her review move on
@@davidadkins2563 aw thanks David lol
how much mam donner guitar traveler guitar
@@RSG.0524 here in the USA you can get for around $250 to $350