Lunch Report - February 9, 2024

Lunch today was one of my favorites from the 'fast food' genre - James Coney Island Hot Dogs.

I'm on the road for work and today ended up in Houston, Texas where since 1923 JCI has been steaming and grilling hot dogs with chili, cheese and onions - just the way I remember from my youth.

In fact, when I fire up the grill at home my dogs are my own version of JCI dogs. I can't eat them any other way!

Today's 6-stringed topic is travel guitars. I've been on the road for the past 7 days and will be gone for another week.
Long enough for my callouses to soften and my technique to start to rust.

To that end I've been playing a number of small-ish acoustics - Yamahas, Martins, Taylors, even one from that guitar maker in Corona. My problem is not the sound - most of them are acceptable for hotel room plinking.
The main issue I'm seeing is the ability or lack thereof to stow the thing in an overhead aircraft bin.

What experiences do you all have in this field?

TJ

Hey TexasJack!

TGIF LR

I do like a good hot every now and then, mainly baseball game related. Haven’t had James Coney Island dogs will look next time in Houston. Chili, cheese and onion variety sounds really good right now.

For a travel guitar I have a little Martin that works pretty well, and fits overhead as well as any. I did travel once with a ASAT Tribby in a G&L soft travel bag. One flight had room overhead and another had help from attendant to put it in the coat storage bin.

Speaking of Houston, make your way over to Rockin Robin guitars, always some great vintage stuff, and occasionally some G&L, and Fuller’s guitars is pretty good, especially for acoustics.

I’ve flown extensively internationally between Seattle & Auckland, NZ and have had great success packing 2 full size electric (yes, vintage G&L’s) into a soft cloth acoustic gigbag (placing on electric in a thin nylon gigbag, and the other laid on top wrapped in cotton t-shirts. The loaded acoustic gigbag fits easily in the over head storage bins. I’ve done the same flying domestically. Only one time out of nearly 2 dozens flights did I have to check them as the baggage agent said they had a full flight & limited luggage space. Turned out to be utter bs… it was the least populated flight I’d been on & there was heaps on empty overhead bins. I wasn't chuffed to say the least but I still felt well ahead of the game track record-wise. The only thing I encountered was befuddled x-ray gate agents when they viewed the content(s) of my gigbag… I just say, 2 (electric) guitars in there… their response, Ah… got it. You results may obviously vary… IMO, life’s to short to settle for travel guitars or mini acoustics… yecch.

Cheers,
KF

sorry to miss the LR Friday, was out in Keystone, Co, skiing. lunch that day was chili and water.

lately when travelling by air i bring a ukelele. I have an alvarez with grateful dead graphics, good quality, fun.
when traveling by car i bring a gretsch resonator gtr. made in china but pretty darn nice. gig bags for both.
i have a martin backpacker from the late '90's that i use when camping or boating, reasonably compact, gig bag.

a few years ago i went down to negril jamaica, took a cheap chinese-made epiphone les paul special, and a little Blackrock Fly 3 watt amp.
my friend brought along a similar beater bass and the bass version of the blackrock. we had fun jammin' there, and i had the opportunity to sit in with a blues/R&B group at a beach venue called Drifters for an hour set. gator gig bag for the epi LP, no hassles from the airline.

haven't travelled with anything expensive lately. would want a case more bullet-proof for that.

Before I sold it, I used to take a Baby Taylor with me as carry on. It worked out pretty well, though not sure an acoustic guitar in a hotel room is the best solution. Once I traveled all over Europe skiing with a cheap acoustic I paid $75 for in a really cheap chipboard case. Stuffed it with dirty laundry and checked it. No issues. I would only take something with me that I didn't care if it was lost or destroyed. Back in his gigging days a friend used to check a cheap acoustic guitar without a case just to see what happened. He claimed it would occasionally show up in luggage claim tuned. Not sure I believe that...

B...not sure an acoustic guitar in a hotel room is the best solution...

This is an excellent point, one I only considered after I'd flown with my new parlor guitar this past week.
I'm sitting there in a peaceful hotel and realize that I can't work on scales and new tunes without driving my neighbors batty.

More thought is required on this topic - but I'm really enjoying my Gretsch Jim Dandy. Terrific 'cheap' guitar to play around with.

Maybe the McLaren's could be convinced to spin up a little G&L flattop?

TJ