Traveler Guitar EG-1 Custom & Escape Classical
ROAD TEST
By Hal Rodriguez
Traveler Guitar ’ s latest EG-1 Custom electric and nylon string Escape Classical are two highly portable guitars with many smart and attractive features for the musician who needs to travel light , but doesn ’ t want to sacrifice playability and function on the road . Both guitars feature full-scale-length necks , built-in tuners , and headphone outputs for silent practice , but also have preamps and 1 / 4-in . outputs for plugging into amplifiers for performing and recording .
Specifications The EG-1 Custom comes in an attractive black finish with white binding around its alder body and 24.75-in . mahogany neck . The block inlays and single gold humbucker pickup and adjustable bridge make it reminiscent of classic vintage guitars , but the EG-1 only weighs 4 lbs . and is 28.5 in . long from end to end . The pickup ring houses an easy-to-use Shadow- E chromatic tuner and the tone control is a push pot that cycles through clean , boost , overdrive , and distortion settings for both the headphone and 1 / 4-in . outputs .
The Escape Classical features a glossy cedar top and alder body with a 25.5-in . maple neck . The natural finish , “ soundhole ” ring graphic , and even the pearloid tuners are welcome aesthetic touches that keep this solidbody instrument looking like a traditional classical , yet it is only a little over 4 lbs . and 29.5 in . long . The Escape also comes with a built-in Shadow Nanoflex pickup and preamp with treble and bass controls , a tuner , phase switch , and battery indicator .
Both Traveler Guitars are visually striking not just for their size , but for their headless design as their 14:1 ratio tuning machines are cleverly recessed within the body . Conveniently , both guitars also have an 1 / 8-in . aux in for playing along to audio tracks .
Playability & Sound The EG-1 and the Escape Classical are two of the most enjoyable guitars I ’ ve played in a while . Their compact body size , headless design , and light-as-a-feather weight make them inviting to pick up , effortless to play , and so ergonomic that , honestly , I found it hard to go back to playing larger , heavier guitars .
Both Traveler Guitars were set up extremely well with D ’ Addario strings and very low action but no string buzz . The full-scale-length necks retain the natural feel of playing a regular sized guitar , and the workmanship of the frets was impressive as they were well dressed with no sharp edges . The EG-1 ’ s slim neck profile and jumbo frets made it lightning fast to play , and those used to playing traditional classical guitars will find the Escape Classical ’ s 1.93-in . nut width and flatter radius to be instantly familiar and comfortable .
String changing and tuning does take some getting used to since the tuners are relocated to the body ; however , the payoff is a more portable instrument and one that is more balanced than other travel-size guitars , which tend to be neck heavy . You also won ’ t have to worry about accidentally knocking your headstock on something and going out of tune , and the strings naturally act as a barrier that prevent your picking hand from touching the tuners unintentionally .
Tone-wise , the EG-1 Custom ’ s single humbucker isn ’ t a high output pickup , but it ’ s bright and more open in the midrange , which makes it quite versatile . Although having four different built-in amp settings in the EG-1 is convenient for headphone practicing , players will likely find that using the clean setting and going straight into a traditional amp with pedals will still provide the best tones for performing or recording .
On the other hand , the Escape Classical ’ s Shadow Preamp sounds great either on headphones or plugged in direct , with just a little reverb and a touch of bass dialed down to prevent too much boominess . Plugged in , the Shadow Nanoflex pickup produces an open sound that retains the punch and dynamics of the nylon strings and adds enough detail without sounding shrill .
Summary Traveler Guitar ’ s EG-1 Custom and Escape Classical are more than just well made compact guitars for silent practice or to take on a trip . Their ergonomic playability ,
attractive aesthetic , and convenient features make them inspiring instruments to play and will hold their own against other guitars in anyone ’ s collection .
Hal Rodriguez is a Toronto based musician , published writer , and music transcriber who has done work for premier guitarists like Oz Noy and Derryl Gabel . Follow him at instagram . com / halromuso and contact him at halromusic @ gmail . com .
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