Amplified cheap practice travel guitar

Dave Sky · From: Columbus, Ohio, USA

What is your opinion of this guitar for travel and practice?
It has a built in amp with a speaker and a headphone input.
Oh yes, it has built in distortion, too. ( I think that means cheap parts.)
With the guitar on your lap the speaker would be facing up so it should be easy to hear. I wonder if it would hold its own with an acoustic guitar or a small jam session?

I would add a riser nut and 13-56 strings.

Thanks in advance for your comments and opinions.

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Squier-Mini-Player-Electric-Guitar-514659-i1372312.gc

Squier Mini PLAYER ELECTRIC Guitar Features:
(Not to be confused with the Squier Mini)

Scale Length: 22.75" (575mm)
Colors: Black (so we know it will sound good)

Body: Laminated Hardwood
Neck: Maple, C-Shaped,
No. of Frets: 20 Medium Jumbo
Pickups: 1 Dual-Coil Humbucking Pickup
Controls: Volume, Gain
Pickup Switching: None
Bridge: Hard-tail 6-Saddle Bridge
Machine Heads: Covered Tuners

Unique Features: Built-In Amplifier and Speaker System,
Volume and Gain Controls,
Easy Access 9V Battery Compartment (Battery Included),
Headphone Jack for Silent Practice, 1/4" Input, 9V DC Adaptor Input

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

Looks like it will do the job if an electric is what you are after. Most of these need a good set up and sometimes the frets dressed. If you are only going to use that tiny built in amp/speaker then no need to change the pickup for a better one. The short scale and small nut kind of throws you off a bit but can be overcome without too much flubberig.

The Little Martin LMX is a good choice for an acoustic travel guitar. The used ones on eBay are the way to go. Many buyers seem to never even play them. I have one and use it a lot, especially in the desert or where it's really dry. The human made materials makes it just about indestructible.

I am not a fan of the weird tiny odd shaped instruments that have fretboards but are in no way a guitar or anything else but just some stick with frets and strings. I rather have my muscle memory going toward an instrument that at least resembles my 'real' instrument.

There is always something smaller but at what point does that start taking you backwards (diminished returns) instead of forwards? Question

Jude Reinhardt · From: Weaverville, NC

But Gary, didn't he say he was going to use a nut riser? He won't need to dress the frets and the 22.75" scale is only 1/4" shorter than our Melobars and an 1/8" longer than my Bluestem. I say "go for it Dave" and let us know how it works out.

Jude
_________________
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Dave Sky · From: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Thanks Gary!

I should have said that I want to set this guitar as a lap steel for practice. I would add a riser nut and different strings.

You are right about the work needed if this was this was going to be played as a regular guitar.

So what about using this as a lap steel?

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

I did not see that. Shocked

Too early before my coffee. Whoa!

Well then, my whole speech is cancelled. But I will add that the string spacing is too narrow on a stock guitar. Especially if you use finger picks. I carry a Melobar lap and a Danelectro cigarette pack size amp for travel (well almost cigarette pack size). That way I have the proper string spacing and the feel of a lap steel. Danelectro even makes a gig bag with a place for the tiny little amp. But my regular smaller gig bag fits the lap steel and the pouch in front fits the amp and the cord and even the extra battery or converter. I would prefer a lap steel to practice with myself. The amps are cheap and work fine at low volume.

Here's the amp. You can find them a few dollars cheaper.

http://www.zzounds.com/item--DANN10

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Thanks for bringing my attention to this, Dave. I ordered one. I'll add palm levers to it and I'll have a cheap and lightweight instrument to carry around and make PSG sounds with. I may convert it to 8-string and tune it C6. Of course, I'll build a higher nut and bridge and play it horizontally.

Randy Cordle · From: Illinois, USA

Be aware that adding a riser and changing to 13-56's will increase the stress on the neck pocket screws considerably. You may want to fabricate a new square neck with more robust tee nuts embedded at the heel end. This would allow you to widen that miniscule 1.6" nut width to something more playable.
Looks like a doable project. I just noticed a gig bag with a built-in amp and speakers somewhere else, more than likely Musician's Friend, but I don't remember precisely...
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Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Randy, I've been building lap steels and other instruments for over 40 years, and among them are included acoustic instruments with as many as 20 strings. I'm currently building a lap steel for Basil Henriques with 16 strings. 8 strings is nothing to worry about. Remember, we're not worried about bowing of the neck, since we won't be using the frets. To bring about complete failure of the neck on this instrument you would probably have to add about 20 strings ! Remember, it's a solid electric instrument. Before the neck joint broke the bridge screws would tear out, and if the strings go through the body then the entire body would have to split ! One could always add a few more screws to the neck joint, or just glue the joint since it will never need adjusting...

Joe Stoebenau · From: Pennsylvania, USA

I travel a lot for my job (pilot) and when I spend a few days away from home I take my magnatone lap steel in a mini guitar gig bag (fits like a glove) and a smokey amp. Portable and easy to carry.

The smokey amp is a very small 9volt powered speaker with a headphone jack all built into an actual cigarette pack. I think now days they come in a see through plastic case.
At any rate, it sounds great and the louder you turn up your volume knob on the steel the more drive you get with the amp.
incidentally, I onec plugged it directly into a 4/12 speaker cabinet and this little amp drove the big cab and sounded halfway decent.
Anyway, that's my travel rig.
Jam On,
Joe

Dave Sky · From: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Thanks everyone for the ideas and information!

Alan, please post your opinions of the guitar before you modify it.
How loud is it?
Could you hear it if you played with an acoustic guitar
How much distortion?
How does it sound with headphones?

Thanks for being the "tester" on this model.

Please post pics after you modify it.
Dave

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Yes, Dave, I certainly will, and if I modify it I'll post the modifications, as I usually do.

I shall also be interested to see how long the battery lasts, and whether you can use a rechargeable one. One of the main advantages of this instrument will be its playability without an amp.

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

"I travel a lot for my job (pilot) and when I spend a few days away from home I take my magnatone lap steel in a mini guitar gig bag (fits like a glove) and a smokey amp. Portable and easy to carry."

I agree with Joe. If you want a travel steel just carry a real one. They are light and small. The new tiny amps work well.

Terry Farmer · From: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Check out this http://www.fernandesguitars.com/nmd.html little beauty! I've been wanting to find one to try out with the idea of putting the electronic guts into my MSA SuperSlide for travel. The SuperSlide has a great hollow body just begging for on-the-go electronics.

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

woops, no coffee yet......... Shocked

Gary Lynch · From: Creston, California, USA

Very interesting but they are expensive, at least the deluxe model. They may not produce a very good clean tone? The builder seems to concentrate on dirty effects.

The idea has been around for decades. I own two Silvertone amp in case guitars from the mid 60's. And I see amp built into guitars from the 60's.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

One disadvantage I can see immediately is that the internal amplifier is not going to be balanced for steel playing, and it's not going to be possible to use the internal amp with echo, sustain or reverb.

I don't think many people play lap steel straight, without any processing.

Todd Weger · From: Safety Harbor, FLAUSA

Joe Stoebenau · From: Pennsylvania, USA

For traveling and practice away from home, the key things are small, light and simple. I don't need reverb and delay sitting in a hotel room noodling.
That's why a small and sturdy lap steel such as a magnatone and the smokey amp or similar tiny amp are great for traveling. Trying to modify a cheap guitar into a steel when there are plenty of really good ones available for $100 doesn't make sense to me. Ok so for the $100 you might have to fix a wire or replace the tuners...still worth it.
Keep in mind you have to carry it through the airport and deal with TSA! Every once in a long while I run into a TSA agent with a sense of humor when I go throught the checkpoint with a lap steel and some harmonicas.

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0300105506

This is the official description from the Squier Homepage.

Rocky Hill · From: Prairie Village,Kansas, USA

For the same price you can get an Epiphone Les Paul Special II, Of course it's not self amplified but it comes with two humbuckers, has the tune-o-matic bridge.It's a 24 3/4 scale.

I cut a new tall bone nut and set the bridge up high and this thing sounds good. My first experience with 6 string lap. For the same money I think it's a much better guitar than the squire. I know mine turned in a real nice lap steel.

Rocky

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

Well, my Squier came last week. The small speaker overloads most of the time and trying to get a clean sound without adjustment of the distortion is difficult, to say the least. The guitar has input and gain controls, which you have to play around with. Plugged into a Peavey Nashville 112 it sounds okay, but, then, any string with a pickup on it sounds okay with a Peavey amplifier.

My vote is two thumbs down. Sad

Dave Sky · From: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Thanks Alan!

Maybe I'll get a cheapo Rogue/Atisan lap and one of those small amps folks recommended for practice.

Would the Squier be useful for practicing the blues played like a regular guitar in open D? Would there be enough volume to play with an acoustic guitar?
How are the frets?

Or would this guitar just give you the blues?

Alan Brookes · From: Brummy living in Southern California

This guitar is going to give you the blues. I can set it up to play because I'm a luthier. Why would you bother ?

Paul Arntson · From: Washington, USA

Just to jump in late here:
That Squier would be just a fine travel steel. What can go wrong?
I use a First Act of the same configuration. Bought it off a friend's kid when he got tired of trying to actually play it. Nut riser and adjustment was the only mod.

One advantage nobody else has mentioned: the neck will unbolt and the whole thing can fit in a small suitcase. When you get to your destination, it's easy to it back together. I put it my checked baggage and throw the screwdriver in there too.
I just detune it and leave the strings on when I unbolt the neck. Careful not to kink the strings or lose the nut riser and you are set.

Mine has gone to Asia several times with me. You probably can put ear phones in the output jack, too.

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