Carrying a Guitar while riding

[spaceguyspiff]

A friend of mine and myself are planning on taking a road trip to Texas in about four months, and we are planning on staying in that area for about 4 months (we are from just outside of Philadelphia). Personally, I can't survive without my bike and guitar. And so I have come to ask for ways to have both with me at the same time.

By now I've looked about everywhere, and I still can't find any other methods for carrying a guitar while riding, besides the 'strapped on back' and the 'bungeed on sissy bar' method. Now I think the 'strapped on back' method would work at low speeds, but at continuous high-speeds, the neck would most certainly become warped and bent. And in regards to the 'bungeed on sissy bar' method, I've heard that that method greatly reduced handling (something I wouldn't exactly want in my situation).

Anyways, any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all in advanced.

 

[PAULYBOY]

Go to your local Sam Ash music store and buy one of their "bacpackers guitars". You wont regret it, you'll get some strange looks, and maybe better luck with whatever females give you those strange looks.

 

[mriddle]

Ship your guitar ahead and pick it up when you get there ..


Mike

 

[t3rmin]

Learn to play ukulele or mandolin...

A full-sized acoustic guitar is going to be difficult no matter how you slice it. I've worn my electric on my back, with amp and effects strapped to backseat and luggage rack, but only around town. I'd imagine it unwieldy at high speeds, but I really doubt it'd warp the neck, unless we're also talking about big temperature differentials. You could get a semi-hard case with backpack straps to eliminate any doubt of wind strain, but that won't make it any more comfortable on your body...

 

[Jd Powell]

Hard case mounted on the side like a large saddlebag.

 

[Mr. Brown]

Get a Baby Taylor. They sound great and come in a tough gig bag. It's short enough to lay it down behind you and not hang over the rear edge of the bike... I think.

As a 5 year Guitar Center vet, I cringe at the mention of Sam Ash.:-x Flee the dark side, Luke.
-=T=-

Go to your local Sam Ash music store and buy one of their "bacpackers guitars". You wont regret it, you'll get some strange looks, and maybe better luck with whatever females give you those strange looks.

 

[spaceguyspiff]

First of all, let me thank you for your quick input on this subject. I was blown away to see how quickly you all responded, so thank you.

- I wouldn't want to ship the guitar, only because I will probably be touring and going different places to visit different people before I actually settle in Texas, and I can't leave my baby for that long.

- I've considered getting one of those travel guitars, but once again, I love my Taylor.

- I feel that temperature change would definitely be a concern of mine, too, seeing as I'm planning on going slightly north before I head south. As for learning another instrument, same thing applies. I could bring along another instrument no trouble, though...

- Mr. Brown, I may check into that, but before I do that... Powell, you mentioned something about mounting it on the side. This is something I've gone over and thought about ways of doing that, but is there mounting device that I could purchase? I've search websites and haven't been able to find any actual mounting things like that for sale. I've only found patent for ideas to do that.

Does anyone know of any mounting device like that? I figure with a decent windshield, it wouldn't create too much stress on a guitar, but I don't really know.

 

[t3rmin]

WRT learning another (more compact) instrument: you could get a cheap one and not worry too much about it. I've got a ~$100 Crafter mandolin that's really fantastic, and a ukulele that's even cheaper.

 

[TheCafeKid]

Get a Baby Taylor. They sound great and come in a tough gig bag. It's short enough to lay it down behind you and not hang over the rear edge of the bike... I think.

As a 5 year Guitar Center vet, I cringe at the mention of Sam Ash.:-x Flee the dark side, Luke.
-=T=-

bought my first guitar at Guitar Center in Hollywood. Walking in there was like walking into heaven...

 

[Ironriot]

I think you can ask Mr. BassCliff. He's mentioned getting around town with a bass guitar strapped to his scoot... As for the temperature differential Texas is kinda hot but you shouldn't have to worry about it seeing as the temper would change slowly over the course of a few days. Most guitar finishes suffer when the temp changes quickly and drastically. Keep it in its case and let it heat up and cool down in there till its temperature is the the same as the surrounding area. It'll in sure you won't get any cracks or warps... Oh and as for transportation. The only way I can see that happening is a flight case strapped to a luggage rack. Hardshell is the only way I'd consider travelling with one of my guitars

 

[TheCafeKid]

I think you can ask Mr. BassCliff. He's mentioned getting around town with a bass guitar strapped to his scoot... As for the temperature differential Texas is kinda hot but you shouldn't have to worry about it seeing as the temper would change slowly over the course of a few days. Most guitar finishes suffer when the temp changes quickly and drastically. Keep it in its case and let it heat up and cool down in there till its temperature is the the same as the surrounding area. It'll in sure you won't get any cracks or warps... Oh and as for transportation. The only way I can see that happening is a flight case strapped to a luggage rack. Hardshell is the only way I'd consider travelling with one of my guitars

The biggest damage by temp change besides the finish is the neck..it will warp quickly.

 

[Ironriot]

The biggest damage by temp change besides the finish is the neck..it will warp quickly.

That needs a severe temp change to warp it horribly. If its that bad you can pretty much kiss the finish goodbye near edges, knooks and crannies. And its nothing the truss can't fix.... Assuming your Taylor does have a truss rod.....

 

[Planecrazy]

Ok, based on your response to the initial suggestions I will assume several things and go from there.

1. You don't plan to replace the guitar you already have, so making it "travel well" is the key.

2. You aren't in a position to play major mounting games with a hard-shell case, so going hardshell may also be out of the question.

Based on those two assumptions here are my suggestions...

1. Buy a good quality soft case that will protect your axe from everything other than a torrential rainstorm. When you get it home, Scotchguard the heck out of it to make it as rain resistant as possible.

2. Buy a guitar stand that will securely hold the bagged guitar and mount the stand to your motorcycle carrier (Yes, you at least need a standard rack to make this work in all probability) so that you can simply lay the guitar into the "cradle and snugly strap it down without overstressing the neck. I would set it up so that rather than having the guitar in a vertical position you instead have it sitting horizontally with the neck sticking out back, or at least only slightly angled up. This allows you to avoid the wind-warp issue.

3. Buy a decent plastic bag (heavy duty trash bag at the very least) to cover and protect the guitar from the elements, but I'd only plan to use it if the weather is inclement ... otherwise you want to avoid trapping any humidity inside during a long ride unless there's an actual chance of rain.

If you do these three things you should be able to transport the guitar with a minimum of additional gear and without too much setup.

Good Luck and Regards,

 

[TheCafeKid]

That needs a severe temp change to warp it horribly. If its that bad you can pretty much kiss the finish goodbye near edges, knooks and crannies. And its nothing the truss can't fix.... Assuming your Taylor does have a truss rod.....

I think he's talking about an acoustic, which may not have a truss rod. Ive seen and had happen to me over 20+years playing necks warp, and even crack at uneven temp changes. It doesnt take as much as you'd think, and sometimes the truss adjustment wont even help. I would suggest detuning the guitar for travel as well, as the tension on the neck can cause problems with this very thing.

 

[DanTheMan]

Do y'all remember the Motorsickle song by Arlo Guthrie that he said he wrote while riding down a twisty mountain road playing his guitar????? "......I don't wanna die...I just wanna ride my motor.......cycle, I don't wanna pickle, I just wanna ride my motor...sickle..........:-D He didn't need no fancy cases and such to carry his!!!!!!!!!!:-D\\/

 

[Jd Powell]

May want to check into aftermarket ATV brackets. They have mounts for hard gun cases and golf bags. If you are going to be living on the bike for a while I wouldn't chance a soft case. With some ingenuity you can figure something else. I used to commute on a VX 800 w/ a husquavarna chainsaw, one gal. two stroke gas, one gal. bar and chain oil, machete, waders, change of clothes, lunch, and my trap basket w/ all my snares and trapping equip.

 

[Mr. Brown]

Just thought of something...

The Martin LXM is about the same price and quality of the Baby Taylor. The difference is that Martin traded tonal quality for durability. The Taylor has a solid spruce top, which sounds great but has inherent weaknesses. And yes, it has a truss rod.

The Martin LXM is made of their HPL (High Pressure Laminate) material. It is a wood based sheet that is very thin, very rigid, and very resistant to temperature and humidity changes. It doesn't sing quite as well as the Taylor, but it'll last through way more rainstorms.

Play one, see what you think. That still doesn't answer the question of the best way to mount it...

 

[spaceguyspiff]

I like Planecrazy's idea, but I was wondering as to why you thought that hardshell would be out of the question? I do have a hardshell that came with my Taylor, but for doing the whole mounting bit, I'd probably invest in one of those flight cases like Ironriot said. I'll also be looking into those aftermarket ATV brackets, too.

How much is that Martin XLM? I don't really want to spend too much extra money, but at the same time, if my Taylor can't fit/come, I don't know what I'd do without a guitar. Anyways, I'm sure I'll be heading into Guitar Center soon (sorry, not Sam Ash), and I'll ask them about it, too.

As for now, I have a little bit of work to do on a bike I got just yesterday. I paid $500 for a running, cosmetically sound 1985 Honda Shadow VT700C. The deal was too good to pass up, despite the fact that I don't really enjoy the bike.

Anyways, I will continue to search and I thank you all for your help with this. But if you've got any more suggestions, I'm all ears.

 

[Planecrazy]

I like Planecrazy's idea, but I was wondering as to why you thought that hardshell would be out of the question?

I think you misunderstood my meaning. It's not that I think a hardshell is out of the question - In fact I'd prefer going that route. I just got the impression that mounting a hardshell like a standard hardbag might present more challenges than you wanted to deal with, so I was suggesting the simplest solution that would properly protect the guitar. I also figured you might have the bike set up so that mounting a more permanent "hardshell" solution would obstruct other gear you're planning to mount on the bike for the trip.

If you can manage it, by all means go with a good hardshell or "flight" case solution.

Regards,

 

[spaceguyspiff]

Oh ok, I see what you mean. I guess I figure that for this trip, though, I won't be carrying too much. It's mostly a road trip, with long layovers, instead of a move. But I hear what you're saying.