Voyage-Air VAD-2
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new gear Voyage-Air VAD-2 A radical approach to the travel-guitar concept enables globetrotting pickers to pack a full-size ax. By Charles Saufley See the video review at acousticguitar.com/newgear ravel guitars, almost by definition, demand some trade of tone for portability. For at the end of the day, even Tthe most masterful luthier can’t get around the physics that makes small guitars sound less panoramic and robust than your prized D-28 back home. Voyage-Air, an enterprising California guitar company, didn’t view the exchange of big tone for portability as a given, but rather an opportunity to apply engineering ingenuity—in this case the ingenious design work of renowned luthier Harvey Leach. And the Operating the double hinge that fruit of these labors, which unite top-flight guitar craft with a fold- folds the Voyage-Air in half is a breeze. and-stow design worthy of the Transformers, will be welcome news You simply twist the heel-mounted to any frequent flier who needs a six-string fix on the road. screw, which doubles as a strap pin, and Voyage-Air’s solution for making a full-size guitar small enough the neck releases from the neckblock. for an overhead compartment hinges (forgive the pun) on a neck The operation doesn’t require de-tuning, joint that enables the player to fold the guitar in half—pivoting so the first few attempts can surprise the neck just ahead of the joint so the fretboard lays flat against you because string tension tends to the guitar’s top. For this review, I checked out the company’s swing the neck away from the heel with VAD-2 dreadnought. And while I marveled at the clever a jolt. I found the best method to control engineering behind the VAD-2, I found the guitar to be a the speed of that swing was to brace the delight to play, too. guitar’s body between my knees and unscrew the joint while holding the A REALLY SWINGING JOINT upper part of the neck with my free For players who obsess over how dovetails hand. and hide glue can affect construction, sustain, Setting up the guitar to play again and tone, Voyage-Air’s hinged-neck concept also takes a little effort, and players may seem counterintuitive. But the VAD-2 accustomed to treating their guitars with looks and feels rock solid, and most folks who kid gloves may be wary of the force casually strummed the Voyage-Air without a needed to overcome string tension and briefing on its travel-guitar identity failed to reposition the neck. A few times through notice the telltale seam and hefty heel that both operations, though, reveals just indicate where the neck is hinged. how simple and efficient the design AT A GLANCE Voyage-Air VAD-2 THE SPECS Solid Sitka spruce top. Solid East Indian rosewood back and sides. Three-piece mahogany neck with hinge joint. Rosewood fretboard and bridge. X-bracing. Gold Schaller-style tuners. 25.5-inch scale. 111/16-inch nut width. 27/16-inch string- spacing at saddle. Polyurethane finish. Light gauge D’Addario phosphor bronze strings. Made in China. THIS IS COOL A full-size guitar with travel-friendly dimensions. WATCH FOR Case may not fit in overhead compartments on small commuter planes. PRICE $1,895 list/$1,595 street. MAKER Voyage-Air Guitar: (925) 271-4064; voyageairguitar.com. acousticguitar.com password: jailhouse ACOUSTIC GUITAR April 2009 FOR EVERY PLAYER IN ANY STYLE SONGS TO PLAY • ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND 5 “Little Martha” • JIMMY BUFFETT is—there’s no potential begins to taper farther down toward the “Come Monday” • COLDPLAY “The Scientist” for damage to the finish, nut than the average 14-fret guitar • JIMMIE RODGERS “In the Jailhouse Now” and while each cycle of to accommodate the . and more folding and unfolding substantial heel. The folding 21ST-CENTURY YOUR GUIDE TO GUITAR BUILDING SUMMER 110GUITAR the guitar required a neck seam, which bisects the INSIDE CAMPS & FESTIVALS minor re-tune, it was fretboard between the 13th TAYLOR remarkable how close to and 14th frets, was virtually GUITARS pitch the guitar remained imperceptible to the touch and THE ROOTS after being folded in half. did nothing to impair fretting OF COUNTRY RHYTHM GUITAR The neck hinge isn’t or bends that far up the Play Like Maybelle Carter and Jimmie Rodgers the only bit of clever neck. Just-short-of-jumbo- thinking on the Voyage- size frets help give the guitar LESSONS NEW Slack Key with GEAR Air. The nut design uses a very playable overall feel, Led Kaapana REVIEWS Chord Symbols MARTIN Demystified Sustainable- small ports rather than though their high profile Wood OM VOYAGE-AIR slots to hold each string in demanded a little more fretting Travel Guitar CLIP-ON TUNERS NSO 5 place while the neck folds force higher up the neck—an issue AI N R G A G U N I I T KEEP IT SAFE A and unfolds. That solution that was compounded somewhat by the W R How to Fly with Your Guitar APRIL 2009 pa ge 27 eliminates the possibility of VAD-2’s high-ish action. acousticguitar.com slot adjustment in a setup, of Few of these issues came into play From Acoustic Guitar, April 2009, issue 196, course, but Voyage-Air when I chorded below the seventh fret © 2009 String Letter Publishing, David A. overcomes the limitations of a or played bluesy runs within the guitar’s Lusterman, Publisher. All rights reserved. nonadjustable nut by building in a zero bassier registers, which is where the For more information on Acoustic Guitar, fret—a detail that’s uncommon in Voyage-Air really excels. In this range contact String Letter Publishing, Inc., 255 contemporary steel-string design but the guitar demonstrated an impressive West End Ave., San Rafael, CA 94901; that’s still used by European luthiers and volume ceiling that put to rest any telephone (415) 485-6946; fax (415) 485- in Gypsy-jazz guitar construction. concerns about the folding neck’s 0831; acousticguitar.com. Presumably in the interest of saving structural integrity or its effect on sustain space, the Voyage-Air’s headstock is or tone. Heavy strumming delivered the Got A QUestion or comment for Acoustic smaller than usual for an acoustic, and projection you’d expect out of a good Guitar’s editors? Please send us an e-mail at editors. its design suggests a Paul Reed Smith rosewood-and-spruce dread, and it also [email protected] or snail-mail Acoustic Guitar influence. Elsewhere, though, the alleviated concerns about whether or Editorial, PO Box 767, San Anselmo, CA 94979. We Voyage-Air is an exercise in traditional not the folding neck would affect tuning regularly print reader letters in our Mailbag column and restrained dreadnought design, with stability—the VAD-2 held standard and and reader questions and tips in Q&A. a tasteful and not-too-ostentatious lower open tunings under the most abalone rosette, black-and-white striped aggressive rhythm bashing. TO SUBSCriBE to Acoustic Guitar magazine, call purfling, and white binding that all The VAD-2 tone palette is mostly (800) 827-6837 or visit us online at acousticguitar. complement the handsome spruce top. typical of a dreadnought, with an com. As a subscriber, you enjoy the convenience of The VAD-2 comes in a soft case emphasis on the midrange. It lacks just home delivery and you never miss an issue. Sign up designed to protect the guitar in its a little low-end muscle and a bit of or renew your own subscription now and you can compact, folded configuration. It’s clarity on the high end. But on the also purchase a gift subscription for a friend. All strong, smartly designed, and built to whole, the VAD-2 has a rangey voice subscribers are eligible to receive our free monthly provide ample protection to the neck that lends color to open-tuned bluesy online newsletter, Acoustic Guitar Notes. joint and top, which are the most jams and first-position folk strumming, TO ADVertise in Acoustic Guitar, the only vulnerable parts of the instrument when and it delivers a nice punch to country- publication of its kind read by 150,000 guitar it’s folded. The case also features a flavored flatpicking. players and makers every month, call Brannan detachable laptop/attaché case that Willson at (415) 485-6946, ext. 616, or e-mail him at helps the traveler keep carry-on luggage THE WRAP [email protected]. to a minimum. The case is certainly small If you’re a player for whom frequent enough to fit into the majority of travel is a fact of life, the VAD-2 and the AG SUBSCRIBERS Take care of all your subscription overhead compartments, but just big other guitars in the Voyage-Air line are a needs at our online Subscriber Services page enough that it could be harder to fit on practical, workable way to bring a full- (acousticguitar.com): pay your bill, renew, give a packed flights or on the smallest size, full-scale guitar along for the ride. gift, change your address, and get answers to any commuter jets. Our review model is about $1,600 street questions you may have about your subscription. price (and Voyage-Air recently introduced RETAILERS To find out how you can carryAcoustic PLAY IT ALL TOGETHER its lower-cost Songwriter series, which Guitar magazine in your store, contact Retail Vision Just as most folks who looked over the will start at about $900), so some players at (800) 381-1288.