Stories

The Ascender is a gig-ready, premium travel guitar, fitted with an innovative folding neck and top-notch hardware components, for traveling musicians who value quality and sound, but don’t want to surrender their beloved instruments to the airlines and baggage handlers of the world. In the past, guitar players have come up with creative ways to reduce the size of their favorite stringed instruments to make them more convenient for travel. Traveling guitarists have tried everything from detaching the neck from the body of the guitar, to purchasing empty sounding travel instruments made off-shore, to loosening and re-stringing their go-to guitar...

Traveling musicians know that the cargo hold on an airplane is a less than ideal place to store a favorite guitar. The cold temperatures can wreak havoc on the guitar’s delicate wooden structure, and there’s always the possibility of damage or loss due to improper handling.  Many guitarists opt for carry-on travel guitars, which are designed with scaled down body sizes that make them more portable and convenient for travel. Reduced-size travel guitar options range from small bodied acoustics, to guitars with removable necks, to “paddle” style bodies.  In the past, traveling guitarists have had to compromise the sound and...

The lifestyle of the frequent traveler may seem glamorous. From business class airfare, to poolside “working” lunches surrounded by palms trees and ocean views, to legendary deals made on pristine golf courses, it’s easy to admire the perks that “road warriors” enjoy. These days, frequent business travel isn’t just limited to CEOs and executives. Junior employees, consultants and independent contractors are also traveling for business more than ever before. While the company picks up the tab for travel expenses, frequent business travelers are facing health concerns including insomnia, weight gain, exposure to viruses and high blood pressure which arise while...

Every guitar lover has seen the viral video by Canadian musician Dave Carroll, United Breaks Guitars, and winced at the thought of their favorite instrument being damaged or even ruined by a careless airline handler who knows not what he does. Traveling musicians swap horror stories about the unique challenges and ensuing anxiety that sets in while traveling with an electric guitar.  Even Dweezil Zappa, certified guitar royalty, is at the mercy of airlines, which may or may not treat a treasured guitar with the care that it deserves. In 2017, while traveling to Gear Fest in Indiana, the headstock on Zappa’s...