Traveler Guitar AG-200EQ Review – Stylish Petite Performer

Body And Neck:
Hardware:
Sound:
Value:

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If you’re looking for a reliable travel acoustic guitar you’ll soon see that the Californian brand Traveler Guitar are one of the main players in this category. Why? Because they specialize in compact, lightweight and innovative travel guitars. At around $500, their AG-200EQ is a more expensive model than their affordable Ultra-Light – so is it worth the extra cash?

Body And Neck

If you’ve read our review on the Traveler Ultra-Light you’ll know how highly we rate it. You’ll also know how odd it looks – it barely resembles an acoustic guitar at all. The AG-200EQ, however, does not suffer from that problem as it takes the form of a traditional non-cutaway acoustic guitar, albeit 20% smaller and 36% lighter (according to Traveler Guitar). Despite its compact nature, it retains a full-sized playing experience with a 25.5” scale length and lovely glossy mahogany neck, which has an ebonized rosewood fretboard and 20 jumbo frets, for ease of playing. The body itself is crafted from laminated mahogany on the back and sides, with a solid spruce top that has a modified traditional bracing pattern. This is all finished in a sleek black gloss (watch out for fingerprints…) with white binding. So it looks good, is easy to store when traveling, and feels durable. Good going so far.

Hardware

The AG-200EQ is very functional as an acoustic guitar, but it comes loaded with some electronics that allow you to take to the stage, wherever you travel. This is a Shadow headphone preamp, with a Shadow NanoFlex pickup. In addition to the standard 1/4” output jack, this system gives you a 1/8” aux-in jack for playing along with an MP3 player/smart phone, and a jack for headphones. There’s also a set of EQ controls, with volume, bass and treble, as well as a phase switch and even a built-in tuner. Aside from the electronics, the AG-200EQ is fitted with Traveler Guitar’s Streamline Tuning System, with precise knurled tuning knobs in place of standard machine heads. There’s also a rosewood bridge, while it comes fitted with a set of D’Addario EXP-16 strings. It’s also worth noting that a very good padded gig bag backpack comes included with the guitar.

Sound

As for sound, the AG-200EQ beats the Ultra-Light hands down, as it actually sounds like an acoustic guitar when unplugged. Despite the bracing system and tonewoods, it doesn’t give you the low-end or projection of a full-size dreadnought, but a bright and crisp acoustic tone is present thanks to the classic mahogany and spruce pairing. Through the Shadow system the sound is amplified well, with the EQ controls allowing you to shape your tone. Able to cope with stage performances, certainly.

Conclusion

Even though they are completely different models, we’ve compared the AG-200EQ to the Ultra-Light quite a bit, and it comes out on top – which is why you pay an extra $200 for it. The body and neck are hard to fault, the hardware feels solid, the sound works well for both casual unplugged or amplified performances, and the gig bag is a great addition. A good friend to have on any journey!

For more info about the Traveler Guitar AG-200EQ, click here.
For more top travel acoustic guitars, click here.