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Classical Travel Guitar

  • Features:
  • Action, Fit, & Finish:
  • Sound Quality:
  • Reliability/Durability:
  • Ease of Use:
  • Customer Support:
  • Overall Rating:
  • Brand:
    Soloette
  • Model:
    Classical Travel Guitar
Tags: tax#aa tax#a brand#soloette

Reviews

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Soloette Classical Travel Guitar

Review By:
pork_hock
pork_hock on 11/9/11 9:50 AM
Reviewer Background:
Professional Musician
Purchased From:
Friend
Price:
CAD900.00 CAD USED
Features:

An extremely well built and amazingly compact design.  Can be plugged in to a amplifier for performances, or can be plugged in to headphones for practicing silently.  The guitar quickly disassebles and can packed into the included travel case.

Action, Fit, & Finish:

My SoloEtte is built extremely well.  I've owned it for almost two decades, and in that time it has held up very well.  It's been all over the world with me gigging and praciticing, and it still plays as beautifully as the day I got it.

Sound Quality:

I am a trained classical guitarist, and as such can't help but be very picky about sound and tone production.  Although one would expect these guitars to sound nothing like a true classical guitar, that is not the case at all.  I have always been able to dial in absolutely gorgeous tone with my SoloEtte, particularly with a nice EQ (I currently use the Empress ParaEQ) and'or a quality acoustic amp.

Reliability/Durability:

Mine has resisted the rigours of frequent use and travel better than I ever thought possible.

Ease of Use:

Assebling and dissassebling the SoloEtte is a quick and easy process.  There is a little bit of a technique to it, and I don't like letting other people do it unless I show them how.

Customer Support:

I have never needed to use their customer support.  Over the years however I have noticed regular updates to their webpage (and more recently their social media outlets).  I have complete confidence that they would be quick to respond if I ever needed any help.

Overall Rating:

My SoloEtte has been an irreplaceable part of my rig for years.  Highly recommended!

0 Comments Tags: tax#aa brand#soloette nylon classical travel soloette

SoloEtte Nylon Hybrid

Review By:
jazzyb64
jazzyb64 on 7/27/11 12:02 AM
Reviewer Background:
Pro Tools Certified
Purchased From:
SoloEtte
Price:
$925.00 USD
Features:

All of the SoloEtte models are a solid-construction, disassembling frame-design, travel, practice, and performance guitars that can be plugged into an amp can be used with headphones. The necks of each of their models are identical to that of a normal size guitar. The frame comes apart and fits into a small carrying case. When the SoloEtte is disassembled for traveling, it is only 33 inches long and no wider than a guitar neck. The small size and portability of the SoloEtte immediately caught my attention. Another nice feature of the guitar is an adjustable bridge with the use of shims. Within a matter of minutes I can have very low action or slightly higher action depending on my preference.

Action, Fit, & Finish:

The craftsmanship is stellar! This isn't a factory made travel guitar but one made by professional luthiers that know the art of guitar building and try to emulate the feel of high end on their guitar. The guitar came to meet set up beautifully. The SoloEtte staff took the time to know my preferences and did an amazing job having it sent to me with my specifications.

Sound Quality:

I really like the sound of this guitar. It has a very unique electric nylon sound/almost synth like.( It kind of reminds me of Pat Metheny's tone when plugged into a great amp). It has a tone knob that can bring out the brights or can roll of the highs. This model comes with an in-house designed pickup. For an additional charge you can get the guitar with an RMC pick up.

Reliability/Durability:

The guitar is built extremely well. Nothing is cheap. All high quality materials.

Ease of Use:

The guitar is extremely easy to put together. It takes all of 30 seconds to assemble/disassemble the tubing for the frame.

Customer Support:

The staff at SoloEtte couldn't be better or more friendly. When I have any questions they are always there to help.

Overall Rating:

This is great versatile guitar for the electric player who wants to get a nylon sound without having to completely confirm his/her technique to standard 2" classical neck.It's an exceptional sounding guitar. All of the SoloEtte models are solid-construction; disassembling frame-design, travel, practice, and performance guitars that can be plugged into an amp and can be used with headphones. The necks of each of their models are identical to that of a normal size guitar. The frame comes apart and fits into a small carrying case that is included with purchase of the guitar. When the SoloEtte is disassembled for traveling, it's only 33 inches long and no wider than a guitar neck. (It takes no longer then thirty seconds to assemble/dissemble). When I travel I never have to worry anymore about whether or not my guitar will get on a plane, is too heavy, or takes up to much space.  I also wouldn't hesitate to do any gig for any situation on this guitar.

0 Comments Tags: tax#aa brand#soloette

Classical Travel Guitar

Review By:
Jay-8P.wL
Jay-8P.wL on 5/4/05 1:00 AM
Reviewer Background:
Purchased From:
Wright Guitar Technologies
Price:
$700.00 USD
Features:
My Soloette Classical was manufactured in 1998. It is a "hybrid" model guitar, with 21 frets and a full 2" width at the nut. The Soloettes are all solid-body electrics, with volume and control knobs on the underside of the instrument. The active pickup/dual microphones are in the tubular bridge. My particular guitar, at my request, was made of satin-finished mahogany, which is fairly soft compared to the preferable rock maple and padauk woods that Wright Guitar Technologies uses. The body is very thin and light (the body and neck are one piece), and the tuners are located at the lower end of the guitar, as though someone decided to turn the guitar around before carving the neck from the basic piece of wood. Each Soloette comes with a free gig bag that is quite protective, and it has room for headphones, extra batteries, strings, etc.
Action, Fit, & Finish:
Sound Quality:
I have played this guitar every day for seven years. It has influenced the way I practice classical guitar, the places I can practice, and I have used it in lieu of a performing instrument for large audiences. To have success in doing so, you have to balance the equalization and the tone of the instrument, as well as your technique, to fit the room, the audio equipment and the age of your strings. You cannot get the guitar to sound through a PA the way it does through good headphones, but with a little compression you can get very close. Dropping the tone way over to the bass side makes the Soloette sound like a jazz guitar, and you can really make it sing like one. Although it is good for it, don't just buy this instrument to impress people when you put the headphones on them; buy it to improve your playing, your enjoyment of the guitar and your performing. The intonation and setup of the Soloette is absolute perfection. I have returned my nylon soloette to Rosscoe Wright for audio hardware upgrades twice, and he and his staff are delighted to do so, at the cost of shipping it one way.
Reliability/Durability:
This is a reliable and durable electric classical guitar, and it is quite tough, especially if you take care of the finish and put the guitar away when not playing it.
Ease of Use:
Customer Support:
It is a tacit lifetime warranty.
Overall Rating:
I have been playing since 1963, and teaching since 1969. I also own a Soloette Hummingbird, purchased in April of 2005. I would buy my Soloette again in a heartbeat if it was damaged, lost or stolen. I did my homework before buying this instrument, and although making the decision to have a guitar built and shipped, sight unseen, is always one that makes us nervous, I have been delighted with the results. I am a very picky customer, and these people are ready to please a picky customer.
0 Comments Tags: tax#a brand#soloette

Classical Travel Guitar

Review By:
Smitty-72RsJ
Smitty-72RsJ on 3/13/05 1:00 AM
Reviewer Background:
Purchased From:
Price:
$680.00 USD
Features:
This instrument was made in 1998 in Eugene Oregon, USA. It is a Solid Wood Body (literally) with the standard 19 frets found in a classical guitar. There are two onboard controls, volume and tone, which both have a considerable range of control. The body is made from Paduek which gains a rich patina as it ages. It comes with a carrying case, and there is both a deluxe (more roomy) case and a hard case available. I prefer the deluxe case for air flight and the hard case for storage/other modes of travel.
Action, Fit, & Finish:
Set up was near perfect, but should you desire a different set up, they will provide the requisit materials necessary to adjust it out. I have nothing but positive comments about the Soloette in this area of classification.
Sound Quality:
In that this is a practice/travel guitar of the classical variety, it suits my purpose perfectly. The seperate headphone jace allows for playing without bothering those around you, and it has excelled with any amplifier I have tried it with. There is no noise that you do not make yourself, and the sound is adjustable from a bright sound to a very chocolaty sound via the tone control. Likes are convenience and portability with a decent sound. Dislikes can be summarized thusly: It is hard to get back from those who try it as they don't want to quit playing it. There are many instances I will elaborate on if you contact me. Just keep in mind the purpose of the guitar and that it is not intended to take the place of a top of the line concert classical and you will agree with my evaluation I am sure.
Reliability/Durability:
This guitar is designed for travel and the attendent requirement for reliability and durability. Everything about the instrument says it will be there for the long haul so... I have had musicians take the SOloette and finish their gigs with it, asking me to come back the next day so they could do their whole gig on it. The answer to using it on a gig with no backup is a resounding YES!!! I can depend on it 1000%
Ease of Use:
Customer Support:
Mr Wright and company understand the importance of customer service. In the guitar world, I am a nobody but was treated as if I were a premier player in all respects. I have NEVER had a problem with the Soloette in the time I have owned it, so parts 2 and 3 are without basis for answering.
Overall Rating:
As I said earlier, as long as you remember the purpose of the SOloette and do not try to compare it to an instrument costing 10x as much I don't think y0ou would have a problem. I will say that it gives several full size guitars a serious run for their money if you do your job. Those I have found to have nergative comments regarding the Soloette, have been looking for a fantasy guitar where they would sound good while having poor understanding of why they got it in the first place. I bought mine because I wanted/needed a way to bring a guitar with me when I travelled by air, and my choices were either a Mark Leaf Case, A Calton Case, or the Soloette with the costs being for all intent and purpose in the same range. I made a wise choice with the Soloette and would not hesitate to get another one if it were lost or stolen.
0 Comments Tags: tax#a brand#soloette

Classical Travel Guitar

Review By:
Anonymous Reviewer
Anonymous Reviewer on 4/5/02 1:00 AM
Reviewer Background:
Purchased From:
directly from Wright Guitar Technology
Price:
$610.00 USD
Features:
This is a review for a Soloette guitar, purchased new directly from Wright Guitar Technology (in Eugene, Oregon USA) in 2000.  Nylon-string, "Classical" model made of Paduk wood.  This is an ingenious travel guitar designed to feel and play exactly like a real classical guitar when set up.  The neck extends though where the sound hole and end pin of a normal guitar would be.  In order to conserve length (it is a travel guitar designed to be compact), the tuners are positioned between the bridge and end of the guitar.  The "body", which consists of 3 specially shaped metal wires and assembles and dissembles in all of 30 seconds, are specially positioned to rest against the player's body at the exact same points that a real full-sized classical guitar would.  It has a standard classical guitar neck width, which joins the "body" at the 12th fret.  I have several classical guitars, some with thinner (I don't mean narrower), some with chunkier necks.  The Soloette is respectably right in the middle.  (I am sure they would make it, to a 64th of an inch, to whatever specs you wanted if you made it clear when ordering). There is a special pickup (which, as far as I know, consists of two miniature microphones inside the hollow cylindrical bridge) which sends a stereo signal to a 1/4" phono out.  Volume and tone knobs.  Electronics and battery accessible from the back. A heavy duty, padded, plushly lined, black tolex gig-bag with shoulder strap is included at no extra charge.  When the Soloette dissembled and placed in this bag, it is about a yard in length, flat and narrow, and so light that you might forget it is flung over your shoulder. Note that this company also makes several different steel-string models.
Action, Fit, & Finish:
When I placed the order for my Soloette, the courteous and accommodating people who work there told me they'd set it up for me any way I wanted.  In fact, they advised me to get a machinist's ruler and measure the action on my real classical guitars down to a 64th of an inch, so they could setup my Soloette to feel as close as possible to the guitars I normally play.  Thus, the setup was perfect. The finish of the guitar is simple but beautiful.  The paduk wood is orangey-brown in color - I guess resembling a bit the color of cedar wood - and gently polished allowing the wood grain and texture to come through.  The fretwork was impeccable.  The workmanship around the bridge, tuning heads, and controls was perfect and professional.  These people take pride in creating these instruments.
Sound Quality:
I play classical and jazz guitar on nylon-string instruments.  Quite simply put, the Soloette sounds amazing.  Don't misunderstand me, while it exactly duplicates the feel of a classical guitar, it does not by any means duplicate the exact sound and tone of one.  After all, there is no resonating chamber, and in that respect it is more like an electric guitar - practically silent without headphones or connection to an external amp (which makes it great for practicing late at night).  That being said, the sound when hooked up to an amp or headphones, is quite beautiful.  I currently play on a Marshall AS50R acoustic amplifier.  In combination with the Soloette, the sounds are heavenly. While this guitar was meant to allow a classical player to keep his or her technique up when travel with a full-size instrument is not necessary or possible, I recently found another use for it - gigging in more of a jazz capacity.  The benefits here are numerous:  1) As an electric nylon-string guitar, it offers warmth and round tone for chords, though with clear highs to ensure voicings are transparent. 2) Any real classical guitar which has an onboard pickup will be prone to feedback problems depending on positioning of the guitar in respect to an amplifier and/or the volume played at.  The Soloette, not having a resonating chamber, gives all the warmth of a nylon-string guitar without feedback at any volume! 2) By using the nylon-string Soloette as opposed to a jazz box for jazz, I can utilize a more proper classical right-hand technique without putting my nails through the undue wear that would occur on a steel-string guitar.
Reliability/Durability:
I've had this guitar since Sept. 2000.  I originally bought it as a travel guitar as I got tired of allowing my technique to erode when I traveled without an instrument.  As fate would have it, soon after I bought it, my traveling diminished greatly, though as I said above, impressed by the sound and intrigued by the possibilities, I started using it as a gigging guitar.  It is in this capacity that I've been using it recently.  I take superb care of my instruments, so I can say that this instrument is in as pristine condition as the day I bought it.  The only maintenance required is to occasionally change the internal 9-volt battery which powers the electronics.  As long as you remember to take the plug out of the guitar jack when you're not playing it, battery drain from actual use seems negligible.  I changed the battery once after about a year of use (just to be on the safe side) even though it still seemed to be working fine. I imagine even if I banged it around a bit more (or took it to outer space or exotic islands as some other Soloette owners have done!), it would hold up just fine as it seems quite well constructed.  Short of seriously damaging it, the worst that one could probably do is bend the metal frame bars out of position.
Ease of Use:
Customer Support:
Here's where I'd give the company a rating of 15 if it existed.  These are courteous, knowledgeable, caring professionals.  From my initial questions, to my actual order, to follow-up support, these people dealt with me in a friendly fashion and took all the time necessary to address any concerns I had.  And all this was done through their toll-free support number, which is clearly posted on their web site. I didn't see it in writing anywhere, but I think that any warranty on this instrument would be for life.  In fact, though it seems absurd to say in this day and age, this company seems so old world (in their integrity, not their ideas!), that even without a written warranty, I trust they'd do right by me five years from now if I ever called with a problem.  You're dealing with real people over there, the ones who design and make the instruments, not some secretary or customer service desk far removed from reality.  Imagine dealing with the kind of upstanding characters out of a Jimmy Stewart or Gary Cooper movie of yesteryear, and you get the idea of the kind of integrity these people have.  On several occasions I dealt directly with the head of the company, Rossco Wright.  When I was considering using this guitar as a gigging instrument, I once discussed with him the output signal level of the Soloette and how it might interact with an external amplifier.  He told me that since I bought my guitar (Sept 2000), they had modified the circuitry to be better compatible with external amplifiers, and that I could send my Soloette back to have the electronics upgraded for a very modest fee.  As I did not want to send my instrument for a round-trip through the mail, he agreed to design for me a small external (i.e., add-on) circuit at an even more modest fee, which would be used outboard to accomplish the same thing.  In this way, my Soloette never left my hands, and I got the benefit of the latest electronic improvements.  Try calling Gibson or Martin and getting that type of attention!
Overall Rating:
I've been playing for 25 years and own two very expensive classical guitars.  As I mentioned above, I use a Marshall acoustic amplifier, which is a compatible companion with either my classicals or my Soloette. In a word, the Soloette is phenomenal.  When I first was considering ordering it, I had only seen pictures and had never played one.  At the time, Wright Technology only sold these instruments directly, and there weren't any dealers in the NYC area where I could try one.  (I think this may have changed since then.)  I remember at the time thinking the price of $610 was a bit steep, but I took the plunge anyway after they told me they'd refund my money if for any reason I was unsatisfied.  Let me tell you as honestly as I can, from the minute I received it and played it, I loved it.  I feel it is worth every penny, if not more.  (The price has NOT gone up since I bought mine, by the way.)  Whenever and wherever I use it publicly, people come up to me fascinated, inquiring about it.  Most people are stunned whenever I tell them I paid $610 for it - one person thought it had to be worth $2000 !!!  If it were stolen (which is constant fear of mine - after all, travel guitars are made to travel!), it would take me as long to replace it as dialing their 800 number takes. Let me finish up by saying that before I bought this instrument, I did some extensive research on travel guitars.  There are several of them out there:  Martin's Backpacker, Fernandes Nomad Deluxe, the Speedster model and Traveler Guitar model from what I think is called the Traveler Guitar company (I don't remember exactly anymore).  Whoever the target market of these instruments is, it is not a serious musician who seeks to maintain classical technique.  First off, I don't know if any of them even offers a nylon-string version, but more importantly, even if they did, the design of those instruments is totally inadequate to maintain the guitar in the correct position relative to the body.  These others may be designed as novelty items, or for a causal backpacker, but for serious musicians, the Soloette travel guitar is the only way to fly (pun intended!).
0 Comments Tags: tax#a brand#soloette
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