Arrived in London!

This post may be a short one since I've been so busy with preparations and traveling. So... we have arrived in London with all our luggage (including the guitar which arrived in great shape). I'll post details on how I packed and traveled with my guitar when I have a chance.I have created a page for my guitars and gear, and I'm in the process of creating pages for the places we travel to along with contact information where you can reach me. I am also linking this blog to my YouTube channel where I will be posting videos about traveling, music, and DIY projects, so check it out. I do have one update about the guitar I am taking with me. I have made a homemade feedback buster from the lid of a can of folgers coffee. Check out the guitar and gear page for more info. If I have time I'll post a DIY video and an entire post about the feedback buster. It's really easy and really beneficial  for anyone that has a smaller guitar with a smaller sound hole. We are getting settled into London this week and next week we will be in Paris for my wife me's 1st wedding anniversary, but I'll try to post as regularly as I can. Keep checking back because I have a lot of cool guitar and travel stuff I'll be posting soon.

-Peghead
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Counting down to London!! 1 week left

In this post I wanna talk a little about how I plan to pack and travel with my guitar. I have decided after some research to take a small scale guitar in a gig bag and carry it on the plane with me. I have checked and although my guitar is too long (it is built to be the dimensions of a "traditional parlor guitar") to fit the requirements of most airlines' carry on policy, it should still fit into an over head compartment. In case any readers are wondering what the measurements of my A&L AMI parlor guitar are here is a link to the website with all the manufacturers specifications: A&L AMI. I have also done extensive research on the specific policies of the airlines we will flying with and plan to have print outs of their policies in my case and ready to be shown to anyone that doesn't comply. One thing to keep in mind is that policies differ from airline to airline even if they are owned by the same company so be careful with connecting fights. I also plan on calling the airlines to confirm their policies on musical instruments and just as a backup I plan to pack my gig bag with extra cushioning (socks ect.) and take a picture with a current newspaper to document how well it's packed, the condition it's in, and the date in case the worst happens. I've also been playing around with modifications to the guitar and gig bag to make it safer for travel.  After doing research on some of the ways guitars can get ruined during travel I realized that the end pin is a weak point and I have a way to reinforce it. It is basically just a large washer with a piece of cloth between it and the body of my guitar. I installed it on my end pin jack so if it does take a rough drop the force of the drop will be distributed over a larger area instead of one small point that's on the seam where the two halve of the body come together. I would also recommend to anyone in a similar situation, just removing then end pin while traveling. This is easy to do and a similar, maybe even more effective way to avoid the same tragedy, although if your guitar has an end pin jack it's not so simple. I have also use and old travel bag for toiletries to hold my recorder, tuner and other more fragile accessories. This bag fits perfectly under the neck of my guitar in the gig back and with some cushioning should help hold the neck in place. I am using a road runner little brat gig bag made specifically for 3/4 scale guitars. It was very reasonably priced, you can buy them here: Road Runner Little Brat. Its not as protective as a hard case but it has a thick layer of padding and plenty of pockets. I plan on locking the main compartment on the bag with some TSA approved master locks in case I get told it has to go to the coat closet or, heaven forbid, I'm forced to gate check it.The bag fits the depth of my guitar perfectly, it fits the width good except for around the upper bout where its a little loose, and lengthwise it is a little snug. I want it to be snug when I pack it to travel so I will just fill in the gaps with things like shirts and socks and I will pack the head stock area very tightly and carefully to help avoid a head stock break. Another travel tip I have picked up may seem obvious but I will say it anyway, make sure you loose the strings with flying with a guitar, they don't have to be completely off but they do need some slack in them to take some the tension off the neck. Keep in mind even when carrying on your guitar it will go through a lot of pressure, temperature and humidity changes when changing flights, boarding and even in transit. This is why I'm packing my guitar with a planet waves humidipack to help with humidity changes. If I have time I will try to post pictures of my packing methods ect. next week before my flight and I will post a follow up after I arrive to talk about how well everything went.

Until next time,

-Peghead
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2 weeks till London

So in two weeks we will be leaving to go to London. It's really exciting but all the stress of last minute planning is setting in.  As far as my music gear goes I have a small parlor guitar and a roadrunner gig bag and I have manages to fit everything I believe I will need into that case. The guitar is an Art & Luthierie AMI parlor guitar. I looked at several 3/4 size, parlor and travel guitars while looking for my new traveling companion. Some of my favorite options included the Taylor GS mini, the voyage air folding OM body style, the traveler speedster electric guitar and the little Martin lx1e. I didn't really care for the complicated folding guitars and the voyage air just didn't feel like it suited me well. The Taylor played the best and sounded the best but it was larger than the other small guitars I looked at and it seemed more fragile than the Martin. During my search I came across the AMI on Craigslist, it played great and sounded great and it's a parlor size so it will be easy to travel with. I upgraded it with an under saddle pickup and Gotoh tuners. At first it was working out great but recently I have had some intonation and setup problems which I'll go into detail about later. I'm also bringing my Tascam DR-40 recorder, Snark tuner, an amplitude IRig, Paige Capo and then all the other usual accessories like assorted picks, maintenance tools and a brass slide. I feel like I have a pretty good setup but I plan to test it all at an open mic before we leave (if I get the time between all the other planning and getting ready). I will also post updates about how well this set up travels, there are a lot of issues to consider including airline guitar policies.

Until next time,

-Peghead
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First post!!!

Hello World Wide Web. I would like to take advantage of the first post of my new blog to introduce myself and talk a little about what this blog is about. I am a young professional working in the field of geomatics and mapping. I'm from a little town just outside of metro Atlanta (Georgia, USA). I love music, traveling, antiques, the outdoors, my job, God and my church, my family, cars/trucks and anything manly. I am married to a wonderful woman who is very supportive of my career and hobbies. Just a few months ago my wife got an opportunity to go to school for archaeology in London. We both love traveling and have always wanted to live abroad, so this is a dream come true for us. It's not only a great opportunity for us to advance our careers, but also to take some chances and go for our dreams. Besides traveling, I love playing and listening to music. I love all types of music from old fashioned delta blues to heavy metal to country to worship music in church. I play guitar and sing, and I have written some original stuff of my own. I would still consider myself a moderate-beginner guitar player. I have never been serious about it and I haven't really played in public much. But I have decided to change that and really go for my dream to becoming a working musician. I want to put my music out there where people can hear it and appreciate it. I hope to take advantage of this opportunity we have been given to travel and to follow my dreams of being a musician. The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my experiences, and establish a connection with my readers that will allow for a mutual learning experience. And also to encourage other traveling musicians who are considering going for similar dreams. Feel free to comment and give advice or ask for advice or just say what's on your mind. I look forward to writing and to connecting with anyone reading this blog.

-Peghead
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Talk more about guitar stuff on twitter: Peghead3x3