The three sizes of travel guitar with sound comparisons

There are three main sizes of travel guitar.
1. Donner Guitalele or guitarlele or guilele (same size as the Yamaha GL1);
2. Caramel cb402g 6 string baritone ukulele (same size to Cordoba mini);
3. Cort Earth mini (same size to little Martin).
The overall length of each is 27”, 31”, and 34” in length and the lower bout widths are 9”, 10”, 12.5”, relative to the above list. The scale lengths are 17”, 20”, and 23”.
As I say in the video, in terms of portability, the optimum size for air travel is the Caramel 20” scale guitar. This guitar is also significantly more playable than the guitalele.

[@swedesboromusicstudio9737]

Finally a real user review. Not some commercial sales force vid. Thanks!

[@tristansturm9241]

Thank you, glad you found it useful.

[@raineyjayy]

I totally ended up throwing some Hannabach 1/8th size strings and tuned my GL-1 E to E. Sounds fairly good. (I just like to play around campfires/friends) and is good to practice on :)

[@tristansturm9241]

That is what I use it for, messing about on the couch, even conversing whilst playing it is so mellow.

[@suzanneroux]

Thanks, really helpful with buying my 1st instrument. I'm going with the Baritone 👍🏻

[@tristansturm9241]

Excellent choice.

[@drikayar]

Thanks for the review. It helped me a lot.

[@tristansturm9241]

Thank you and you are welcome.

[@MrMahokai]

very well played, thanks for showing

[@savemarinwood6678]

The Donner guitalele appears to be in standard E tuning. Small guitaleles sound better in A tuning (E tuning 5 frets up). The strings are brighter. I also own these sizes. To me, the smallest guitalele ( a koa laminate tuned to A) sounds best. I own a solid koa Caramel 30" guitalele tuned to standard E that sounds okay and a solid spruce top mini guitar which sounds okay but is low volume. For travel, I think the small laminate guitalele is my first choice. The mini guitar is almost the same size as a full size guitar and offers no special space saving advantage. I am disappointed in the Caramel guitalele as it lacks the sweet tone of my tenor koa ukulele made by the same company. It is ladder braced vs the small guitalele that has x bracing. This may be the reason for the sound difference . Try tuning your tenor guitalele up to A and see if it sounds better. Please update this video if your opinion changes about the instrument.

[@tristansturm9241]

Hi, yes, I've tuned the guitalele to E using Hannaback MT 890 strings (see video of my comparison with A and E tuning here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6e5dGyqpdR2e68). They do deaden the sound, but I wanted E tuning personally and for comparison purposes, assuming others looking at travel guitars would too. I think the Caramel sounds better, even if the Guitalele is in A tuning (this said, the guitalele is inexpensive, and cheaply made). It is also a more comfortable guitar to play. As for size, we are talking inches across all three, therefore relatively, the Caramel is more travel worthy than the mini both in width and length (these inches mean a lot of budget airlines). But of course this depends on one's preference and what they think they can get away with on a flight. Thx for the comment.

[@savemarinwood6678]

@@tristansturm9241 I agree that the Caramel Guitalele sounds better in E tuning but my tenor guitalele sounds better in A tuning. I did not think your Donner guitalele sounds good in E tuning. I agree with you that a mini guitar does not offer much size advantage for travel. I too will be traveling with my guitalele. If I am in a guitar mood, it will be the Caramel. If I want both a ukulele / guitar I will travel with my smaller tenor guitalele. Happy playing.

[@stanleysadinsky31]

Save Marinwoo

[@luc5798]

On my Yahaha GL1 the best strings set I've found so far is the Savarez Alliance Corum high tension set. The Alliance treble strings are thinner, therefore particularly adapted for guitalele, and the high tension allows to tune it in G with an acceptable tension. I really like it in G, I find A tuning a little too high... I tried the Hannabach MT890 in E tuning, but didn't like it much. I find the sound of the trebles muffled and the strings too thick... One day I'll try Aquilla Nylgut strings for E tuning, I wonder if they are thinner and sound better... Anyone tried them? ... Also a good thing I did on my guitalele: I changed the head nut to have more space between the strings... 😉

[@jake.presents]

The largest of these may not have that much of a smaller size, but it's far lighter, compared to lugging around my normal-size guitar which can be a hassle in 3rd-world countries (especially on buses).. and the bulk & weight, both extended with a strong case.

[@SpringfieldGuy]

I bought this Caramel a month ago and like it pretty well, but I'm hoping it will sound brighter with some Hannabach Kinder 1/4 strings which I have ordered. We'll see.

[@tristansturm9241]

That is a major drawback of these small nylon guitars, they can be dark and muddy sounding. Let me know if the hannabach 1/4 work, I'm looking for new strings now.

[@votethebulliesout2956]

tuning would help

[@roysheaks1261]

I really like my Martin 1/2 size with metal strings. It sounds larger than it actually is.

[@tristansturm9241]

Yes, they project well. They don't have the bass a dreadnought has, however, but every guitar has its limits by definition of its use design.

[@jwukulele]

This review format is well organized, the narrative is informative & helpful. There might be a lot more variation possible that what's shown, as the tension of the strings seem kind of loose for the first two (tuning up, different strings; Romero Creations makes UG1s which may be worth trying on the first two).

[@tristansturm9241]

Yes, they are loose. I got used to it however, in someway kind of prefer it now. I'll check out the Romero UG1s, hadn't heard of them before. Thank you!

[@bridgercharlie8118]

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[@stetsondavian5756]

@Bridger Charlie instablaster =)

[@bridgercharlie8118]

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[@bridgercharlie8118]

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[@rl5811]

hey great review. i have the guitalele, and sold my cort mini long back. just ordered a hex bumble bee, which is about the size of ur middle one, the all solid nylon. but bumble bee i guess is all laminate

[@tristansturm9241]

Hey, thank you for the comment. I hadn't heard of the hex bumble bee. Looks really nice. Honestly, I might prefer a laminate guitar. They are stronger, less prone to cracks and damage. Enjoy! I love these little guitars.

[@reflexreaction3797]

Million dollar question: why was Caramel discontinued? Perfect as it was.

[@tristansturm9241]

I didn't know it had. Too bad, great wee guitars.

[@SpringfieldGuy]

I bought this model Caramel on Amazon a month ago, but saw today they are out of stock. It measures 31.5" long. My favorite travel guitar is my 30" (but full size neck) Steinberger Spirit electric, although it's much heavier. For air travel, I use a BlackStar mini amp.

[@vijaypatel785]

I love that Caramel cb402g. I want to buy that in India.

[@tristansturm9241]

Do they still make them?

[@Knosferatu]

Nice music and video man

[@reflexreaction3797]

just to clarify for anyone watching, Caramel can take steel strings, as can Kmise (not included in the clip)

[@tristansturm9241]

right, it has a truss rod. thx for pointing that out, i forgot to mention. though would the strings be slinky?

[@reflexreaction3797]

@@tristansturm9241 i have no personal experience but i have watched a few youtube videos with steel strings, to me they sounded fine, just got to choose a thicker gauge i guess. I think some of them were sold with steel out of the box.

[@tristansturm9241]

@@reflexreaction3797 OK right, I'll have to try this someday. I do like the feel of nylon strings sometimes for quiet and mellow playing.

[@oliviersimard2575]

Sounds like Jean Leloup « recommencer »💯

[@BrendanHasAbs]

Man decisions decisions. I guess I'll get both the Donner and the Caramel like you have. Or the Yamaha GL1. Have you played that one? Sorry ha asked that on your other vid too. Just say this one. haha put them all in my cart but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Thanks for posting this! Very helpful.

[@tristansturm9241]

Hi, I would recommend the Caramel over the Yamaha. I have played the GL1, I didn't think there was a notacable difference between it and the Donner guitalele. The Caramel is not much longer, but that extra 3 inches in the scale length are worth it for two reasons: 1. E tuning is easier and cheaper. Hannaback strings are expensive. The Cordoba e tuning strings are half the price. 2. E tuning the Yamaha makes the instrument sound duller because the strings have to be so thick. On the Caramel, e tuning still chimes. Also, with the Caramel, you get a full solid wood instrument for £15 more that the laminated Yamaha. My two cents.

[@BrendanHasAbs]

@@tristansturm9241 Done and done! Thanks!! Will take your advice.

[@kennyrussell228]

Was just thinking about the Caramel today and couldn’t decide, so thank you for this!

[@Mauitaoist]

I think the Caramel number is cb 204, ? Not cb 402. I just ordered one as the Yamaha GL is a bit small for my hands. Also check out the Cordoba mini...

[@JayJay-jq7fe]

The cb402G is mahogany wood, whereas the cb204G you mentioned is made of acacia. In the video he mentions it is made of mahogany ~ 2:10

[@tristansturm9241]

@@JayJay-jq7fe yeah, it is the mahogany version.

[@tristansturm9241]

The cordoba minis are definitely an upgrade in quality and, unfortunately, price.

[@RjBenjamin353]

Donner had some nice guitars back in the 60’s. I used to have, what was called a Donner Party guitar, but it ate my other guitars so I had to get rid of it😂

[@angyiern]

Witch Guitar is everyone use most?

[@tristansturm9241]

The Cort (Martin Mini knock-off). Ie the biggest one.

[@sisco0304]

does the 6 strings ukalale have standard tuning like a guitar 6 strings my son cosplays as johnny cash and iam looking for a small guitar

[@tristansturm9241]

They come tuned to A, but you need to put thicker strings on it to tune down to E. See this vid: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6e5dGyqpdR2e68

[@lifelover8676]

Please tell about big guitar size bro Reply to me ☺️

[@tronlady1]

Won’t be buying a mini then!

[@tristansturm9241]

Yeah, I think the cordoba is nice, but you can get a nearly as nice guitar (the caramel) for less than half the price.

[@nickya19]

Why does your voice remind me of Ryan Reynolds

[@tristansturm9241]

Busted!

[@RjBenjamin353]

I appreciate your effort but damn!! That was just plain terrible.

[@reflexreaction3797]

sorry, what exactly?