I am an electric guitarist through and through, though I really enjoy the sound of many acoustic guitars. The idea of emulating acoustic guitar tones was therefore particularly appealing to me. The Sonicake Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar combines models of several popular acoustic guitars within a unique body design, making me extremely curious to try it out.
The Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar makes a great impression right out of the box. It comes in a well-padded gig bag. The wooden side sections slot in and are secured by the strap button, making assembly incredibly quick and easy. Weighing in at a featherlight 1.7 kg, it fits perfectly into its compact gig bag, making it ideal for travel.
The Body
The mahogany used for the futuristic body features a matte, open-pore finish that feels velvety smooth, offering an excellent playing experience. The rosewood fretboard complements this perfectly. An ergonomic neck joint ensures comfortable access to all frets, and the string action is optimally set right from the factory.
Despite its unusual frame, the guitar sits perfectly on your leg thanks to the small “little devil’s horn” extension. There is also a comfortable resting spot for your arm. You hardly notice a difference compared to a conventional acoustic guitar.
Even unplugged, it sounds like a high-quality acoustic guitar. Naturally, the lack of a traditional resonant chamber means it is somewhat quieter than standard acoustic models, but it is ideal for practicing or a late-night living room jam session without needing any power. You can also strongly feel the resonance through the body curve resting against your torso.
The included headstock tuner makes tuning the Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar a breeze, and the instrument proves to be very stable in terms of tuning. In terms of looks and playability, this guitar gets full marks right off the bat.
The heart of the instrument: the electronics
The electronics are powered by a rechargeable battery that charges via a USB cable. During my initial test, the low E string was a bit quiet. However, a quick look at the FAQs on the Sonicake website immediately revealed the solution to this issue—which was likely caused during shipping. After pressing down briefly on the bridge, the sound on my guitar became very balanced across all strings.
You can adjust the volume, treble, and bass using the EQ controls, making it easy to fine-tune the basic tone. A push-button also allows you to add a “virtual body” effect.
The centerpiece is the selector switch offering nine different body simulations. All the classics are represented here: pure piezo pickup, GA, OM, Concert, D-Shape, Hum Bird, Jumbo, Thin, and Mini. The emulations are impressively good.
Personally, I’m particularly fond of the GA, Hum Bird, and OM settings. However, depending on the song, band context, and mix, you can find the right sound with any of the models. The selected tone can be perfectly dialed in using the treble and bass controls.
A quick side story: While I was working on a repair job, I was listening to an old Smashing Pumpkins album. The acoustic guitar sound was incredibly distinctive, and I immediately wanted to see if I could replicate it using the Sonicake Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar.
The sound that worked best for me was the OM emulation. After a quick online search, I discovered that an OM model had indeed been used in the studio for that song. It’s a truly successful recreation—one that is instantly recognizable by its sound.
Playing along to backing tracks
The feature for practicing along to songs is really well implemented, too: the guitar has a 3.5mm TRS input where you can connect an MP3 player or other audio sources. You can hear the backing track along with your own guitar playing through the headphone output. Alternatively, the guitar can of course be plugged directly into a PA system or an amplifier using a standard 6.3mm (1/4-inch) jack cable.
The onboard effects are also highly recommended. A single control knob allows you to blend continuously between Hall, Plate, and Chorus settings, with the intensity increasing as you move between effects.
The Hall reverb sound is truly excellent.
I’m a huge fan of plate reverb anyway, and the one on this acoustic-electric travel guitar impressed me immediately. Whether set subtly to add a sense of space or dialed up for a more pronounced effect, it always sounds great.
If you’re looking for a chorus effect, this guitar delivers a high-quality version of that, too.
Whether playing rhythm chords, fingerpicking, or melodies, this travel guitar impressed me at every turn. It is highly responsive, faithfully conveying the nuances of your playing style, and feels instantly comfortable to play. Depending on the pick you choose, the sound can range from brighter and clearly richer in high frequencies. This offers yet another way to shape the sound.
Conclusion
The Sonicake Acoustic-Electric Travel Guitar offers a high-quality instrument at a low price—one that easily holds its own against many more expensive models.
Thanks to its excellent build quality, wonderful model emulations, EQ, and built-in effects, this guitar allows you to cover a wide range of sounds, whether live or in the studio.
It is also ideally suited for practicing on the sofa or for very quiet songwriting sessions (without disturbing sleeping neighbors). The wood feels great to the touch, featuring an open-pore, natural finish that contributes to the instrument’s impressive overall appeal.
The Sonicake acustic-electric travel guitar is highly recommended!
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