Carrying a guitar in a 6m motorhome

Ralph Hardwick

Ralph Hardwick

Joined
Sep 30, 2018
Posts
83
Likes collected
29
Location
Norfolk UK
Funster No
56,477
MH
Benimar Mileo 202
Exp
10 years overlanding in a Discovery. Sahara, Arctic, Iceland and Asia with more to come.
Okay, so technically it's a 6.3m motorhome, but we are soon (hopefully) planning to purchase a Swift Champagne 622. This model has a rear lounge, doesn't have a garage and we're planning to go away for several months at a time.

One thing I am really looking forward to (especially in today's political climate) is parking up in a field somewhere, cracking open a beer, sitting outside, shutting out the world and strumming my guitar.

I didn't fancy just letting my pride and joy rattle around in the back and although I have a guitar case, it is quite bulky so I thought I would pose the question on here to see if anyone else carries a guitar and how they secure it while travelling?

Any suggestions?
 
Recently we've carried a guitar on the fixed bed over the garage whilst travelling (in a case) then transferred it to the cab whilst parked up,.

BUT last year for our summer trip Martin took a guitalele which fitted nicely, in its case, in the wardrobe. Hopefully, as I type, it's being sold, and a three quarter guitar is the next purchase for travelling.
 
A question...can you play it?

There was a lady on here who was practicing on her ukulele. This scared the poop out of me so I arranged to have a gps tracker installed so that I would not be within at least 100 miles of her and it.....worked so far.(y)
 
obanvanman said:
A question...can you play it?

There was a lady on here who was practicing on her ukulele. This scared the poop out of me so I arranged to have a gps tracker installed so that I would not be within at least 100 miles of her and it.....worked so far.(y)
Click to expand...
I've carried a ukulele for nearly 18 months and played with it twice.

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Mine sits on the bed when travelling...
Case sits on dash when parked up

Soft case btw

Oh and moho is 6990mm
 
jumartoo said:
Recently we've carried a guitar on the fixed bed over the garage whilst travelling (in a case) then transferred it to the cab whilst parked up,.

BUT last year for our summer trip Martin took a guitalele which fitted nicely, in its case, in the wardrobe. Hopefully, as I type, it's being sold, and a three quarter guitar is the next purchase for travelling.
Click to expand...

Thanks, do you know I had never even heard of a guitalele! I had to google that. Every day is a school day :D
My current guitar is a full-size Ovation and I would rather not buy another (that's code for: my wife will kill me if I buy another guitar!). We bought our granddaughter a 3/4 and I can definitely see the attraction, but I'm not sure it really saves that much space.

obanvanman said:
A question...can you play it?

There was a lady on here who was practicing on her ukulele. This scared the poop out of me so I arranged to have a gps tracker installed so that I would not be within at least 100 miles of her and it.....worked so far.(y)
Click to expand...

In a room full of non-players I am a guitar god! However, in real life, I can strum a few campfire favourites and if everyone has drunk enough I sound pretty good :cool:
 
Fletton said:
Mine sits on the bed when travelling...
Case sits on dash when parked up

Soft case btw

Oh and moho is 6990mm
Click to expand...

A soft case sounds like the way to go. Protection without too much bulk!
 
Ralph Hardwick said:
Thanks, do you know I had never even heard of a guitalele! I had to google that. Every day is a school day :D
My current guitar is a full-size Ovation and I would rather not buy another (that's code for: my wife will kill me if I buy another guitar!). We bought our granddaughter a 3/4 and I can definitely see the attraction, but I'm not sure it really saves that much space.



In a room full of non-players I am a guitar god! However, in real life, I can strum a few campfire favourites and if everyone has drunk enough I sound pretty good :cool:
Click to expand...

Just like me then ;)
 
DBK said:
Bungee it to the back of the passenger seat. I know people who carry their folding chairs like this.
Click to expand...
That's clever. I like that Idea (y)
 
I wouldn't take my Taylor with me but my old (1978) Yamaha travels with us on the bed while travelling and sits in the passenger foot well when parked. This is along with the wife's spinning wheel and my weaving loom. A 6.8 metre van. When we had a 5.7m van I think the guitar travelled in the wardrobe. It meant the wife couldn't take so many clothes but hey, sacrifices have to be made!
 
In our previous MH, I used to carry mine in a soft case and lay it on the floor of the shower/washroom when travelling, standing it up in the corner when on site and/or using the facilities. In our new MH there is room to strap it directly behind the drivers seat (still in a soft case, of course).
 
stevec said:
I wouldn't take my Taylor with me.....!
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Chicken... :rofl:

A15DEDF5-22A4-4C68-B730-BC03A8BFCBFC.jpeg
 
We have a large cupboard above the cab where some vans have a bed. If I take mine it goes in there in a soft case.
 
Mum has just given me her electric organ plus a lot of sheet music. Maybe I will learn to play it. Like I don't have enough to do!!!!

I can read music and know which key os which on a keyboard - will that give me a head start?

Hoping to find a youtube tutor and I need to relearn to play my Low Whistle.
 
IMG_5728.jpg
stevec said:
I wouldn't take my Taylor with me but my old (1978) Yamaha travels with us on the bed while travelling and sits in the passenger foot well when parked. This is along with the wife's spinning wheel and my weaving loom. A 6.8 metre van. When we had a 5.7m van I think the guitar travelled in the wardrobe. It meant the wife couldn't take so many clothes but hey, sacrifices have to be made!
Click to expand...

I have 2 Acoustics; my 12-year-old Tanglewood was my first 'real' guitar and was bought when it was on offer at £120-ish. It still sounds good but simply does nothing for me. However my 6-month-old Ovation 2078AX begs me to touch, fondle and play it every minute of every day. So much as I would prefer to take the older one with me, I know that it will be the Ovation that I carry.

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As a fulltimer space is always an issue. I carried mine in a softcase that was stored in the ceiling.

I got 4 brass hooks that screwed into the ceiling, and bought some really lightweight chain. I was happy carrying my £2K guitar like this for quite a few years before I sold it.
 
I have a Godin A6, which is quite thin, in a soft case. In our 7.4 m MoHo it lies on one of our single beds whilst motoring, and stands in the shower overnight; back onto the bed in the morning.
 
I could take one of my basses but fear as soon as I plugged it in I would be evicted from the site! And don't suggest acoustic basses or bass ukuleles, they are pants till you plug them in.....
 
i used to have a 6.0m PVC and carried mine strapped in to the rear passenger seat using the seatbelt. it went into the passenger footwell on site.
our last van was 9.0m with a large garage so I was able to carry a fully flight-cased acoustic when touring.
baby taylors are great guitars and very compact but I prefer a full sized beast - currently my favourite acoustic is a taylor 414CE. Couldn't bring myself to sell my high end yamaha electro acoustic though even though I promised faithfully I would.
 
Janine said:
I carry one of these in an overhead locker (wish Bart travelled with me too :) )

Click to expand...



Janine, so is a baritone ukelele the same as a guitalele?

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Janine said:
No, not at all. Guitaleles have 6 strings and very weird tuning so you would have to learn even more chord shapes!
Click to expand...

Thanks Janine .. so the one you showed me is 4 string baritone ukele?
 
As a fellow musician (percussionist), I can give you excellent advice. Put it in a soft case, and place it on the ground. Run the MH backwards and forwards over it a few times. I find it takes up far less space.

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