Comparison Guide

The Overview

Journey collapsible guitars all come with awesome travel cases and feature our patented stainless steel detachable neck mechanism with carbon fiber reinforcement. This means these guitars aren’t just a joy to travel with, but they also a blast to play and have amazing tone, sustain, and volume for their size. The chart below is an excellent tool to help you choose which guitar is the best for your needs.

So what do we recommend for selecting a Journey Carbon Guitar?

  • If you’re looking for ease of travel on any airline, the OF660 or OC660 are best, and the bags have the most versatility for packing more gear.
  • If you want a bigger sound or like a roller case, the First Class models FF660M and FC660M are a 30% increase in volume and have the backpack/roller case that’s very easy to travel with.
  • If you are a classical guitarist, keep in mind that the nut widths on our carbon nylon models are 48mm crossover nut widths, and carbon has a little darker and softer tone than wood for nylon strings.
  • All our carbon models have hard nickel fret wire, so they last a LOOONNNG time.

 

Here’s a simple overview of the differences of these models.

  • The OF660M and OF660 models have been around for a while. Gloss bodies are a tad brighter, but the overall tone is like a GA sized guitar with less volume due to the physics of a smaller body.
  • The FF660M and FC660M are the new First Class Carbon Models. These have a larger 14.3-inch-wide soundboard compared to the 12-inch soundboard of the OF660. The tonal balance of the FF660M is like the OF660, but the volume is larger. Both come with volume wheels on the passive pickup system shared with all our guitars. They also have roller backpacks for easier transport around airports if you have another handbag or backpack.
  • The RT660M is the only carbon guitar we have that doesn’t collapse in seconds. It shares the same body as the FF660M with a bolt-on neck with a heel.
  • The OC660M and FC660M share identical necks and are both standard 650mm scale with crossover nut widths. The FC660M has a larger body for better projection – however the FC660M is still in the testing phase, and we anticipate stable production in August 2022.

Our General Recommendation

  • If you want ultimate in portability, go with an OF660M, OF660 or OC660M – these fit in most every overhead bin and are super reliable.
  • If you want larger tone and size of a normal guitar, go with a First Class FF660M or FC660M.

Collapsible Steel String Wood Guitars

The Overview

Journey collapsible guitars all come with awesome travel cases and feature our patented stainless steel detachable neck mechanism with carbon fiber reinforcement. This means these guitars aren’t just a joy to travel with, but they also a blast to play and have amazing tone, sustain, and volume for their size. The chart below is an excellent tool to help you choose which guitar is the best for your needs.

  • All guitars feature bone nut and saddle
  • Check model details for specific tonewoods used.
  • “N” at the end of a model number denotes Narrow Nut – 1 11/16 for steel string guitars – OF410N, FF412CN etc. Our standard nut width is 1 3/4 for all steel string models with no  “N” at the end of the model number – OF410, FP412, OF422 etc.

So what do we recommend for selecting a Steel String??

Both the FP412 and FF412C have the roller cases. The OF660, OF422 or OF312 have backpack cases with tons of pockets and functions. The PJ410N has a backpack that’s super compact with fewer features.
 
Here’s a simple overview of the differences of these models.
 
  • The PJ410N is the smallest steel string guitar we make, compacts to fit under an airplane seat and sounds as good or better than most brand name travel-sized guitars with 12-13 inch lower bouts sold today. It has a 23 inch scale and 12 fret neck joint. No pickup or wedge design, but amazing for travel.
  • The FP412 has the volume of a large parkour and nearly the tonal balance of an OM. It has a 12 fret neck joint which puts the bridge in the “sweet spot” for bigger tone in a smaller body.
  • The FF412C has the volume of a dreadnought and tonal balance of a GA with slightly heavier bass and 14th fret neck joint.
  • The OF422 and OF312 have the volume and balance of a parlor guitars. and 14th fret neck joint.
 
All these have solid top and back (except PJ410N), sound great, and have a proven collapsible mechanism.
 
Right now we can’t switch the cases for these as the bodies are all different sizes, and we don’t have inventory of spare bags at the moment. Next year we’ll have extra roller cases for upgrading overheads that originally came with backpack cases, but we won’t do the reverse.
 

Our General Recommendation

  • If you want maximum portability, decent volume, and great tone – go for the OF422 or OF312.  These sound great, and travel so easily with all your gear. Lots of artists use these as stage guitars.
  • If you want the best balance of travel, volume, and tone – and don’t play much above the 14th fret, or are classically trained – go for the FP412. (This is Rob’s favorite wood guitar.)
  • If you want maximum volume, full sized guitar tone, and a full cutaway – but don’t travel internationally much, go for the FF412C.  Note this guitar case dims are larger than many standard carry-on dims, though we’ve had no complaints of people not carrying them on. We designed this for guitarists who require a full-sized guitar with a 16 inch lower bout.
  • If you’re on a budget or need the smallest and lightest one go for the PJ410N – it’s a fun little guitar. 🙂

Collapsible Nylon and Classical Guitars

So what do we recommend for selecting a Nylon String??

Both the FC522 and FC522LTD have the roller cases. The OC520, OC522, and OC660M have backpack cases with tons of pockets and functions.
 
While all of our classical guitars have the same scale, here’s a simple overview of the differences of these models.
 
  • The OC520 is our entry level collapsible classical. It has a  solid top, a great-sounding pickup, and standard 52mm nut with a wedge design and sound port. It packs small and sounds great for it’s size.
  • The OC522 is our mid-level collapsible classical. It has a  solid top, and solid back,  a great-sounding pickup, and standard 52mm nut with a wedge design and sound port. We have limited production of this model, so if you’re interested, please ask us about inventory.
  • The FC522 and FC522LTD are Torres-sized classical guitars with a wedged body, full gloss body, solid top and back, arm bevel, and has a nice roller case. It comes with the upgradeable pickup and is stage worthy.
  • The OC660M is an all-carbon model with a narrower crossover nut (48mm) and a standard scale. It’s super ergonomic, durable, and travels amazingly. The tone is full and warm, but it’s not quite as loud as a standard classical guitar. It’s bullet proof compared to your standard classical. If you want a worry-free classical guitar you can play live, at the beach, and leave in the back of your trunk or pack in a canoe – this is a great guitar.
 
All these have solid top and back (except PJ410N), sound great, and have a proven collapsible mechanism.
 
Right now we can’t switch the cases for these as the bodies are all different sizes, and we don’t have inventory of spare bags at the moment. Next year we’ll have extra roller cases for upgrading overheads that originally came with backpack cases, but we won’t do the reverse.
 

Our General Recommendation

  • If you want a great classical guitar with a smaller body that packs super small in a backpack that fits all your gear, try the OC520.
    • If you need better tone and sustain, go with the OC522 (but we produce these in limited lots, so ask for availability))
    • If you want a stress-free gutiar you can literally take to Antarctica one day and the Sahara the next, go for the OC660M, but be aware it has a smaller 48mm nut.
  • If you want huge volume and traditional tone in a full-size body, try the FC522 series – they compare with premium classical guitars and the pickups are amazing.