CartHow It Works – Dissembling a Strobel Travel Guitar
Behind the Best Travel Electric Guitar
All of our Strobel travel guitars have our patented StringKeeper that hinges off the top of the neck by loosening a single thumbwheel. The ball end of the strings are held in place at the top of the neck with our patented StringKeeper hinge. Removing the top thumbwheel allows the strings to come free from the neck so you can wrap them around the body. The StringKeeper tucks up between the middle tuners at the bottom of the body. Detach the neck by loosening the four thumbwheels on the back of the body so now the body and neck will fit conveniently in your backpack or computer bag when traveling.
Taking apart a Rambler® Travel Guitar
Strobel Rambler® travel guitar comes apart to stow in a briefcase or computer bag in minutes. The patented StringKeeper™ is hinged to the top of the neck and comes off by loosening the top thumbwheel. The StringKeeper™ keeps the strings in order when the guitar is taken apart. Simply loosen the top thumbwheel, remove the StringKeeper™ and wrap the strings around the body using the StringCatcher™ groove. Then just tuck the StringKeeper™ between the middle tuners. Now you can remove the body thumbwheels so the neck and body can be separated and stowed for travel.
Loosen the thumbwheel
Remove the thumbwheel
Take off the StringKeeper™
Rambler® Travel Guitar stowed in a computer bag
Rambler® Portable Guitar ready to travel stowable in a briefcase
Travel tips for your Rambler® Electric Travel Guitar
You can travel with your Rambler® packed in the included padded gig bag; about the same as putting a tennis racquet in the overhead. To minimize carry on luggage, take apart your Rambler® Professional Electric Portable Guitar and place it in your computer bag or briefcase. You may want to wrap the body in a pillow case to protect the finish, and put the neck in a sock to minimize nicks and dings.
How to change strings on a Rambler® Travel Guitar
Locking tuners make changing guitar strings easy
The first step when changing guitar strings is to release the string tension by detuning the guitar about 4 to 5 turns of each tuner. On a Rambler® Portable Guitar from Strobel Guitars you will then loosen the thumbwheels on the back of the locking tuners. The internal piston drops down to release the string. Unwind the string and clip off the bent curly ends of the strings and pull them out of the tuner holes . Pull the clipped string back through the StringKeeper™ at the top of the neck. Run a new string through the StringKeeper™ down to the tuner. It helps if you align all the tuner holes so they are horizontal (perpendicular to the neck). Here are a few pics of changing guitar strings on Albert Castiglia’s Custom Rambler® Electric Travel Guitar.
Headless Strobel Travel Guitar – String Changing
Start by threading the low E string through the appropriate hole in the back of the StringKeeper™ at the top of the Easily Detachable Neck. Feed the string down and through the hole in the Low E tuning peg. For the bass strings (6, 5, 4), feed them from the center towards the bass side of the guitar. For the treble strings (1,2,3) , feed them from the center towards the treble side of the guitar.
Trimming the strings on a Rambler® Electric Travel Guitar
Tighten the tuner wheel to lock the string, keeping about an inch of slack in the string. Leave enough space to put two or three fingers under the string. Repeat the process for the other strings. After you tighten the locking tuner, it is important to cut the strings as close as you can to the tuning peg. You don’ t want any sharp ends that could poke your strumming hand.
Strobel Rambler® Portable Guitar getting restrung
ontinue the process with the rest of the strings. All the string ends should be point towards the outside of the guitar. This will ensure that when you turn each tuner clockwise, you will be tightening the string. Be careful when cutting the 5th and 2nd strings not to accidentally cut the 6th or 5th string on your Rambler® electric travel guitar.
Ready to Ramble with your Strobel Rambler® Electric Guitar!
Now tune all the strings up to pitch. Be sure to yank on all the strings to stretch them and then tune everything back up. Here’s Strobel Guitars endorser Tommy Castro playing this Rambler® Travel Guitar for the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise.
For other tips on setting up and keeping your Strobel Rambler® in great playing condition, please see our Strobel Guitars YouTube videos - How to Clean My Guitar, How to Check Neck Relief, How to Set up My Guitar and How to Tune My Guitar.