It began in 1992, when Leon Cox came up with the idea for a whole new approach to compact guitars that would allow busy players who travel regularly to pursue their passion to its fullest wherever their work or life could take them. Fun fact: the original prototype that launched Traveler Guitar was inspired by the diaphragm of a stethoscope that Leon's wife, a nurse, used regularly. This allowed him to create a small guitar that could provide the player with a way to listen privately, without the need for batteries.
In less than a year, Leon Cox took his innovative design from a concept to a business, and Traveler Guitar was born. From the humble beginning, with production largely in Leon's garage, the company launched with "The Traveler." Although the design was still in the process of trial and error, they sold hundreds in their early years from Redlands Guitar Shop in Redlands, California. A couple of years later, Traveler Guitar exploded on the market when Corey Oliver offered to take the brand on the road in his '89 Bronco. It took only a month to sell more guitars than the company had sold per year!
There were many innovations that led to Traveler Guitar's success, most of which dated back to their first model. We mentioned the monitoring system already, but the electronics continued to develop in a way that complemented the compact designs. More importantly, these guitars are full scale length, a feat only possible by minimizing any excess body, such as the headstock and tailpiece. Instead, the guitars are strung backward, with the string wrapping around the tail and the tuning pegs recessed into the body.
Traveler Guitar shifted into high gear, and by the turn of the century, their line expanded dramatically. They introduced their first full-scale travel electric guitar, called the Speedster, in 2001, which became their all-time best-selling guitar. In 2013, the company released their Traveler Acoustic Series, a true full-scale hollowbody travel guitar, and the line continues to grow and thrive. Because of their easy portability, full scale length, and, most importantly, natural playing experience, Sweetwater not only stands by Traveler Guitar, but many of us also play them ourselves.