Yeh....the baggage guy at the airport introduced me to a guitar like that...only problem was - it was my guitar. And my guitar wasn't like that before the flight.

As you can see from my thumbnail I own one! I have had mine since July of 2023. I am on the road 30+ weeks a year. This guitar is simply amazing and has helped me improve my playing. Like Phil said, you don't feel like you are playing a "travel" guitar. It is a full-sized guitar, balances well, tuning stability is good. When you take it out of the bag and extend the neck the strings are usually a bit sharp. This is really no different than any other guitar. Temperature, humidity, etc all impact tuning. I generally only carry it around in the padded case vs the backpack. I am a professional pilot and it goes along with me to the flight deck. No, I don't play when I am flying. It easily fits underneath the seat in front of you when you are a passenger. No risk of anyone smashing your gear as they try to fit their bag in the same overhead bin. If you love playing guitar and are on the road a lot I would highly encourage you to get one. They are well worth the investment. It is so convenient and so great to play. It goes on every trip I fly. You can totally gig with this guitar and many professionals do. I need to man up and play an open mic night somewhere while on the road. Mine doesn't have the binding or coil splits. A strap, wireless setup and my Spark Go all fit in the travel bag. I also carry a tuner, picks, and a set of strings although I have yet to break a string on this guitar. Several other pilots have purchased these per my recommendation. Ciari is a great company. Sadly I haven't had a Nashville overnight so I could meet the team and take a factory tour. I have owned several traditional travel guitars and they simply have not been worth bringing with me everywhere. The Ciari is 2nd to none. 100% worth the investment.

That's some backbow😂!

Roughly 2 years after purchase, I am still VERY happy with my Ciari!

I saw Elvis Costello live last September and he was playing one of these guitars. It was a really great sounding guitar. When he finished the last song, he folded it and left the stage with it under his arm. I was well impressed.

Looks like a solid deal at 1599 USD for the one pickup version, 1799 for two pickups. I mean, it's not cheap, but is designed for traveling pros. I don't have a use case for it right now, but I'm intrigued.

I think it's cool, as technology around materials keeps improving, mixed with 3-d printing and computer-controlled milling of parts continues, you'll see more stuff like this. I like the idea of re-thinking how a thing can be, some things will work out and some won't. I can't believe it holds its tune so well after being folded like that, a lot of thinking goes into the parts to move just right to allow that. Very cool!

I'm holding off for the freeze-dried version where you just add water.

My friend had a Les Paul with a “folding” headstock, but not in purpose.

Finally some deserved recognition for how well engineered Ciari guitars are! The do have some viral videos but I've seen a lot of suspicion and bashing on the design, mostly by people who can't comprehend how things work or that it's possible to make a great quality product that os also convenient to use in multiple situations or how much work is required to do it lol...

Saw this guitar reviewed on Darrell Braun's channel a few months ago. Of course he didn't do anywhere near the deep dive you did Phil! I really have no need for this now, but I wish I could have had one back in the late 80s when I was on the road 30 to 40 weeks out of the year doing training/inspections on US Navy ships!

That's definitely something new 👍

I travel almost every week for work, I need one

Very good job. Excellent presentation and matter of factly presented. Thank you

That is super trippy to see. I’m surprised that the tuning isn’t way off after moving it 😮

Great review, as usual! Love the deep dives into the specs but I’ve gotta say, I was really impressed with your playing! That descending thing at 10:14 was super nice!

Mine should arrive next week. =)

That's pretty cool especially that it seems to work well!

I’ve had mine for over a year and love it! Bout to get my first sale too haha. Good luck brother

Look what they did to my precious tonewood!😱

Wow - I literally said WTF when you folded it the first time Phil. That thing is crazy!

Seems like a great instrument, the way u got into it, Sounds and looks great. Very nice review 🎉

This is the best done folding guitar I have seen. I would be interested to try it but don't have a burning need for it.

Incredible! Really hope that comes to Europe at some point. 0 chance to get a guitar onboard a flight, headless or not. And paying silly money to risk it ruined in the hold is not an option. This would be perfect!

Neat! Im not the target but i love seeing new stuff like this.

Brilliant innovation!

At the beginning of this video I thought this was going to be some kind of incremental improvement on the 2022 Yamaha Revstar (and its built-in boost circuit that pulls current from the amp) then I had to pick my jaw up off the floor when the guitar folded in half. This things a no-brainer for a fly rig, let's see United & Delta try and break a guitar that's under the seat

it's not a compromise it's a bonus --- if you need that feature it's a great deal

The best compliment is that you forget it's a travel guitar. Fantastic design and I'm glad they didn't make it with cheap parts.

I own one of the first series Ascender Standards, and it's absolutely amazing. I have to travel internationally for work, and it goes with me everywhere. I worried about the string ridges, but I don't notice them at all... perhaps I just use less pressure while playing. I've owned a couple of other travel guitars, and the only other one I really liked was the Stewart... I recommend that one to anyone looking for a sub 1k travel electric for sure... But the thing about the Ciari is that it FEELS like a premium guitar. The neck is def a bit thicker than most modern strats, but the fret board feels flawless. If you travel and have the budget, it's the best guitar you can buy... There's literally nothing in it's class.

Looks like a winner if you need a guitar like that. I can’t imagine there is a really high demand for it but it’s cool. Always enjoy your vids. Your are also a talented player. Was a shorty for u but right to the point. Keep them coming.

Wow. That sounded really good.

For a bass player, your guitar chops are improving substantially. :- )

wow.... love ya bro

There was a guitar like this back in the 80's (if my memory is right) called the Foldaxe. Exactly the same principle.

It's really cool that they got this to work so well! That being said, I'm guessing that a lot of the work and engineering has gone into making it stay in tune when you fold/unfold it, which paradoxically to me also feels like the least important function of a guitar when traveling... You're going to have to tune basically any guitar (unless it has an evertune) before you play it when you're traveling anyway, so it's not like I need it to be in tune the second I unfold it. The portability is the only part that actually matters for me. Something like that one you showed some time ago with the tool-less neck removal seems like the simpler solution. I don't see why you would need it to be in tune instantaneously like this. Again, it's _REALLY_ cool, don't get me wrong. It just seems like a lot of work for a minor convenience in my unimportant opinion anyway.

Your guitar playing has really improved over time! Really great

Very interesting guitar. Looks to be well engineered. I would worry about sand/crumbs/bugs getting into the mechanism, LOL.

They need to make a strat body style. With a humbucker in the bridge.

The Dali guitar.

Aloha Phil! Aloha Everyone!

rad.

This is the most advanced and revolutionary guitar design since Parker Guitars. I wonder how guitar players will handle it. hopefully it won't take 30 years to be a trend this time.

curious as to how the truss rod would work with the folding mechanism

Those tones!!

Nice review! Appears to be a really great instrument.

If I had a lot of money I would definitely buy one of these. Great looking guitar and the engineering seems sound.

Awesome guitar!!

This looks like insane value. Definitlely would get one if i had the usecase for it.

Impressive, I want one.

hey phil, i measure neck thickness without even detuning. measure a strap button with micrometer, then zero out micrometer. next place strap button on fret board where you want to measure thickness. now measure the neck and the button together. since button measurement has been zeroed out you now have accurate measurement in seconds....i just blew my own mind!

Reminds me of an old SG that I had that folded at the heel joint. In the plus side, it made it much more portable. The only issue was I guess that it wasn’t designed to unfold and be fit for use again😅. But my guitar tech appreciated it😊

Now I just need a fold up amp.

Kinda cool kinda crazy

Every time you folded the neck it low key broke my brain to witness it.

Looks very well thought out. Given the pricing, I AM a bit surprised they didn't go with stainless frets; this really isn't a guitar you'd ever want to have refretted.

OMG!... What'd you do!!??

Really is an incredibly cool piece of engineering that serves a purpose. Not having anything too weird to overcome to enjoy playing it has to be one of the better selling points for somebody with limited space or traveling a lot. It's still a real guitar.

Now make it fit in my back pocket. 😂

interesting engineering!

Next for the powered fan in the back to dry them sweaty playin' hands and SOLD 😁

Amazing!

They should include a spring loaded lever to swing out the neck automatically like a switchblade. (j/k)

How could the strings not break when folded?

sounds nice. Definitely would get me one if i'd be travelling with a guitar. Very nice review. I was actually wondering how they solved the thing with the strings on the neckboard not running to the sides so thank you for that. btw did you have any contact to Line6 Variax guitars?

Folding drumkit please - popup tent style

Man if they could make an acoustic do that!

❤️

Sounds like it has a prs type wide fat, or pattern wide, neck profile.

Great job Phil 👏 👍 👌 but not for me 😀

It seems like you use a lot of string length with this guitar. Just an observation, not a criticism. Thanks for the video!

I’m not affiliated with this company! Did anybody use the code and purchase this Guitar? Please let us know by hitting the like button under this post. Thanks 👇🏻

I want one in LP shape

A collapsible guitar should have a handle hole in the body to be truly innovative I’d say

I just don't believe it will stay in tune while playing it. I would like to see your bend a whole step up on the 4th fret on each string and then check the tuning.

Has there ever been a guitar with a telescoping neck instead of a folding neck?

I have one. =)

A 2K$ instrument in a soft case? Great video, thank you for your time and work.

Looks like the galaxy z flip 3 I bought, salesman said you can fold it 300,000 times no problems, screen broke in half in 6 months

My problem is why would I let TSA put their filthy hands on a $1500 guitar. Snapdragon is cheaper under $600. I've had one for a couple of years and have done many repairs due to travel damage.

what about The truss rod, it seems like it doesn't have one? wont it mean a future problems with the setup on your 2k guitar?

Your are using your Princeton, have you ever played through the Headstrong "little king" amp it is very good Princetonesquest.

Looks like a foldable schecter tempest

the new Mac book foldable guitar

Say what 😂?

Can you adjust the neck if it's not straight?

Hello Phil, is it true that Sam Ash is closing all of their stores? I saw it on KZfaq. I just think you may know the truth. I am a long time customer from E 48th st NYC Sam Ash. Thank you. Richie.

To each his own, seems like a cool company and I really appreciate the innovation. For the price, I will almost always gravitate toward the more established designs unfortunately.

To anyone that has a need for this ...great. Innovation is always welcome in my mind. But for me personally ... I will equate it to the folding Samsung that was guaranteed not to break and lasted 4 months. Somethings are just not meant to be. I'll always prefer my Pig Nose, old Chiquita and 88 Steinberger.

I think I saw this design on Shark Tank long ago

No way that shit stays in tune

What is that orange/red metallic guitar to the left?????

Do the strings lengthen when neck is folded?

Is having a compact travel guitar really that much wanted in the marketplace? Seems like a novelty to me, for those who just have money to spend and like collecting novel guitars. I wouldn't buy one. Also, with so much added mechanics built into that guitar, that means more opportunity for failures down the road. (pun intended) ;)

The truss rod is never going to sort that bow out 😊

There have been others through the years. Mostly acoustics.

Tuning nightmare

Is the truss rod made of rubber?

NO!

Years ago a magician asked me to create a guitar he could make appear on stage and play. I designed a folding neck mechanism and, due to a smaller body, it could fold into a size that could fit in the small of the back and open with one motion and a flash. It was "playable" for a few notes but not for a long solo. This is a marvelous design but is too big for the needs I was presented with. I never made another one as it was a LOT of work.