Hotter Than July
Ciari Guitars The Ascender
$2,999
The Ascender is a full-size guitar fitted with an aircraft-grade aluminum alloy neck hinge that allows it to be folded in half and become a TSA-compliant carry-on. Store the Ascender in its own travel bag or a backpack, and you’re ready to hit the road. A string-management system and captive nut prevent the strings from flopping around when the guitar is folded. When you’re ready to play, simply straighten the neck and re-tension the strings with the concealed lever-actuator. Unfolded, the Ascender is a 24.75-inch-scale guitar with a traditional single-cutaway body that comes in a range of solid colors. Electronics include a pair of Seymour Duncan ’59 pickups, each with volume and tone controls and coil tap, and a three-way toggle. The shallow C neck profile is comfortable, and the 12-inch-radius ebony fingerboard is fitted with 22 expertly Pleked nickel frets. All this quality and technology doesn’t come cheap, but if your gigs (or vacations) require that you take to the sky, the Ascender is an ideal way to reach new heights. ciariguitars.com —CS
Breedlove The Companion Travel-Ready Body Shape
Price TBA
Breedlove’s design team went back to the drawing board to develop a new travel-size body shape that delivers uncompromising tone for serious players. Called the Companion, it’s a reduced-size version of Breedlove’s Concertina, which is itself a scaled-down body based on the Concert. The Companion features 14 frets to the body (18 frets total) and is tuned to E, so it was no —CS
