A Brilliant Electric Guitar With a Clever Mechanical Neck That Symmetrically Folds to Fit Under an Airplane Seat
Musician Jonathan Spangler, who traveled a great deal in his previous life as a patent lawyer for a medical device company, found that there was truly a lack of electric guitars that could be packed up very easily.
Taking his technical knowledge from these devices, Spangler set out to create “a real, full-sized, gig-ready guitar” that could easily be folded up to TSA regulation size and stowed under an airplane seat. So he and renowned luthier, Joe Glaser developed the Ciari Ascender Guitar.
At the heart of the Ascender lies a true feat of engineering. For traveling, a patented mechanism allows this professional-grade guitar to be folded in half, tucked into a protective Ciari gig bag that will fit into an average-sized backpack or carry on. Your guitar is now a TSA compliant carry-on that never leaves your side.
The symmetrical folding neck is something to behold. The mechanics behind the neck are reminiscent of a wine bottle opener and just as easy to operate.
This mechanism is made up of a mid-neck hinge, two translating truss rods, and a floating bridge which collectively allow the Ascender guitar to fold symmetrically in half When you are ready to play, simply unfold the neck. An elegant lever-actuator is concealed inside the lower bout of the guitar which, when pulled, re-tensions the strings leaving you with full size, professional-grade, 22 fret guitar, with plek perfect action, ready to rock.
The Ciari Ascender is not yet available for purchase as of today’s date, but interested parties can sign up for pre-sale information through their website.
The Ascender is the worlds first premium travel guitar and it is ready for lift-off via pre-sale starting at Summer NAMM 2019 (July 18-20). Exact pricing will be forthcoming, but as a premium guitar with uncompromising quality and unparalleled convenience, it will likely be available at around $3,000 mark..