Makeev Modern Pro Guitar - Whiskey Barrel

Ivan Makeev is a luthier from Kazakhstan whom we met at the Guitar Summit trade fair in Mannheim, Germany, some time ago. We were immediately struck by his incredible designs and the way his guitars and basses can be folded in two seconds for easy transport. There are certainly other travel instruments on the market, but this one takes the cake. The essence of Makeev instruments lies in a solid metal plate that connects the neck to the body. By removing a single rear screw, and without even needing to detune the instrument, you can fold the neck down towards the body, allowing you to easily pack it in a backpack or suitcase. Reassembling it takes another 5 seconds, and once you check the tuning, you're ready to play. Amazing. Naturally, to keep the dimensions as small as possible, they use small bodies and headless necks. But the best part is that, aside from folding and reassembling in seconds, these instruments are incredibly comfortable to play (not just transport) and sound fantastic.

This guitar is the Modern Pro Guitar model, featuring a highly resonant alder body with a Whiskey Barrel finish and a maple neck with a 12” radius backwood fretboard and 22 perfectly crowned stainless steel frets. The scale length is the traditional 24.74”. The 22 frets are perfectly accessible, in fact, much more so than on other guitars (thanks to Makeev's exclusive assembly system).

As for the electronics, they are simple yet highly effective. It has an Alnico II humbucker pickup that delivers a truly powerful, rocking sound. The controls are Volume and Tone, but you can also switch the pickup to Single Coil mode, which is almost like having a completely different instrument, as you have those two distinct characteristics (Single and Humbucker).

Aside from the excellent sound, one thing that has surprised us about all the Makeev instruments we've brought in is their incredible sustain. We believe this is precisely due to the metal plate that joins the body and the neck. In fact, the body and neck never make direct contact, but the plate transmits the string vibrations much more effectively than traditional bolt-on or glued joints, and even more so than neck-through instruments. Incredible! We don't know if this was planned by the luthier or a fortunate coincidence, but it truly is remarkable.

Currently, several double bass luthiers can convert your instrument to one with a detachable neck upon request (to facilitate travel). In this case, they remove the entire neck and insert a metal rail into the body where the neck will be attached (which will have a custom-made metal piece for fitting). Well, bass players who have done this claim that their instrument has gained a lot in sound quality and sustain after the conversion. That's why we think the same thing might be happening with this guitar.

The brand offers an optional backpack that will fit the instrument and a bunch of accessories like cables, strings, effects, etc., but of course you can use any standard backpack or even put the folded instrument in a suitcase.

Certainly, if you travel often or if you have to get around your city by bike, motorbike, or public transport, you'll really appreciate these instruments.

But if you fly often, we assure you that this is the solution to your problems since the guitar fits in a backpack and in any overhead compartment. No more having to beg the flight attendants to please put your precious instrument in a larger overhead compartment and/or risking it being checked in and arriving damaged (we've all heard horror stories about that...). But even if you don't fly or travel often, being able to move around freely with a device that makes everything so much easier is a real treat.

And most importantly: they sound fantastic.