This travel guitar had our expert reviewer questioning the concept of tone woods. Now it’s dropped to $279 – its lowest-ever price on Amazon – and I think it’s the time to buy
If you’ve been on the hunt for a travel guitar or silent practice option, the Donner Hush-X is a seriously impressive performer that still sounds good plugged-in to an amp
(Image credit: Donner)
No one wants to spend big money on a travel guitar so it's the perfect time to buy this Donner Hush-X model. It scored 4.5 stars in our review and is currently at the best price I’ve seen for it – $279 (a chunky $80 saving off its $349 list price) over at Amazon.
I’ve just checked Amazon price tracker CamelCamelCamel and it tells me that this is, by some margin, the cheapest this guitar has been listed on the retailer, having had an average price of $323.91 across the past year.
All of which means this is one of those increasingly rare Black Friday sightings – a genuine deal.
The Donner Hush-X seriously impressed us as a travel guitar and silent practice solution when it was reviewed in January 2024, scoring 4.5/5 stars. It’s got a full scale-length, sounds great plugged-in and this is by far the best price we’ve seen on it – so if you’ve been thinking about bagging a travel instrument, this could be a great choice.
At the time Gill – a seasoned guitar critic – memorably noted that “the sound is so good that I’m starting to question whether the expensive exotic tone woods that so many guitarists lust over really make much of a difference other than in an aesthetic sense.”
While it certainly qualifies as a travel guitar, thanks to its compact, headless and lightweight metal frame design, the Hush doesn’t compromise on the things that matter, meaning it sounds great and still offers a full 25.5” scale-length, with 22 medium frets.
No, it doesn’t look like your typical electric slab, but it still has a mahogany body and neck – and even a bone nut.
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
(Image credit: Donner Music)
There’s an HS pickup configuration, pairing a high output humbucker at the bridge with an alnico single coil in the neck position (albeit located nearer the middle of the body), which between them cover everything from “classic rock growl” to “Strat-like presence and zing”.
Despite the headless design, you can still use regular strings, due to the clamp located near the nut – and our reviewer particularly rated “the easy-access rear compartment that makes it super easy to change batteries and anchor the strings’ ball ends.”
You can, of course, plug the Hush-X in for noise-making purposes, where it performs admirably, but if you need a silent practice option – be it for home or hotel – there’s a direct headphone output, too.
(Image credit: Donner)
It even comes bundled with a host of handy bits, including a carry bag, headphones, picks, strap and even a battery making it a great all-in-one solution for the guitarist on the go…
If you’ve been after a travel guitar, this is a great option – and certainly represents a genuine reduction for the Black Friday/Cyber Weekend sales.
It’s also worth noting that Amazon has the Donner Hush-I acoustic-electric on sale for $199, though I cannot vouch for its individual performance, as Guitar World is yet to review that model.
Matt is Features Editor for GuitarWorld.com. Before that he spent 10 years as a freelance music journalist, interviewing artists for the likes of Total Guitar, Guitarist, Guitar World, MusicRadar, NME.com, DJ Mag and Electronic Sound. In 2020, he launched CreativeMoney.co.uk, which aims to share the ideas that make creative lifestyles more sustainable. He plays guitar, but should not be allowed near your delay pedals.
