My interest in unusual instruments and my affinity for those from Ovation collided in this Applause travel guitar. It has a full-size neck, yet the body is only about 8-1/4 inches (21 centimeters) wide at the lower bout and just 35-1/2 inches long. The back is made out of the same Lyrachord material as other Ovations, although it has more of a squared-off shape than the familiar bowl. I’ve taken this guitar on an airplane with me (it fits in the overhead) and got some curious looks from a security guard who thought there was a weapon of some sort in the gig bag.