Wow, that seems to have stimulated quite a discussion - very little of it on trailers.

I used to transport it on a child trailer when my daughter was young - towing it behind a HP Velotechnic Grasshopper recumbent bike. It caused quite a few comments. That would probably be the cheapest option, but not ideal. I looked at the BOB Yak trailer, which looks excellent; there still seem to be new ones for sale over here, so if they've been discontinued presumably that's quite recent. It looks good but they're pretty costly. Worth thinking about though. I'll look at backpack options too, but of course that would mean I'd also have to find some way to carry all my music. Plus, if we had a trailer, I'm sure we'd find lots of other uses beyond just going to and from church with a guitar.

As for the guitar itself, I'm not totally sure how old it is as I bought it second-hand, though I'm sure I could find out. My guess is that it was made in the 70's, which pretty much makes it vintage in my books. I do know it's full history, though. It might not be what I would have bought if I could afford a new guitar of that value, but I like the sound and it serves me well. There's no sign of the neck breaking or the back falling off (it appears to be more fibre-glass than pure plastic) or the wood delaminating or any other disaster overtaking it.

True, those Silvertone electrics are still sought after. My Silvertone was an acoustic and not sure of the wood material. It served its purpose for a 10 year old. boy.

One-mile ride, light but bulky load?

Burley Travoy.

Here's one with a cello:

I've carried a guitar in a gigbag backpack on my bike many times, and while it works, the downside is that the neck of the guitar sits directly behind your head. This tends to make you lower your head, impairing your forward vision a bit, and it can be a little uncomfortable if you're wearing a helmet. Not a big deal for a short trip or if your riding position is bolt upright, but I was never tempted to extend my route on the days I carried it. I was able to fit a binder into the external pocket of the gigbag.

If I were the OP I would 100% use this as an excuse to either buy a cargo bike, or buy another guitar.

Maybe both, just to be safe.

I've taken a carbon fiber tenor ukulele in a gig bag on an aluminum frame bike.

I'm not sure if the intent is to eliminate your car some day, or let it sit for months without starting it up. If you are going to get rid of the car, then a nice trailer that can be used for multiple purposes and would probably be worth the investment.

If you are going to keep the car, then running it once a week might be better.

John

I'd take a cargo bike over a trailer any day. Bonus points if it's got a motor.

Guitars, like bikes, adhere to the N+1 rule: buy a second guitar to leave a the church! (or leave the new one at home)

I remembered a bit with Arlo carrying one while riding a momo choochoo. IIRC, he just slung it over his shoulder, hanging by the guitar strap.

And in a "same thing only different" there's this.
Saul

Could you ride no handed and play and sing while riding?

I know a guy that carries his guitar in a soft back pack type of case. But he uses a 1\2 size guitar or a 3\4 size guitar when he travels to gigs.

For milder weather, as others have suggested, a gig bag with backpacking straps But in colder temps, and extremes in humidity (high or low), I'd be using a motor vehicle to avoid damaging the guitar. None of my guitars (all electric) are super expensive, but they aren't cheap, and I try to keep humidity and temp within a certain range in the room in which they're kept, or if going out with them this time of year, it's in a car.. The distance you're traveling may not be much, but still better to take care.

Mundo AirPannier

No, we couldn't do without a car, but using it for short journeys is not good for the car or the environment. I was thinking about the fact that this is one of the very few short journeys I do by car, that's all.

Some great suggestions, thanks.

A mile?

I would not like to carry a guitar by hand in a heavy case for a mile, especially if I was expected to play it afterwards.

Full-size guitar felt too awkward for bike backpack, so I bought a very nice 3/4 steel-string which feels good in a soft case on my back when riding.

I take a weekly guitar lesson in Tokyo, the teacher lives in Akasaka. So every Wednesday I carry my guitar to the class on foot. I have a D28, which was expensive, so I carry it in its original hard case. My uncle was a folk musician who traveled America with a guitar (you may have heard of him, his guitar had a sticker on it which said “This Machine Kills Fascists”). He bummed rides on highways, hopped freight trains, and walked a lot of miles with his guitar.

Yeah, after carrying a a guitar in my hand for a while I also would only be able to play a few simple chords.

Why would you be carrying it with the weight on your hand rather than over your shoulder?