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Travis Bean Guitars
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Travis Bean This ar ticle di scus ses the his tor y o f th e 1 97 4- 79 Tr avis Bea n g uita rs an d b ass es. It p ro vide s a br ief his tor y o f t he inst ru me nts as w ell a s d iscus sing s ome cu rr en t po pu lar Trav is Bea n t op ics su ch as i den tify ing an d d atin g t he inst ru me nts. History of the Travis Bean Guitar Tra vis Be an ma nuf act ure d alu minu m nec k gu ita rs and b asse s fr om 19 74 to mid -1 97 9. Tr avis Bean h ad two p art ne rs: Ma rc McElwe e a nd Gar y Kr am er (Kr ame r left wit hin a f ew m on ths of the fir st pr odu ctio n r un an d w ent on to m anu fa ctur e his o wn gui tar s). All Tra vis Be ans wer e h and ma de in a fa cto ry in Su n Va lley, Cali for nia . Qu alit y wa s ve ry i mpo rt an t to th e sm all sta ff, an d e ithe r Be an or M cElwee pla yed ev er y sin gle gu itar a nd ba ss b efo re it le ft th e f act or y. Tra vis Be an gu itar s we re bu ilt a ro un d th e pat en ted on e p iece ne ck. Raw Re yno lds 60 61 -T6 a lum inu m st ock was u sed to pr od uce a o ne pie ce ne ck th at ra n f ro m t he tun ing m ach ine s all the wa y do wn to the br idg e. Th e b rid ge m oun te d d ire ctly to the ne ck u nit , an d the str ing s r an th ro ug h t he bod y. Th e p icku ps we re ma de with Alni co 5 m agn et s an d c ap ped with st ain less stee l co ver s. On t op of th e p icku p c ove rs w as e tch ed "Trav is Bea n". Lik e t he b rid ge, th e p icku ps m ou nte d d ire ctly to the n eck asse mb ly, wit h a dju stme nt an d m ou ntin g "bo lts" a cce ssab le fro m t he b ack of t he gu itar ( the re ar e no scre w h ead s vi sible on th e fr on t o f th e guit ar , e ven th e b rid ge mo unt ing scr ew h ea ds a re "hid de n" b en ea th the sad dle p iece s). Th e r os ewoo d or e bon y f ret bo ard s we re ep oxie d dir ectly to th e n eck. On lat er m ode ls, the fr etb oa rd s we re ep oxie d t o a 3/ 32 alu min um p late whi ch wa s t hen b ond ed to th e n eck. Th e woo d b odi es we re ep oxie d t o t he ne ck a ssem bly. Trav is Bea ns cam e wit h Sch alle r, an d Gr ov er tun ing ma chi nes wer e u sed th ro ug h m ost of the p rod uct ion ye ars , wit h Go to h m ach ine s b eing u sed to war d th e end as well . Mo st Tr avis Bean
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g uita rs and b asse s ca me with br as s nu ts. Knob s a nd switc h h and les wer e v ari ous typ es ( cle ar ,go ld,b lac k,et c) and a ssem bly of the se item s d ep end ed on wha t wa s in st ock a nd on ha nd. The alu min um ne ck d esig n h ad it's f air sh ar e o f cr itici sm. Peop le com pla ine d a bou t t he alu min um exp an din g a nd co ntr ac ting with ch ang es in te mp er atu re , th us cau sing tu nin g p rob lem s. Th ere we re also co mp lain ts a bou t t he ne ck b eing to o cold . Tra vis Bea n t rie d t o c omb at thi s pr ob lem by m akin g a bl ack acr ylic n eck coa tin g st and ar d o n all M od el 5 00 's at som e p oint , a nd op tion al on the Art ist, the Sta nda rd an d the Bass Gu ita rs. Tr avi s Bea n Sa les l iter at ure a rgu ed th at this co atin g gav e t he nec k "th e war mth an d f ee l of a co nve nti ona l g uita r n eck (y ou don 't fe el the woo d, you fe el th e f inis h; t he lacq ue r o r the pa int )." Th e c oat ed ne ck wa s n eve r a re al pop ula r opt ion , m ost pe ople p rob ab ly lik ed to se e t he alu min um ne ck. The Stan da rd Gui tar was th e m ost po pu lar mo de l. It ha d two Tra vis Be an Hum buc ker s, a r ose woo d fr et boa rd with d ot in lays, an d a m agn olia b ody . A ko a w ood bo dy cou ld b e h ad at an ad ded co st. Th e Ar tist was bas ically a St and ar d wit h a car ve d to p (m uch like a Pa ul Re ed Smit h g uit ar) . All Art ist's h ad koa wo od bo dies . The se g uit ar s wer e pr iced h ighe r tha n a ny of the ot he r Tra vis Be an s, in fa ct s ome Tra vis Be an Sales lite ra tur e p oin ts out th at the on ly th ing yo ur ar e p ayi ng extr a for ar e visua l a est het ics. Th e M od el 5 00 had a sim ilar ne ck u nit as the Stan da rd an d t he Artis t, e xcep t it 's for m fact or as it e nte re d t he woo d b od y is so me wha t di ffe ren t t ha n th at of the Sta nd ard a nd the Art ist. The dif fer en ce, no do ub t, d oe sn't a ffe ct s ou nd in a n a dve rse fa shio n. In simp le t er ms, the "n eck- th ru " de sig n o f th e t he 50 0 d oe s no t r eve al itse lf a s it tra vels th rou gh th e b ody to the b rid ge as i t do es with the Sta nd ard a nd the Art ist. Whie l th e Ar tist an d th e St an dar d use d a sym me tric al ES-3 35 sha pe d b od y, t he Mo del -50 0 was s imila r t o a Str ato cas ter . . It had two Tra vis Be an sing le coil picku ps, a n a lum inu m b rid ge (r ath er th an a c hr ome -p lat ed br ass b rid ge) , a nd a plas tic p ickg ua rd. (t he re is a pic tur e o f a
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M ode l 5 00 be low) . Tra vis Be an also ma de a wed ge sha pe d g uita r, a ppr op ria tel y na me d "Th e We dge ". I t wa s b asica lly s hap ed like a Gib son flyin g V, on ly it was tria ng ula r ( no low er "v" n otch ed ou t) , an d symm et rica l as well . Pro du ctio n o f th is m ode l wa s qu ite low , al tho ug h it was ava ilab le f ro m 1 97 5 to 19 79 . In 19 79 pr od uct ion of Tr avi s Bea n g uita rs an d b ass es e nde d. Ove r t ime ad diti ona l in vest or s wer e br oug ht in to h elp with cas h fl ow p ro ble ms. Some o f Bea n's f ina ncia l b acke rs beg an pr es sur ing him to lowe r pr ices and co sts and cu t co rn er s. No t wa nt ing to sacr ifice q uali ty, Be an de cide d to clo se up sho p. Tr avis Bean h ad also be com e d isint ere ste d w ith the ma ny asp ect s of a pro du ctio n o per at ion . I don 't kn ow if a tot al p ro duc tion fig ur e c an be n aile d d own . In a re cen t [la te 19 90 s] Vin tag e G uita r M aga zin e a rtic le b y C. William Kam an II (Ov atio n Guit ars ) p inpo int s th e p ro du ctio n a t 3 650 to ta l, wit h 1 42 2 Sta nd ar ds, 7 55 Ar tist s, 1 02 3 b ass es, 45 Wed ge gu itar s, a nd 36 Wed ge b asse s ( tha t le ave s a bou t 3 70 fo r t he Mo del 50 0 a nd an y m iscel lane ou s a nd pr oto typ e g uita rs tha t m ay ha ve b ee n b uilt) . I 'm no t c onv ince d t ha t pr od uct ion was thi s hig h, h owev er , th ese nu mb er s h ave be en ba cked by Tr av is Bea n h imse lf, and no o ne ha s be en ab le t o o ffe r any inf orm at ion to th e c ont ra ry. Tra vis Be ans wer e e xpe ns ive in th eir d ay. A 19 78 pr ice l ist sh ows the Mo de l 50 0 ret ailin g f or $5 00 , th e St and ar d G uit ar ( late r calle d t he TB1 000 S) g oin g f or $9 95 , a nd the Art ist Gu ita r ( lat er kno wn a s t he TB1 000 A) li stin g fo r $1, 19 5. L eft y mo de ls a dde d ano th er $2 00 to the pr ice . De spite th is h igh pr ice, pr od ucti on cost s we re so high th at in i nte rvie ws, Tra vis Be an ha s ma de no bo ne s a bou t it , h e lo st m on ey on e ver y gu ita r h e b uilt . M ost Tr avis Bea n g uita rs wer e f inish ed in eith er a clea r fin ish on a Ko a o r Ma gno lia bod y o r w ith the op aq ue colo rs o f r ed, bla ck, whit e, a nd cr eam . By far th e mos t co mm on fin ish fo r Sta nd ar ds a nd Art ists i s a clea r a cry lic fi nish . Sinc e m ost of un iqu ene ss o f t he gu itar is actu al the ne ck a ssem bly, an d s ince th e p icku ps m ou nt to the ne ck a nd th e b rid ge doe s a s we ll, a nd th e b ody is lit tle mo re th an a "h an dle" . th e sha pe of the woo d bod y co uld be va rie d
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wit hou t a dd ing mu ch diff icult y to th e f ina l ass emb ly p ro ces s. Du e t o th is " unit " co nst ru ction , c usto m bod y sh ap es woul d h ave be en ea sy to m ake , h owev er Tr avi s dis cou ra ged th e m anu fa ctur e of "cust om " sh ape d guit ar s. The re wer e cust om a ppli cati ons incl udin g som e d ou ble ne ck Tra vis Be ans an d so me lef tha nd ed ver sion s a s we ll. As an asid e, Tr avis Bea n se em to str ive towa rd en sur ing a "pr od uct ion" sho p imag e to th e p ub lic ( as app ose d to a "cu sto m" gui tar sh op) . Evid en ce o f t his i s his re luct an ce t o a cce pt c ust om or der s, a s wel l as ad ver tise men ts and sa les liter at ur e o ffe rin g a d istin ct m od el lin e.
left to right: Wedge, Standard #547 with koa body, Artist #615 back and front (center) missing pick guard with a non-original sunburst finish. Note that the lower horn is shaped differently than the upper horn; Model 500 (far right).
Travis Bean Returns to Guitar Building In 19 98 , Tra vis Be an an no unc ed tha t h e wo uld so on be b uild ing gu itar s a ga in. Th ese gu itar s we re to sh are so me of fin e qua litie s o f h is or igi nal gu itar s, b ut in add itio n, Tr avis Bea n w as t o in cor po ra te som e "n ew ide as". He des ign ed a nd bui lt a fe w pr oto typ es, lau nch ed a bus ine ss, a nd ma de p res s an no un cem en ts. Tr avis Bean co ntr act ed with Ber nie He pne r of Ed en ha us g uit ar s to bu ild the ne w gu ita rs but o nly 9 -1 0 w ere a ctua lly m ad e. Th ese gu ita rs w ere p rice d a t $ 600 0 t o $ 80 00 ea ch, whic h n o d ou bt, acc oun te d fo r the la ck o f b uye r in te res t. Travis Beans Dating and Running Changes
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The re is a lso a q ues tion o f da tin g Tra vis Be an s an d find ing wh en a p ar ticu lar gu ita r wa s m anu fa ctur ed . O bivo usly the se ria l nu mb er go es alo ng way to d et erm ini ng the da te with h ighe r num be rs be ing pr odu ce d la ter in th e ye ar s o f p rod uct ion . Som e dir ecti on can be pr ov ided b y loo kin g a t ch an ges in pro du ctio n a s we ll. Ser ial Num be rs: Ser ial nu mbe rs can be ve ry con fus ing. To d ate ev er y th eor y o r p att er n t hat I've see pu t f ort h h as pr ove n t o b e f lawe d b y ep iric al e vide nce . The fo llowi ng ser ial num be r s che ma m ay r ess em ble som e t ru th, bu t it ha s be en pr ov en to be so me wha t in cor re ct: Se ria l n umb er s a re no t u niqu e num be r a cro ss a ll Tra vis Bea ns. All p ro duc tion m ode l lin es beg an n umb er ing with #1 0. Fo r the Wed ge , th e Ba ss, and th e M ode l-5 00 mo de ls, s er ial n um be rs we re un iqu e for ea ch of th e t hr ee mo de ls. Tha t is to say tha t e ach of th ese th ree m ode ls s tar ted with # 10 an d in cre me nte d u pwa rd as mo de ls we re pr od uce d ( to illust ra te this po int, th er e wa s a Bass # 10, a Mod el- 50 0 # 10 , a nd a We dg e # 10 ). Th ere a re som e Wed ge s n umb er ed hig he r t ha n # 100 0. Arti sts a nd Stan da rd s sh ar ed the sa me po ol o f n um be rs in th e ran ge of #1 0 th ro ug h # 10 00. At # 10 01, th e Ar tist an d th e St an dar d eac h b ega n i ts o wn n um be rin g ( so the re was on ly on e Art ist/ St an dar d #10 00 bu t t her e wer e tw o # 100 1's, on e Sta nd ard a nd one Art ist) . Re gar din g ear ly s eri al n um ber s. I've m en tion ed he re th at p rod uct ion fo r e ach mo de l b ega n a t # 10 , h owe ver ove r the ye ar s se ver al Tr avis Be an s h ave sur fa ced with low er n umb er s. The se mig ht ha ve b ee n p ro tot ype gu ita rs a nd its p ossib le tha t th ey did n't m ake 10 o f ea ch as pro to type s. Ear ly M od el- 50 0's we re also ma nu fac tur ed with ou t th e Imr on co atin g. Th ese wo uld be th e r ar est of all Mod el- 50 0s n umb er ing 20 or le ss. The re was a Tra vis Be an re gist ry in t he late 1 990 s r un by Jo di Sh ap iro . It ha s sin ce disa pp ear ed , b ut pr ior to tha t, I co llect ed all ser ial num be rs and m ode ls f ro m t hat re gist ry. Re cen tly, I fo un d a bo ut 100 fo rm th e o ld reg istr y we re no t in th e a ctive re gis try at www.tr av isbe ang uit ar s.co m. Her e is a list of tho se g uit ar s. Ot he r t han se ria l nu mb er s, Tra vis Be an s ca n b e g en er ally
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d ate d b y p ro duc tion mo de l ch an ges an d m od el in tr odu ctio ns. The Mo de l 50 0's we re no t p ro duc ed un til a ro und la te 197 6, wit h m ost of the m bein g pro du ced fr om 19 77 to 19 78 . Wed ge gu ita rs w ere p rob ab ly n ot mad e muc h p ast 19 77 . Ot he rwise , o the r mod els wer e p ro du ced fr om 19 74 to 197 9. In 19 77 , t he sha pe of the ho rn s o n t he Stan da rd/ Artis t b ody d esig n wa s ch an ge d. The h orn s b eca me lon ge r a nd th e b ody widt h a t t he ar ea of the ho rn s b eca me wide r. Th is h app en ed be twee n Ar tist nu mb er s of 10 97 an d 1 14 5, and o n Sta nd ar d b etwe en 12 15 an d 1 31 5. In 19 78 , t he Stan dar d/ Artis t bo die s b eca me th inne r. By Art ist n um be r 1 02 8 t he thin ne r b od y wa s in use . O n t he Sta nd ard s t he cha ng e o ccur ed so met ime be twe en 13 15 and 1 559 . O ne cou ld s pec tula te th at i t wa s do ne to eit her sa ve we igh t, cu t p ro du ctio n co sts or bo th. Eith er way, a Tr avis Bea n p rio r to this cha ng e wa s 1 -3 /4" thic k an d t he lat er o nes wer e 1 -3 /8" th ick. Th is ch ang e occu re d wit h Ar tist s a nd St an dar ds , I don 't kn ow if th e Ba sses wer e c han ge d. M ost likel y th e M od el 5 00 's wer e c han ge d a s we ll. Som e ear ly Ar tists wer e buil t with Ebo ny fre tb oar ds . Sale s lit era tu re pick ed up at a m usic sto re in ear ly 1 97 6 d escr ibe d t he Artis t a s on ly b ein g a vaila ble wit h a n e bo ny fr et boa rd (i t is likely ea rly Ar tist s we re also d elive re d wit h r ose woo d fr et bo ard s) . In 19 76 -7 7 t he switch wa s ma de to m akin g a ll g uita rs with ro sewo od fr etb oa rd s. An Artis t with a n Ebo ny fr etb oa rd cou ld m ost like ly b e d ate d pri or to 1 977 . Ser ial nu mbe r stam pe d i nto th e h ea d u nit of the gu ita r wh er e m atc hed to se ria l nu mb er s ink ed on the g uita r bod y. The inke d num be r w as wr itt en insid e t he con tr ol c avity , a nd so me time s u nd er the br idg e plat e. Th is wa s th e i nitia l in ten t a nd mo st lik ely h old s tr ue fo r m an y g uita rs, ho wev er p rob lem s m ust ha ve aro se tha t c aus ed pr odu ctio n t o s tra y fr om th is p ra ctice . M any gu ita rs h ave b een fo un d t o h ave m isma tch ed ne ck n umb er an d inke d n um ber s. I d iscov er ed th is wh en I b ou gh t an u nus ed gu itar bo dy seve ra l ye ar s a go. It was said to ha ve bee n a le ft o ver a fte r t he b usin ess shu tdo wn. It was c lea rly an un use d g uita r bod y, h oles ha d n ot be en dr illed fo r t he cavi ty co ver o r t he str ap b utt ons . M any yea rs late r the nu mb er ink ed on my bod y a ppe ar ed in the on line -r eg istr y. I con ta cted th e o wne r, who
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e xpla ine d t hat th is ha d bee n a so ur ce of c onf usio n. My th eo ry is th at as pro du ctio n wa s u nd er way, a f inish ed g uita r b od y wa s fo un d t o h ave fla ws, s o a no the r b od y wa s se lect ed with a d iff ere nt inke d num be r a nd as sem ble d wit h th at bo dy. Th e f lawe d b od y wa s pu t a side . O nce th e o rd er wa s up set , t her e was n o sett ing it s tra igh t. Fre tbo ar ds can fur th er da te Tr avis Bean in th at late r m od els u sed a t wo p iec e f ret bo ard wit h a th inne r ro sewo od fr et boa rd be ing ep oxi ed to a a n a lum inu m " shim " ( this sh im/ fre tbo ar d a ssm eb ly was th en ep oxie d t o t he nec k). An a ddit ion al n ot e, l ate r ( mid -1 97 8) gu itar s d id n ot ha ve the fla t f re tbo ar d f oun d on ear lie r Tra vis Be an s. M ode l 5 00's cha nge d the sha pe of th e p ickg uar d. Ear lier o nes ha ve a p ickgu ar d t ha t ex ten ds to the en d o f t he lowe r h orn ( late r 500 's ro un de d th at po int off be for e re ach ing the h orn . O n la te r 5 00 's the co nto ur of the p ickgu ar d a lon g t he ta il o f th e b rid ge is p ar alle l wit h th e bri dge a nd doe s n ot e xten d fur the r towa rd th e t ail o f t he gui tar un til i t h as cle ar ed the b rid ge. Ear ly 5 00's are a littl e m or e g ra cefu l in th e w ay t he y cu rve pa st t he br idg e ( see th e p ictu re be low) .
I'd also like to ex pre ss t ha t th is d ocu me nt is n ot m ea nt to b e th e fina l wo rd on Tr avi s Bea ns. I've put to ge the r t his in for ma tion b ase d o n wh at I h ave se en, ac cou nts fro m oth er Tra vis Be an own ers , Tra vis Be an Sale s Lit er atu re , a co nve rsa tio n wit h Tra vis Be an , a nd an occ asio na l ar ticle or b lur b in a gui tar ma ga zine . I 've se en pr od uctio n figu re s a nd ta ble s th at con tr adi ct wh at oth er re pr ese nt as bein g "co rr ect ". The re is d ef inite ly d eb ate ab ou t th e fact s a nd h istor y s urr ou nd ing th e Tra vis Be an, ho wev er I d on' t thin k th er e is an y d oub t t hat th ese gu ita rs a re r ema rk able in str ume nt s. People who pla y Travi s Be an gui ta rs He re 's a lis t o f mu sicia ns who eit her h ave be en kno wn to, o r cu rr en tly d o play Tr av is Bea ns. Je rr y Ga rcia p laye d a nd en do rse d Tra vis Be an s ba ck i n th e se ven tie s. The Tr av is Bea n s ale s br osh ur e q uo tes him as sa ying Tra vis Bea ns ar e "t he be st d am n p ro du ctio n g uita rs a nd bas ses in t he wor ld". I've see n p ho tog ra ph s of him p layin g b ot h Ar tists an d Sta nd ar ds, an d th er e w ere a pa ir o f wh ilte Mo del- 50 0s pr odu ced fo r Gar cia ear ly o n. At o ne
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p oint Je rr y Ga rcia 's Arti st # 51 was tak en to a Sa n Fra nsisc o a re a g uit ar sho p t o b e f itte d wit h a sin gle co il b etwe en th e n eck and b rid ge hu mbu cke rs. Th e s hop b adl y d ama ge d t he bo dy i n th er e n ovi ce a tte mp t to se rvic e t he g uita r, so it wa s se nt bac k to th e f acto ry . Ra the r t ha n r epl ace the g uita r, the fa cto ry sen t Ga rci a a re pla cem en t b elie ved to be #7 15 . Bill Wy man of th e Ro llin g Sto ne s pl aye d Tra vis Ba sses . Wym an pla yed a sho rt scale b ass so Tra vis Be an ma de a sh or t r un of less tha n 10 sho rt scale b asse s, g ivin g a co up le t o Wym an an d t he re st we re or de re d b y a sing le g uita r s hop . Whe n a g uita r was b uilt fo r a we ll kn own mu sican , T ra vis Bea n w ould so me time s in scr ibe th e m usici an's n am e o n the in str ume nt . It is b elie ved th at he did th is fo r Kie th Rich ard s a nd Ron Woo d's M ode l-5 00 s, Ro ry Gall egh er 's Mo de l-5 00, a nd Rog er Fis her 's Art ist. Mich ae l Sem be llo a nd Ron nie M ont ro se e ach o rde re d Ar tist s an d Gre g L ake o rde re d a Sta nd ard wit h a coi l spli tte r. Sta nle y Jo rd an pla yed a St and ar d, in f act he so rt of r epo pu lar ized th e g uit ar in the ea rly 19 80's. Per hap s m or e th an an yon e i n p opu lar m usic, Sta nley Jor da n m ad e h is Tra vis Be an ver y p rol ific. Joe Per ry of Ae ro Smith pl aye d Tra vis Be ans , a nd Sl ash ha s a nu mbe r of Tr avis Bean s, o ne spe cifica lly s etu p f or slid e wit h a qu ar ter in ch r ais ed n ut ( ac tua lly Sla sh w as in tr odu ced to th e Tr avis Be an at a Jo e Pe rr y wo rksh op ). In 200 3, I a lmo st f ell o ff the co uch wh en I sa w Jo e Pe rr y pl ayin g a Trav is Bea n w ith a sli de o n "Toy s in the Atti c" in a l ive t ele visio n p er for ma nce on CBS's "Pep si Sm ash " sh ow. Tra vis Be ans exp er ien ced a sur ge in pou lar ity when a few p rol ific g uit ari sts b eg an usin g Tr avis Bean s e xclu sively . Du ane De niso n o f t he Jesu s L izar d play ed a g re en tu rq uo ise St and ar d t hr ou gh ma ny t our s d ur ing th e 1 99 01 994 pe rio d (th e t ur quo ise was a n on -o rig nal colo r) pr ior to g ett ing a s pon sor shi p f rom Ha me r g uita rs . De niso n a lso p laye d a whi te St and ar d w ith non -o rig ina l pic kup s, b ut sold it in t he 19 90 s. L ee Ren ald o o f Son ic Yo uth , a fte r p lay ing Du ane De niso n's, bou gh t o ne an d p lays it liv e. At so me p oint , t wo o f Re na ldo's Be an s we re sto len (# 10 2 a nd #3 75) a nd late r rec ove re d, but as I r eca ll we re ba dly d am ag ed .
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Travis Bean Guitars
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De nsio n wa s in tr odu ced to Tra vis Bea ns via St eve Albin i. De niso n f irst pla yed a Tr avis Bea n wh ile rec or din g wit h Albi ni. Al bini int rod uce d Tr avis Bean s t o a lot of au die nce s th ro ug h st ag e a pp ear an ces with his ba nd Sh ell ac. He a nd b assis t Bob Wes ton pla y M od el- 500 an d TB20 00 s. Pr ior to She llac , m any mu sicia ns w ere in tro du ced to Tr av is Bea ns in Albi ni's r eco rd ing stu dio . In th e e ar ly 1 990 s, St eve Albin i h ad at leas t fi ve Tra vis Be an s. A St and ar d w ith a ko a wo od b ody , a Mo del -50 0, an d t wo c rea m- col ore d We dg es. Joh n o f Six Fin ger Sat ellit e p laye d a we dge g uita r, an d a na tu ral fin ish Artis t, a nd The Post Child re n u sed Trav is Bea ns in th e e ar ly 1 99 0s a s we ll. Per ha ps the fir st u nd er gr oun d or alte rn ati ve- mu sic m usici an to po pu lar ize the Tra vis Bea n was Ke ith Le ven e o f Pu blic Im ag e L imit ed (P.I .L. ) wh o play ed Tr avis Bea n g uita rs in vid eo s an d in co nc ert (a s we ll a s a Ve len o) . Speci fic at ions The se s pec ifica tion s we re ta ken fr om som e e ar ly Tra vis Bea n l iter at ure fr om 19 75 or so . Tra vis Be an cha ng ed the na min g a nd mo de l d esig nat ion sch em e o f h is g uita rs at lea st o nce . Ea rly on, th e Sta nd ar d wa s re fe rr ed to as t he TBSG and th e TCSG, th e Ar tist was r efe rr ed to as the TBAG an d t he TCAG, th e M od el- 500 wa s th e TCDG an d t he bas s wa s th e TBSB an d t he TCSB. "TBxx"'s we re un coa te d n eck mo dels , a nd the "TCxx"'s we re th e i nstr um en ts wit h a cr ylic co at ed nec ks. So me tim e a ro und 1 977 , Tra vis Be an sta rt ed re fer rin g g uit ars in the fo llowin g m ann er : t he TBSG/ TCSG St an dar d bec ame th e TB10 00 Sta nd ard ( TB10 00 S), the T ASG /TACG Art ist b eca me th e TB100 0 Ar tist (TB10 00 A) , t he TBSG/ TBCG Bass bec ame th e TB200 0, an d t he TCDG Mo de l-5 00 be cam e t he TB5 00 Sta nd ard . We dg es we re ad de d t o t he line -u p a s th e T B40 00 Wed ge (t he ba ss), an d the TB3 00 0 We dge ( the gu ita r) . Ot he r m od el d esig na tion sch em es ma y ha ve bee n use d a s we ll, t hes e a re th e o nly t wo I 'v e f oun d doc ume nt atio n a bou t. The Standard, the Artist, the Wedge, and the Model 500 all had the following specifications in 1976: Demensions....39.5" long, 14.5" wide, 2" deep. Scale Length..4.75". Neck .........22 fret, 1 5/8" at nut in early years, 1 1/2" and 1 3/4" widths at the nut were available in later years. Weight........7.5-9 lbs.
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Travis Bean Guitars
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The Standard Bass Guitar and the Wedge Bass Guitar had the following specifications in 1976: Demensions....41.4" long, 14.5" wide, 2" deep. Scale Length..34.5". Neck .........20 fret, 1 5/8" at nut. Weight........7.5-9 lbs. NOTE: Prior to 1978, Travis Beans used bodies that were 1-3/4" thick, after they were 1-3/8" thick.
Other Travis Bean documents: z
Maintenance and Care For a Travis Bean Guitar as prescribed by Travis Bean himself!
The Veleno Guitar Kramer Aluminum Neck Guitars L ast mo difie d (no v 3 , 1 998 ; Au g 1 2, 20 07)
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