1977 Travis Bean TB1000A
BY CHRIS KIES
In;1974,;machinist;and;all-around-tinkerer Travis;Bean;partnered;with;Marc;McElwee
and;Gary;Kramer;(who;left;in;’ 75;to;start;his
own;company);to;begin;Travis;Bean;Guitars.
The;trio’s;mission;was;to;focus;on;high-end;electric;guitars;and;basses;made;with
machined-aluminum;necks;rather;than;wood.
Considering;the;company;was;active
between;1974;and;’ 79;and;only;constructed
around;3600;guitars;and;basses,;Travis;Bean
guitars;were;used;by;some;pretty;prolific
hands—particularly;the;TB1000;models.
Ronnie;Wood;and;Keith;Richards;each;used
TB1000s;(a;TB1000A;and;a;custom;5-string
TB1000A,;respectively);during;their;1979
New;Barbarians;tour,;Brian;Robertson;played
his;TB1000A;during;Thin;Lizzy’s;glory;days,
and;Jerry;Garcia;was;often;seen;onstage;with
his;custom;TB1000A;and;TB500;models.
The;guitar;showcased;here;is;a;1977
TB1000A.;Its;double-cutaway;koa;body
has a natural finish and is connected to the
Reynolds;T6061;aluminum;neck;with;four
wood;screws.;The;patented;aluminum;neck-to-bridge;design;gives;Bean’s;guitars;their
incomparable;tone;and;impressive;sustain.
In;1977,;the;company;reworked;its;body-
chambering;technique;to;remove;some;alu-minum from the top instead of the side. The
aluminum;inside;this;guitar’s;wood;body;was
machined;to;create;a;U-shaped;channel;that
provided a more rigid structure and also light-ened;the;guitar;a;bit.;However,;this;alumi-num-wood;hybrid;still;tops;the;scale;at;almost
10;pounds.;Other;features;include;a;rosewood
fretboard;with;large,;pearl-dot;inlays,;original
custom;humbuckers;with;engraved;chrome
covers, and original hardware, tuners, pots,
and capacitors.
A special thanks to Jeff Sadler of Rock N Roll
Vintage Guitars ( rocknrollvintage.com) in
Chicago for the opportunity to feature this fine
instrument and its story.
Have an axe that would make a great Guitar of
the Month? Then email pics and your instrument’s
story to us at gotm@premierguitar.com.
