1974 Travis Bean TB1000A Koa Aluminum Neck Vintage Guitar, 100% Original w/ Ebony Board, Case
$9,999.99
$9,999.99
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Up for sale, a 1974 Travis Bean TB1000A (Artist) in excellent, 100% original condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original hardshell case. The brainchild of former motocross racer and general tinkerer Clifford Travis Bean, in collaboration with guitar tech Marc McElwee and Gary Kramer (who would soon depart the company to begin his own eponymous brand), Travis Bean Guitars were produced from 1974-79, featuring Bean’s decidedly unique aluminum neck-to-bridge design. Intended to increase neck stability and sustain, the aluminum neck/centerblock gives these instruments a decidedly powerful and distinct resonance, and the proprietary high-output humbuckers take full advantage of those qualities. Hailing from the very first year of production and boasting a particularly low two-digit serial number, this Artist model features a carved Hawaiian koa body with a nitro lacquer finish and thick slab rosewood fretboard with pearl block inlays.
Metering 10.5k ohms at both the neck and bridge positions, the (sporting what Bean describes as “massive base magnet structures”) proprietary pickups are big and bold-sounding. They're harmonically dense with loads of treble attack and detail, offering a distinct clarity and percussiveness even under the heaviest gain and with drop tunings. As such, Travis Beans have been played by artists as diverse as Jerry Garcia and Melvins’ Buzz Osborne. Weighing 9lbs 15oz, this TB1000A has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
Neck Specs:
-Material: Reynold 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum (precision-rolled, narrow chambers machined for weight reduction)
-Shape: Slender C, measuring .780” 1st fret, .890” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony, 22-fret, pearl block inlays
-Frets: Medium jumbo, leveled/crowned, light wear beneath the G string on fret 7
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 ½”, brass
-Tuners: Schaller
-Serialization: Two-digit stamp on peghead dates to ‘74
Body Specs:
-Wood: Koa
-Pickups: Humbucker x2 (10.5k ohms)
-Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2, three-way pickup selector
-Harness: CTS pots date to 1970 and ‘72, Sprague Orange Drop tone caps
-Hardware: Six-saddle bridge, “Travis Bean”-stamped pickup covers, pickguard (chrome-plated)
-Plastics: Black speed knobs, switch tip
The gloss nitro lacquer finish (“25 handrubbed coats of aircraft specification lacquer,” according to the catalog) is 100% original with no touch-up or overspray, exhibiting shallow buckle wear on the back along with some light texturing in the clear coat (also on the bass side of the back) from contact with the case lining. There are also some small finish chips, nicks and scuffs on the body as a whole.
The original hardshell case is included.
Metering 10.5k ohms at both the neck and bridge positions, the (sporting what Bean describes as “massive base magnet structures”) proprietary pickups are big and bold-sounding. They're harmonically dense with loads of treble attack and detail, offering a distinct clarity and percussiveness even under the heaviest gain and with drop tunings. As such, Travis Beans have been played by artists as diverse as Jerry Garcia and Melvins’ Buzz Osborne. Weighing 9lbs 15oz, this TB1000A has been professionally setup here at Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar with 10-46 strings, low action, and accurate intonation.
Neck Specs:
-Material: Reynold 6061-T6 aircraft-grade aluminum (precision-rolled, narrow chambers machined for weight reduction)
-Shape: Slender C, measuring .780” 1st fret, .890” 12th fret
-Fretboard: Ebony, 22-fret, pearl block inlays
-Frets: Medium jumbo, leveled/crowned, light wear beneath the G string on fret 7
-Scale Length: 24 3/4”
-Nut: 1 ½”, brass
-Tuners: Schaller
-Serialization: Two-digit stamp on peghead dates to ‘74
Body Specs:
-Wood: Koa
-Pickups: Humbucker x2 (10.5k ohms)
-Controls: Volume x2, Tone x2, three-way pickup selector
-Harness: CTS pots date to 1970 and ‘72, Sprague Orange Drop tone caps
-Hardware: Six-saddle bridge, “Travis Bean”-stamped pickup covers, pickguard (chrome-plated)
-Plastics: Black speed knobs, switch tip
The gloss nitro lacquer finish (“25 handrubbed coats of aircraft specification lacquer,” according to the catalog) is 100% original with no touch-up or overspray, exhibiting shallow buckle wear on the back along with some light texturing in the clear coat (also on the bass side of the back) from contact with the case lining. There are also some small finish chips, nicks and scuffs on the body as a whole.
The original hardshell case is included.
