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TRAVIS BEAN: 1000s
Circa - 1979

Travis Bean 1000s-Sun Valley, CA 2 humbucking pickups, electric guitar, 1978, natural finish, Koa, double cutaway This is a symmetrical double cutaway, solid body Travis Bean made in Sun Valley, California, circa 1979. It features a natural finish on a body made of Koa wood, two metal, high gain, humbucking pickups with "Travis Bean" etched on each, a silver, chromed metal pickguard and back plate, a brass nut, an aluminum headstock with the cut-out "T" logo, a patented, aluminum neck, a metal, three-way adjustable bridge/tailpiece with six individually adjustable saddles, and two metal strap pins. This Travis Bean 1000s, the "s" is for Standard, looks lovely and sounds superb. Only 1422 of the 1000s were produced. With its fast action, it is a joy to play and it looks as if it's almost new. This guitar will be appreciated by players and collectors. It comes with an original hardshell case. Get this fantastic instrument before someone else does.Description from VintageSilvertones.com

CONDITION:
This guitar is in good condition and 100% original. It is very clean except for a few very minor, barely noticeable blemishes mentioned here in the interest of full disclosure. There is one circular spot that is slightly lighter than the rest of the body on which a sticker or decal may have been place and then cleanly removed after some time. There is some arm playing wear on the lower bass bout. There are also about six small, minor surface dings to the finish on the front, and about five on the sides, including two tiny lines of crazing and about two or three on the back. There are also a a few very minor, nearly invisible, scratches on the back that do not even penetrate the finish. One dark line extends from the bass cutaway down the body to the bridge level. This is part of the natural flame of the wood and not a crack or any sort of wear. All the electronics work properly and the instrument sounds great.
Description from VintageSilvertones.com

TUNERS:
The all original, six, closed back, individual Schaller tuners with metal buttons function smoothly and are in good working order.
Description from VintageSilvertones.com

NECK:
It has a straight neck, made of precision machined 6061 T6 aluminum, attached to the body in a neck-through fashion, in the back by four hex bolts. The strings are attached to the bridge by going through the part of the neck that extends into the middle back of the body. There are 22 frets on a rosewood fingerboard with aluminum dot inlays, a 24.5" scale and a brass nut. There is a tiny bit of wear on the first fret and some wear on the rosewood there that does not effect the playablity of the instrument. The aluminum neck was designed to give the guitar great sustain and ridgity, eliminating warping, twisting, breaking and dead spots. The aluminum, "T" cut-out, headstock has no wear. The action is fast and the neck feels good to play.

PICKUP:
There are two metal, "Travis Bean" etched, humbucking pickups. The neck pickup has a smooth, bright, clean, rich, full, sound. The bridge is full, clean, bright and edgy. There are four black, plastic, knobs numbered around their sides: one volume and one tone for each pickup. There is also a toggle to switch to neck, bridge or both pickups. Using the controls, the player can achieve a wide variety of tones suitable for a myriad of musical styles. The pots are clean and in good condition. All guitar electronics work properly.

DIMENSIONS:
    Overall length: 37.5"Description from VintageSilvertones.com
    Body width: 14.5"
    Body thickness: 1 3/8 (1 5/8" with neck)
    Scale: 24.5"Description from VintageSilvertones.com
    Width of the nut: 1 5/8" (depth 7/8")
    String height at 12th fret: 1/16"
Description from VintageSilvertones.com

Here's the original description from the 1976 Travis Bean catalog:

WE STARTED OUT WITH A NECK THAT WOULDN'T WARP AND WOUND UP WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENT IN THE ELECTRIC GUITAR SINCE THE 1930's. On a solid body electric guitar, all sound comes from the string. The principle behind the Travis Bean guitar is a logical progression in the theory that gave us the solid body electric guitar in the first place.Description from VintageSilvertones.com
RIGIDITY The more rigid the surface over which the string is stretched, the longer it will vibrate (sustain) and the less it is affected by feedback. Wood, in comparison to a harder, more dense material, acts like a sponge, soaking up vibration. And its lack of consistency from piece to piece has led many a musician on a never ending search for a guitar that is free from dead spots or overtones, not to mention distortion and coloration of the string signal that is produced. RESONANCE: But aluminum, first chosen because it was durable, didn't solve all the problems for us. A solid ingot of harder material also robs vibration due to its mass. The ideal material and answer to the dilemma is a material that is durable enough not to warp, twist or break, but resonant enough so that just pure string tone without coloration is produced. That is why we hollowed out the base of the Travis Bean neck assembly and tapered it to form just a chasis for the length of the string. THE ANSWER The aluminum alloy used on the Travis Bean guitar was only part of the answer. The rest was in the resulting light weight neck and receiver assembly forming a rigid link between the tuning machines and the bridge. When the strings are attached, a complete vibration connection is achieved. It is this patented chassis that makes the Travis Bean guitar what it is: an instrument that has become the most dramatic breakthrough in electric guitar technology in fifty years.

TO SAY "IT'S ANOTHER GUITAR" IS AN INJUSTICE
DIMENSIONSDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
TB 1000 and 500: 39 1/2" long. 14 1/2" wide. 2" deep.
BODYDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
Hawaiian Koa woodDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
Hand rubbed lacquer finishDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
NECK AND RECEIVER
Precision machined 6061 T6 Aluminum TB 1000, 500 and 3000.
FINGERBOARDDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
Rosewood fingerboardDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
Artist pattern mother of pearl on TB 1000 Artist and TB3000 Wedge
Dot side position markersDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
Jumbo fretsDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
Solid brass nutDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
BRIDGE
3 way adjustableDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
6 individually adjustable bridge pieces
PICKUPS
TB 1000, TB 3000: Two high gain Humbucking design
CONTROLS
TB 1000, TB 2000, TB 3000, TB 4000: individual and independent volume and tone control for each pickup
COLORSDescription from VintageSilvertones.com
Natural, ebony black, white and red. Specifications subject to change without notice.Description from VintageSilvertones.com

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Travis Bean 1000s-Sun Valley, CA 2 humbucking pickups, electric guitar, 1978, natural finish, Koa, double cutaway
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