|
 TRAVIS BEAN |
| HISTORY: PART III |
| Throughout the production there were several significant changes that took place. The first change was that the horns of the guitars and basses were widened. This was around mid-1977. This was a suggestion from Rothchild Distributing and it was felt that this would improve playability and sales. An estimate is that this took place on Artists around #1100, Standards #1250, and Basses #440. The second change is that the bodies were made thinner by .375 in. This is estimated to have taken place around #1200 on Artists, #1400 on Standards, and #580 on Basses and was probably phased in around the first part of 1978. The third change was that the fingerboards went to a two piece construction. This took place just about the same time as the thinner bodies. Initially, the fingerboard was rosewood (although some early guitars had ebony; they also experimented with phenolic) and was a standard thickness. The center portion of the neck under the fingerboard was machined away to make it lighter. There was a rib left down the middle to support the fingerboard. On the later version the fingerboard was again rosewood, but half the thickness it had been previously. A thin piece of aluminum was added under the fingerboard to bring the fingerboard assembly back to standard thickness. On these guitars the center rib was not left in the middle of the neck since the aluminum underlay would fully support the wood. Also in 1978, a slight radius was introduced to the fingerboard. Up until this they had all been flat like a classical guitar (except for the prototype bass [#0] which has a seven-degree radius). The fourth change that took place around mid-1977 was the coating of the necks. One of the constant complaints about Travis Beans was that the necks felt "cold" and some found them objectionable (it's a good thing that these complainers didn't play saxophones!). In response to this the company introduced the option of a black Imron coated neck. Imron is a heavy duty automobile enamel. It was felt that this heavy finish would make the necks feel slightly warmer, and since it was a spray-on finish it would be more like a standard guitar neck. This was an option on any guitar or bass (and as mentioned, pretty much a standard on the 500 series). There was another small change in the machining of the aluminum piece in the body of the guitars. Approximately the first 300 TB1000 guitars made had the aluminum section in the body cavity machined from the side to take out the weight. The middle of the aluminum was cut completely away so there was a back section, visible at the back of the guitar; and a top section, which the pickups sat on. The rear most portion of the extension under the bridge was left solid. This was then glued into the body after it was finished. From around serial number 300, on the body section of the aluminum was machined from the top which created a "U" shaped channel under the guitar top and pickups. The rear end portion under the bridge was again solid. The improvement in this design was that it created a much more rigid structure in the body of the guitar, plus it allowed the body to be screwed to the neck extension by two wood screws through the walls of the "U" channel under the front pickup. Those two screws plus the three that fasten the bridge to the aluminum through the wood body are all that hold it together. This design made it much easier to remove the neck should it need work or work on the body. The pickups sat directly on either side of the "U" channel and were held in place by allen screws mounted from the rear. The serial number of the guitar is stamped onto the face of the peghead just above the nut. It was also stamped into the aluminum under the neck pickup. On some it was also written on the bottom of the "U" channel. It was written on the body in two places: the interior of the control cavity, and in the space between the pickups on the inside. On the painted bodies the number in the control cavity was often painted over, and therefore not visible. It is interesting to note that bass #477 has body #478 so either bass #478 has #477 body or the #477 body had a problem and they just used the next body on the assembly line. This does prove that necks and bodies are interchangeable. Where is Travis Bean today? By the time the company was sold at auction, Travis had his fill of production headaches, Music Industry BS, and demanding visits from the Taxmen. He took some time off. Being a tinkerer at heart, and someone who is happier using his hands and building things, he eventually began work building sets for the movie studios (which he continues to do today). His personal interest in music has stayed strong, and he has kept playing - focusing mostly on his drumming. Being true to his machinist/designer/tinker side, he has also developed a new style of rack setup for drums that allows for fast set-up and tear-down. So the answer is, Travis is alive and well and still playing in California (source: C. William Kaman, II, President [Kaman Music Corporation], May 6, 1994) |