In 1996 I saw Steve Albini and Bob Weston playing guitars with Ts cut in the headstock. I was fixated on the look and on the sound. I've never seen Shellac prior, and I definitely haven't seen guitars like these before. Suddenly, my Les Paul looked inferior. Cruising around doing research on my Win95 computer, I started seeing mention of Travis Beans and Shellac. I confirmed that the guitars I saw... were Travis Beans. The quest begins.

In 1998 I saw that Travis Beans were coming out. Re-issues. Expensive. I was interested, but for some reason, I wanted the older ones.

In 2000 I purchased my first Bean. I still regard this Bean as the best Bean I've ever held. The best Bean I've ever seen. It's just a Standard, but there is something special about it. I remember buying it on eBay. Never held one prior. Never played one prior. Buyer's remorse was already setting in. I remember my wife calling me telling me the UPS dropped it off at the house. I left work to see this thing. My wife was standing next to me while I opened the guitar case. It was a very Raiders-of-the-Lost-Ark moment. I swear light came out of the case. I remember saying.. Hooooly Shiiiit. My wife looked at it and she was floored. I've never seen anything like it, and to see it in my hand was special. You can feel the craftsmanship. You can feel the durability.

In 2001 I started TravisBeanGuitars.com. It became a home for serials and photos; a place to see other Beans.

In 2008 Rick 'Obe' Oblinger passed away. He was a major piece of the Travis Bean puzzle and helped make those guitars what they are today, and I felt a piece of Bean history was lost. So I started a new quest; the quest to find the personal stories behind the guitars. The concept of the Travis Bean documentary was born and that journey began. That eventually led to Travis Bean himself. Many phone calls and hours of video were shot. A friendship developed. Travis and I stayed in touch regularly via phone. Conversations would go well beyond the Bean guitar and into normal life conversations. Goings on, family, his illness, etc. we talked about everything.

July, 10 2011 - Travis Bean sadly passed away this morning in Burbank, California. It's been a hard day for me and an especially hard day for his wife Rita and the Bean family. It's a huge loss in the guitar world, but that loss is nothing compared to what Travis offered as a friend and husband. He helped design a fantastic instrument, but I'll always think about our friendship.

Rest In Peace

Travis Bean

Aug. 21, 1947 - Jul. 10, 2011

Today is a good day to play your Bean....

Phew... working on the Bean site is hard work. Why not buy me a beer so I can cool off? If this site has been helpful in finding or selling your Bean, or increased your knowledge of this great guitar/bass, how about buying me a beer? (Suggested: $3 a beer or $7.50 for a pitcher)



Submitted on 07/10/2011 at 1:41 PM

Submitted on 07/10/2011 at 1:41 PM Read | Comments: 2

I'm really excited to announce the project that myself and a few others have been heavily involved in for the most part of 2008. We've been flying to southern California and Nevada shooting interviews for a Travis Bean documentary! During this time we were able to locate most of the employees that worked at the shop. Having a chance to interview them on video has been a great privledge and honor, and we're extremely excited to complete the project and get it out to the world.

In the meantime, we've created a separate site dedicated to the documentary itself. At this site we will keep you informed on production progress and eventually provide some trailers and sample footage. Please visit TravisBeanMovie.com!

At this point we're about half way through completion. We have completed Phase I which included employee interviews and company background. Phase II will focus on the musician perspective, and we'll be starting that shortly.

We were fortunate to interview quite a few employees including the great Travis Bean himself. Everyone has been extremely open with their stories and homes, and their pride and enthusiasm of being a part of this instrument shows very clearly. Everyone believed that they were building the best instrument at the time, and everyone put their hearts and souls into each instrument that left the shop.



Submitted on 01/24/2009 at 6:16 PM

Comments: 0

Trying to keep up with the times and riding the social networking wave, I created a FaceBook 'page' for Travis Bean Guitars. If you have a FaceBook account, become a fan and join! You can view the FaceBook page here.

Regarding other site news, I'm in the middle of new updates/features for the site. I know I've been saying this for awhile but a few enhancements are almost ready to be integrated to the site, so keep you eyes open for that. Also, I'll be announcing a large project in the works as well.



Submitted on 01/23/2009 at 1:17 PM

Comments: 0

It's been a while since I've posted anything, so thought it was about time. I still have some plans for future features for the Bean site, including a Video page, where we can post Bean sitings on YouTube, comment and rate them here. Another idea I've been toying with is a music review section or contribution section where bands and artists can showcase their Bean soaked riffs. If you have any ideas, please post them here, I'd love to hear what you guys might be interested in.

2007 has turned out to be a pretty exciting year for Beans. Prices have soared, debates about pricing, history and legends have cropped up in the forum. All in all, a very enjoyable year to be a Bean freak. I just wanted to say a special thanks to all of those that have contributed and most importantly to those that have helped people find Beans for the Bean-less folks out there.

I also wanted to say thanks to the people out there that have contributed to the "Beer Fund". I actually buy beer with it.. no foolin'! It is very much appreciated! The Bean site has been a passion of mine over the years, and I know some of you have been around since it launched those many years ago.

I've just been contacted by Guitar Center, and they're currently offering free shipping on orders ofr $49 or more. Might be a good time to stock up on some guitar/bass supplies. To take advantage of this, enter the following Coupon Code at check out -- GC49 . This will end on 11/27/2007, so jump on it. Free shipping over $49 at GuitarCenter.com

So stay tuned for upcoming changes. Hopefully, I'll have some new areas to report in the next few weeks to a month!



Submitted on 11/18/2007 at 3:03 PM

Comments: 0