Travis Bean :: TB1000S Standard
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Score: 9.8 |
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11/03/2006 at 3:20 PM |
by Andrew Wiggins
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Durability:
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Tone:
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Playability:
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Craftsmanship:
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Overall:
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| Purchased New: |
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no |
| Date Acquired: |
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10/25/06 |
| Price: |
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$600 |
| Name: |
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Andrew Wiggins |
| Email: |
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N/A |
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Style of Music: Current band is Rock and Roll. Band on temporary hiatus (Blame Game) is instrumental with emphases on Free Improvisation, Beefheartian melodies, and general guitar noodlery. Kinda like Polvo covering Tim Berne with guitars.
Comments: I bought TB1000s #914 for $600 (actually, I traded a 70's Ibanez Musician and a Kramer aluminum neck for it) from Sam Ash in Atlanta, GA. The guitar store goons had no idea what it was, or how much they are worth. Lucky me!
I probably shouldn't write this review until I have gigged or toured with this guitar, but I'm so excited about it I couldn't wait... The first thing that hit me about this guitar when I played it through "real" amps (as opposed to "'guitar store" amps) was the tone. I can't put my finger on it exactly, but it's just plain perfect. With every pickup combination. The bridge PU has awesome crunch and extended high-end response as compared to my Kramer - you can really hear the "metal", it seems. Thats the only way I can describe it. The middle position wasn't too muddy, had this really nice "middle position" sound that I love. The neck side sounded great, too - not too dark, not too muddy. The sound is the epitome of the balance between "beef" and "smoov". I played it simultaneously through a solid-state Dean Markley Spectra bass head to a Peavey Black Widow 15, and an old 50w tube Silvertone head into a cab loaded with vintage 30's - not my normal rig, but it sounded really great. I normally play through an Ampeg V-4b into a 4x12 with 100w Weber Michigan 12's.
Believe it or not, it's lighter than my Kramer aluminum was - I love heavy guitars, anyway. The neck is more comfortable, though I've been used to wider fretboards, so it tooks some adjusting. It simply feels more "solid" than my Kramer. As far as durability goes, I have a feeling I can heave this motherfucker against a wall and do more damage to the house than the guitar itself. Haven't tried that yet, though.
My only beef is it's having trouble staying in tune, but I have a strong feeling that's due to the .10 guage strings that are presently on it. I've just switched from 10's to 11-54's, but I haven't had a chance to throw a set of thicker strings on it yet.
It has a red lacquer finish (original?) that someone apparently tried to sand off, and it's missing the pick guard, but these are no problems to me. Guitars are meant to be played, not looked at.
I can't wait to tour with this thing!
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