Steve Albini with his Travis Bean TB500 guitar Photo: N/A

Travis Bean Guitars manufactured guitars and basses in Sun Valley, California from 1974 to 1979. The Travis Bean factory developed four guitar models (TB1000S, TB1000A, TB3000 and TB500) and two bass models (TB2000 and TB4000) all produced in limited quantities. Both guitars and basses are known for their unique tone and live response.

The leading informational site and resource repository for Travis Bean Guitars, since they are no longer produced, is TravisBeanGuitars.com. The web site contains an interactive database where you can look up specific instruments by their model and stamped serial number. The site also has is an active user community where you can ask questions and communicate with other fans/owners of the guitar.

Travis Bean guitars are equally sought after by vintage guitar collectors as well as musicians looking for the specific "Bean" tone. Due to the limited number of guitars and basses produced the cost of the instruments are slowly on the rise and are generally hard to come by.