Travis Bean & other aluminium guitars

[benadrian]

I'll answer for Ben, as I have been reading on the EGC guitars ('cause I really, really want one, it's only a matter of time and money). They're all neck through like TBs. Some have wooden bodies, others have metal bodies but, in most of their guitars, the neck, pups and bridge are all on the same chunk of metal. The body is connected to the neck-through section in a way that doesn't dampen things.

Keep in mind that EGC is pretty much a custom shop, you can ask them to do pretty much anything.

Is that right, Ben?

Yep, totally correct. The neck is machined out of one piece of aluminum. Then the bridge, pickups, nut, frets, and tuning pegs are all connected to that piece on metal. The neck is connected to a back plate, and then the back plate screws into a wooden body.

For the fully aluminum guitars, the body is two pieces, front and back. The neck attaches to the back, and then the front clamps on to the back. There is an effort to minimize acoustic coupling from the neck to the body. The result is that acoustic energy from the strings isn't absorbed by a resonating body as much as it is on a wooden guitar, and that translates into faster attack and longer sustain. In fact, it is sometimes too much for me, especially considering that I played a Jag almost all the time for at least five years.

EGC has standard models, but Kevin will do pretty much anything.
For instance


Also, Kevin became friends with Travis Bean near the end of his life, and maintains a friendship with Travis's widow Rita. In fact, EGC #500 was auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to the Bean family after Travis's death.

[Monkeytrick]

That's the kind of guitar I have in mind... Beautiful!

I'm getting some really serious GAS on Kevin's guitars... I think I'll e-mail for some info on an aluminium offset - that would be my dream guitar right now.

And thanks for the very detailed info, Ben. In your opinion, what kind of single coil pickup are EGC's most similar to?

[benadrian]

That's the kind of guitar I have in mind... Beautiful!

I'm getting some really serious GAS on Kevin's guitars... I think I'll e-mail for some info on an aluminium offset - that would be my dream guitar right now.

And thanks for the very detailed info, Ben. In your opinion, what kind of single coil pickup are EGC's most similar to?

I had a talk with Kevin a couple years ago (while waiting in line for the bathroom at a music fest in 2010, actually). He said that the magnets, wire gauge, and bottom plate make them similar to a tele bridge pickup, however the number of turns is more similar to a P-90. I'd say it's probably 75/25 tele to P-90 ratio, to be incredibly unscientific about it. Pickups are RWRP by default.

When I got my guitar, Kevin had it wired like a Travis Bean 500. By this I mean that the tone control came off the wiper of the volume pot, as opposed to leg 3 (the lug opposite of ground). Also, there were 500k pots. I found this a little brash all around. I put in 250k pots and wired it like a tele; with the tone knob coming before the volume knob. I find this much more agreeable to my taste. Plenty of people love the stock wiring, though.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Ben, have you played a EGC guitar with their humbuckers? How do they sound? I think TB humbuckers were like Fender Wide Range on steroids, and I'm wondering if EGC did something similar to their HBs.

[benadrian]

Ben, have you played a EGC guitar with their humbuckers? How do they sound? I think TB humbuckers were like Fender Wide Range on steroids, and I'm wondering if EGC did something similar to their HBs.

I've played a humbuckered guitar a few times, however it was never in a setting where I could make a solid judgement call. It was either through my champ at a lower volume, or through a POD into studio monitors.

I remember they seemed to have more highs than a traditional humbucker, and they seemed less compressed. That may be from the pickup, or that may be from the construction of the guitar.

In short, they sounded nice to me, and a bit more open. That's all I can say with confidence.

[jimboyogi]

Ben, have you played a EGC guitar with their humbuckers? How do they sound? I think TB humbuckers were like Fender Wide Range on steroids, and I'm wondering if EGC did something similar to their HBs.

IIRC the TB humbuckers were actual Fender WRHB, just housed under a custom cover.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Ben, have you played a EGC guitar with their humbuckers? How do they sound? I think TB humbuckers were like Fender Wide Range on steroids, and I'm wondering if EGC did something similar to their HBs.

I've played a humbuckered guitar a few times, however it was never in a setting where I could make a solid judgement call. It was either through my champ at a lower volume, or through a POD into studio monitors.

I remember they seemed to have more highs than a traditional humbucker, and they seemed less compressed. That may be from the pickup, or that may be from the construction of the guitar.

In short, they sounded nice to me, and a bit more open. That's all I can say with confidence.

Thanks, that's good to know. I've been daydreaming about my future EGC guitar, and I was considering the whole humbucker vs. single coils thing. I think I'll go humbucker.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Ben, have you played a EGC guitar with their humbuckers? How do they sound? I think TB humbuckers were like Fender Wide Range on steroids, and I'm wondering if EGC did something similar to their HBs.

IIRC the TB humbuckers were actual Fender WRHB, just housed under a custom cover.

Really? I didn't know that. I thought they were their own design, similar to a WRHB but with more output.

[nrs24985]

Ben, have you played a EGC guitar with their humbuckers? How do they sound? I think TB humbuckers were like Fender Wide Range on steroids, and I'm wondering if EGC did something similar to their HBs.

IIRC the TB humbuckers were actual Fender WRHB, just housed under a custom cover.

That's a pretty persistent rumour, can't vouch for it though, they certainly are nice and unique pickups. As a side note to this, Lee Ranaldo is a big fan of TBs and owns a few and I know he has commented multiple times in interviews just how great the pickups are, and how much they sound like WRs.

Also in regard to EGC, Kevin does a lot of great work with plexiglass guitars. One day I aim to get a plexiglass jaguar made by him. But as others have noted, the great thing about EGC is the fact that Kevin can and will do pretty much anything you can think of. I don't know if this is true in many places in the states, but here in Australia, I'm in brisbane, EGCs have gained a bunch of momentum in the crowd of musicians I am friends with, a good handful have them and even more have ordered one. Like I suggested in my previous post, if the OP knows anyone who has one give it a play and see how you feel about it.

[nrs24985]

Ben, have you played a EGC guitar with their humbuckers? How do they sound? I think TB humbuckers were like Fender Wide Range on steroids, and I'm wondering if EGC did something similar to their HBs.

I've played a humbuckered guitar a few times, however it was never in a setting where I could make a solid judgement call. It was either through my champ at a lower volume, or through a POD into studio monitors.

I remember they seemed to have more highs than a traditional humbucker, and they seemed less compressed. That may be from the pickup, or that may be from the construction of the guitar.

In short, they sounded nice to me, and a bit more open. That's all I can say with confidence.

Sounds like they might be modelled after the TB humbuckers, as that is exactly how I would describe them. Also if you have a particular humbucker or single coil pickup you favour, Kevin would be able to source and install it.

[Harvester]

hey, just found this thread.
i've been a bit scarce around here lately ...

so, err ... here's my life story in aluminium

saw shellac in 92 or 93 in melbourne ( collingwood town hall ) supporting fugazi ... that was a fine night of rock and roll right there.

discovered a few beans in melbourne over the next year, a 6 string 'wedge' for $299 ( the sticker said 'make an offer' ) an albini model for something like $899 ( both repainted weirdly ) then a friend rang to say he'd seen a bean at a shop. it was my ( thick bodied ... 10 lb 8 oz ) koa standard 1000s #328 ... for $480 i rang to 'hold' it and spent the rent money on it. i guess i wanted the one that looks like a guitar !



it had a shorted neck pickup with a very low output, i played it for a year or so with that dead pickup as a ghostly 'special effect' - probably should have left it alone, but had it 'fixed' and rewound. the pickups are fender factory WRHBs - glorious.

i lent it to a bandmate ( i was the bass player, his les paul had been stolen from a party gig ) we played & toured with it in a crappy maton cardboard guitar case for 6 years or so and it got pretty 'used' looking. i eventually found a kramer alloy neck for him to wreck so i could get travis back.

everything that has 'bean' said about the sound is true for sure - i will add that i can hear harmonics from the 'behind the hand' end of the neck ( the fred frith harmonics ) ghosting over chords - especially if a track is soloed in a studio. if you play a chord and tap the headstock with a steel slide or even your knuckles you unleash amazing ringing overtones that also include those neck harmonics.

anything you've read about the neck going out of tune due to temperature fluctuations is bullshit, all instruments do that, all working musicians deal with it, the bean reacts pretty much the same from sound check to stage lights as any other guitar.

i saw a wandre for the first time in the same library book ( tony bacon - ultimate guitar ) that i probably saw the bean in - and when http://www.fetishguitars.com appeared ( in italian ) about 10 years ago i saw a whole lot more of them. seemed like an interesting project - to try to replicate his thru-neck system.

my antonio prototype seems to have have more in common sonically with beans and egc's due to the solid 6061 core of the neck ( from tuners to bridge with only a lap joint and 4 stainless machine screws to interrupt the flow ) they get a similar ring and harmonic complexity but the left hand feel is mostly wood - from the radiused edge of the wraparound fretboard - and i can make them lighter.

http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/vie ... =8&t=61983

the next 2 are going to OSGers which is cool and i'll be posting more on them soon.

EGC's are amazing but make sure you know what neck thickness you're getting, he makes some of them crazy thin. his prices are truly astounding for what he delivers !

+ i saw on facebook that obstructures has just got delivery of a batch of these too !



AP

[PorkyPrimeCut]

+ i saw on facebook that obstructures has just got delivery of a batch of these too !



AP

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just get the brakes fixed?

[Monkeytrick]

so, err ... here's my life story in aluminium

saw shellac in 92 or 93 in melbourne ( collingwood town hall ) supporting fugazi ... that was a fine night of rock and roll right there.

discovered a few beans in melbourne over the next year, a 6 string 'wedge' for $299 ( the sticker said 'make an offer' ) an albini model for something like $899 ( both repainted weirdly ) then a friend rang to say he'd seen a bean at a shop. it was my ( thick bodied ... 10 lb 8 oz ) koa standard 1000s #328 ... for $480 i rang to 'hold' it and spent the rent money on it. i guess i wanted the one that looks like a guitar !

it had a shorted neck pickup with a very low output, i played it for a year or so with that dead pickup as a ghostly 'special effect' - probably should have left it alone, but had it 'fixed' and rewound. the pickups are fender factory WRHBs - glorious.

i lent it to a bandmate ( i was the bass player, his les paul had been stolen from a party gig ) we played & toured with it in a crappy maton cardboard guitar case for 6 years or so and it got pretty 'used' looking. i eventually found a kramer alloy neck for him to wreck so i could get travis back.

everything that has 'bean' said about the sound is true for sure - i will add that i can hear harmonics from the 'behind the hand' end of the neck ( the fred frith harmonics ) ghosting over chords - especially if a track is soloed in a studio. if you play a chord and tap the headstock with a steel slide or even your knuckles you unleash amazing ringing overtones that also include those neck harmonics.

Thanks for sharing! Beautiful guitar ( ) and very interesting information. And seeing both Shellac and Fugazi live should have been mindblowing... I saw Shellac last year and rarely have I seen such energy and precision onstage. I sadly accept that I'll never have the chance to see Fugazi...

[Harvester]

And seeing both Shellac and Fugazi live should have been mindblowing...

sigh, yep.

Wouldn't it be cheaper to just get the brakes fixed?

i s'pose so ... but where's the fun in that ?



i also found these pics taken on my back deck one sunny melbourne afternoon which show my proto with an EGC and ol' travis ...





AP

[Harvester]

If I had the money I'd get him to build me a Jazzmaster-style one like in the picture but with a standard black aluminium guard & Filtertrons.
Mind you, those trapezoid-shaped pickup covers look pretty amazing so who knows.

hmmm ... this could be arranged. i love TV's pickups so much, i've been thinking how great they'd sound with some metallic overtones feeding thru them ... they;d just need some little trapeze shaped surrounds from back sprayed gretschy acrylic

AP