TM1
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2003
- Messages
- 8,432
About 1974/75, a long time close friend owned a `59 Burst s/n #9 3177. It's in Robb's book (the 1st one). I have a photo of it when the covers were put back on as my friend likes covers. But in Robb's book the neck pickup is Dbl. White and the bridge pickup Dbl. Black. The guitar has Grovers and is pretty plain. I remember seeing it the first time and thinking to myself, you spent $1,500. for a `58 Flying V and traded it even for the plaintop Les Paul? I was use to seeing originals with some flame.
All these years later I carry around in one of my guitar cases a photo of my #11 Travis Bean Artist-very first Travis Bean with a serial number and the 3rd guitar they made next to my friend Ricky's old Les Paul that he had. Photo was taken by his swimming pool with both leaning up against a palm tree when we lived in Portland, Texas.
The photo has his old LP with covers on, but on page #235 in Robb's book it shows it with the covers off. It's faded, but not badly for 1975. the top inlays seem to match pretty well.
Now..., this is where it gets interesting to me. The guitar was bought from an Overseas Navy Man's local wife who needed to buy groceries. The Navy chap could have been in U.K., bought the guitar and brought it back here. The woman who sold the guitar got $125.00, a pittance. The Navy guy could have bought it for a low price because whomever knicked from Clapton sure didn't have anything into it.
Anyway, sounds plausible to me.. I have no idea who owns this guitar now or where it is. Would be a real hoot if it's actually "Beano". I remember playing it and thinking that the neck was pretty small compared to my Travis Bean and against my `61 Melody Maker. The Melody Maker had a pretty wide neck, but thinner from front to back and my Travis Bean was more like a mid Fifties Les Paul. But the photo on #235 vs. the photo of EC in Decca Studios look pretty similar. I'll see if my friend Ricky has some better shots.
Cheers!
All these years later I carry around in one of my guitar cases a photo of my #11 Travis Bean Artist-very first Travis Bean with a serial number and the 3rd guitar they made next to my friend Ricky's old Les Paul that he had. Photo was taken by his swimming pool with both leaning up against a palm tree when we lived in Portland, Texas.
The photo has his old LP with covers on, but on page #235 in Robb's book it shows it with the covers off. It's faded, but not badly for 1975. the top inlays seem to match pretty well.
Now..., this is where it gets interesting to me. The guitar was bought from an Overseas Navy Man's local wife who needed to buy groceries. The Navy chap could have been in U.K., bought the guitar and brought it back here. The woman who sold the guitar got $125.00, a pittance. The Navy guy could have bought it for a low price because whomever knicked from Clapton sure didn't have anything into it.
Anyway, sounds plausible to me.. I have no idea who owns this guitar now or where it is. Would be a real hoot if it's actually "Beano". I remember playing it and thinking that the neck was pretty small compared to my Travis Bean and against my `61 Melody Maker. The Melody Maker had a pretty wide neck, but thinner from front to back and my Travis Bean was more like a mid Fifties Les Paul. But the photo on #235 vs. the photo of EC in Decca Studios look pretty similar. I'll see if my friend Ricky has some better shots.
Cheers!
