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Travis Bean 1000A #51
Debut live was Lindley Meadows September 28, 1975
Between the Van and the Stage at Lindley Meadows a small round silver reflective sticker is placed between the controls.
Sometime after Lindley during Fall JGB tour a Hobo Black Crow sticker was put on the body.
Travis Bean 1000A #51 Damaged
Details are lean as to who and when but #51 was damaged and sent back to the Travis Bean Factory but they were unable to salvage it. The "Why" was to add a middle pickup and the cavity was also routed for the additon of a 3 way switch or toggles for the pickup selector needed with a 3 pickup configuration.
Travis Bean 1000A #164
November 19, 1975 - July 1976
Jerry bought a new 1000A, #164 on November 19th 1975 from Drapers Music where Big Steve originally purchased #51. During the Fall/Winter JGB tour break Jerry purchased #164 but its unknown if #51 was damaged already or if he sought a backup so he could modify #51. No pictures are known to exist of #51 being used after the purchase of #164. As Steve states, #51 was bought and brought to him, however the 2nd TB1000A #164 has proof of Jerry playing it on Drapers showroom floor that day in November of 75.
“I had to go to Draper’s in Palo Alto for a snare drumhead and the owner wanted to know where Jerry was as he had these new guitars to show him. These were the Travis Beans. I took one to Jerry and he thought that it was going to be too heavy when he looked at it, but he loved it when he played it. Jerry kept that one Artist model and played it for years afterward. One of the things he liked was how quickly you could change the neck out and that’s what he did after playing it for months, swapped out the neck, but this was his original one on that guitar and it got played a hell of a lot. I just hung on to this first neck.” ~ “Big Steve” Parish:
Winter JGB - Raytheon Top Hat Knobs replace stock knobs.
Travis Bean 1000A #164 Neck
Travis Bean 500 #11
Aug 2, 1976 - Dec 1976
Travis Bean 500 Prototype.
Each pickup has it's own on/off switch and tone controls.
Philmore No.327 Knobs
Later a Slavedriver pickup is added by RamRod.
Travis Bean 500 #12
Dec 31, 1976 - Sept 3,1977
The Jerry Onboard Effects Loop (OBEL) was first used on Dec 31, 1976.
Jerry's OBEL
The first OBEL was a Switchcraft 14b, a switched TRS jack, and first JFET Source Follower Buffer..
Philmore No.327 Knobs from #11
Enemy is Listening Sticker added
Ass, Grass or Gas Nobody Rides For Free Sticker added on top of the remnants of the previous sticker.
TB500 #12 pickguard controls section has a factory cutout ala' Alligator's
Travis Bean 1000A #164 Body/715 Neck
Dec 13,15,16 1978
Onboard Effects Loop with On/Off switch.
Custom Travis Bean Single Coil Pickups.
In late 1975 Jerry Garcia received a TB1000A guitar, serial #164 from the Travis Bean company to replace one that was broken during modifications. He played #164 so much that he wore out the neck, and Travis Bean sent him two replacement necks in the summer of 1976, serial numbers #714 and #715. At the time, the number 714 was slang for Quaaludes. He played the guitars heavily and would often swap out the necks and modify his instruments. The #715 neck was on Garcia's TB1000A #164 sold at Bonhams in 2007, whilst the #164 neck sold at Sotheby's in 2021.
TB1000A #715 Epoxied TB Single Coils
TB 1000A #714 Neck
The neck has been restored to playing order by the vendor who completed the fretwork with the correct Allparts "Jumbo" fretwire. According to the vendor: 'A body was created, with the goal of returning it to 1976 playing condition. Most parts were crafted from scratch over a six month restoration. The body is solid Hawaiian koa wood, from a sustainable koa farm in Kauai, with a carved-top and nitrocellulose laquer. The pickups are 12K ohm, with .25" steel baseplates, wide-range bobbins, and stainless steel covers. The knobs are vintage military-spec Raytheon knobs that match the ones Jerry had swapped onto his guitar in 1976. The wiring is done with the same aerospace-surplus yellow-striped teflon-coated wire used on all Travis Bean guitars. The bridge and saddles are machined from solid brass and chrome plated. The pickguard and control cover are polished stainless steel. The case is a vintage ABS-molded case that matches the one used by Jerry. It plays and sounds incredible.'
1000A Stock Travis Bean Wiring
JG TB500 Stock Travis Bean Wiring
JG TB500 OBEL & Buffer Wiring
TB500 #12 Wiring Today
Special Thanks for his help, research and friendship to Tom Wright
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