In 1974, he partnered with Marc McElwee and Gary Kramer to start Travis Bean Guitars, which made high-end electric guitars and basses featuring machined aluminum necks. This was an unusual design, departing from more traditional wood necked instruments. The aluminum center section ran through the instrument body, with the pickups directly mounted to the aluminum. The majority of these instruments featured solid koa wood bodies and humbucker pickups. Though praised for their sound, the use of aluminum necks also made Travis Bean guitars heavier than other electric guitars. Models included the Artist, Standard, Wedge (rare), and TB500 (rare) with single coil pickups.
Kramer and Bean parted ways in 1975, with the former starting Kramer Guitars. The first series of Kramer guitars were redesigned aluminum-necked instruments but utilizing wooden inserts along the back of the neck to cut down on weight and provide a more traditional feel; these modifications also avoided patent infringement of Travis Bean's original neck design.
Around 3,600 guitars and basses were produced between 1974 and 1979.
In the late 1990s, Bean teamed with master machinist/designer B. Kelly Condon and produced a run of 24 high end, custom instruments. These guitars and basses were aluminum-neck instruments, each machined from a 125-pound billet of 7075 aluminum. The pans weighed just over 4 pounds when finished and all were serial numbered and identified inside the pan.
A documentary called "Sustain" about Travis Bean guitars and the individuals that built these historic instruments and the players that play them (past and present) was reportedly in development in 2009.
Joe Perry - played Wedge and TB1000S (black and silver)
Rubberduck Jones, a Finnish punk rock guitarist, who is most well known as the guitarist of several Pelle Miljoona related bands, like Pelle Miljoona & 1980 and the Suspenders.
Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth - played TB1000A (several were stolen in July 1999) Also played TB1000S "bullseye" (which was destroyed) and TB1000S
Keith Richards - played a TB1000 on the Rolling Stones 1975 tour and a custom made 5-string TB1000A during the 1979 New Barbarians tour. Used a black TB500 during the Rolling Stones 1978 Saturday Night Live performance.
Brian Robertson played a TB1000A during his time with Thin Lizzy
Kelly Ryall played a TB1000 during early High Pass Filter shows.
Slash played a TB1000S live when he was still with Guns N' Roses. Only known use was on the song "Bad Obsession"
Rick Nielsen - Played a red and black TB1000S. Both pictured in his book Guitars of The Stars.
Billy Rowe Jetboy (band)
Ace Frehley - Played a black TB1000S in the '75 KISS ALIVE era.
Ron Wood - played a TB2000 on the Rolling Stones 1975 tour, a TB1000A and a white TB500 during the 1979 New Barbarians tour.
Alex Kane of AntiProduct, on the recommendation of bandmate Nino Del Pesco, was asked by Travis to test an early guitar prototype during a gig at the Garage (now the Virgil). It was the first, and possibly only, time a guitar from the new run was played during a live performance.
Rich Zoran of Bacchus Lotus played TB1000A in the early 1980s.
Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones -Wyman used a custom made short-scale TB2000 from 1977 until 1986. A total of 4 short-scale TB2000 bases were made for Wyman.
Bruce Hauser of Touch, Stepson & Honeymoon played a Flamed Koa TB2000 1977 - 1978. It was a gift from Marc McElwee and later stolen when Bruce's home was burglarized.
Nino Del Pesco of AntiProduct worked with Travis Bean and B. Kelly Condon in the 1990s, testing the bass prototypes during the new run. Nino also played the first bass prototype on one song during an AntiProduct gig at the Garage (now the Virgil). It was the first, and possibly only, time a bass from the new run was played during a live performance.
