Gramsci wrote:Hi,

This website -link now not working- http://www.lexiconoclast.com/bean/ used to have a whole section with the Travis patent, including wiring diagrams...

Maybe someone here know a little more?

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www ... .com/bean/

http://web.archive.org/web/199911030222 ... atent.html

gse wrote:thanks for all the feedback. i am looking into the possibility of making more guitars like this in the future. i would make asthetic changes so as they could never be passed off as an original travis bean. have to look into the original patent to see what that covers. [ anyone know where i can find that] i would like to get in touch with travis himself and get his thoughts on someone making similar guitars. if anyone knows how to contact him and can relay this message that would be gratefully appreciated. thanks,
gary

1. I have no idea on how to get in touch with Mr. Bean.

2. You're in Australia, and I have no idea about international patent law. It might not be an issue if you're not selling to america.

3. Patents are an issue if you're marketing and selling a product. However, it's not completely illegal to sell something to be assembled by an end user that uses a third party patent. For instance, Mesa Boogie owns the patent to switch between solid state and tube rectifiers. If someone makes an amp with that feature, they have to pay a fee to Mesa Boogie. However, it's not illegal ot sell an amp that has both solid state and tube rectifiers and a switch connected to nothing. the buyer or a repairman can wire it up to switch between rectifiers, or hardwire one rectifier and use the switch for something else.

In your case, you could sell guitars with the pickups unmounted, and multiple ways to mount the pickups. It's sneaky, but technically legal, I believe.

If you were serious about starting an established guitar company, you could probably easily work out a patent license deal. If you're just making customs and one offs, then you're probably too far under the radar to attract enough attention for anyone to care (unless you market directly comparing your guitars to beans).

All that aside, good job with the custom guitar!

Ben Adrian

benadrian wrote: In your case, you could sell guitars with the pickups unmounted, and multiple ways to mount the pickups. It's sneaky, but technically legal, I believe.

Try that with a Gibson or Fender clone and see how far you get!

That is a very nice axe. If it were 24.75" scale, I'd offer you alot of money for it.

The patent has probably expired.

For applications filed on or after June 8, 1995, utility and plant patents are granted for a term which begins with the date of the grant and usually ends 20 years from the date you first applied for the patent subject to the payment of appropriate maintenance fees. Design patents last 14 years from the date you are granted the patent. Note: Patents in force on June 8 and patents issued thereafter on applications filed prior to June 8, 1995 automatically have a term that is the greater of the twenty year term discussed above or seventeen years from the patent gran

You have got to make more of these it is your destiny, Mr. Bean gave up, you must take over. That guitar was too damned good to not share with the rest of us. I would buy one. Were they expensive to make?

fuckin hell thats nice! how hard was it to shape the neck? i work in the guitar building industry and have always been into making instruments but NEVER have i even considerd taking ont he task of working with aluminum like that! kudos man thats slick! you need to move to canada and open up a shop with me i got lots of connections for woods both exotic and domestic , jeezuz dont stop making these!

and as for the comment on titanium. from my research titanium is one of the most pure sounding and musical metals around. its jsut very expsensive and wears tools out exceptionally fast. im looking into getting some titanium rod stock to make truss rods out of, and ive tried to track done someone to make titanium fretwire for me but no luck on that one yet!

seriously nice work man

cost about 1700 [aus dollars]. had a metal machinst cut the bulk away from an aluminium block. shaped the neck using carapentry tools with aluminium cutting bits and a jig id made up for a router in order to get adiffernt curve from front to back whilst still keeping the same thickness. im not a lutheran [hope i spelt that right] so i had one do the frets for me. being that it was the first guitar id made i didnt want to screw that up and leave a good guitar unplayable. am looking into getting some metel working machinery of my own in order to do more in the near future.
the titanium idea sounds interesting. anyone know what it would cost for a block about 850 x 90 x 35 [mm]. ive heard its about 10 x more expensive than the 6061 allu. have also heard that its more prone to corrosion. dont know if these last two statements are true or not.

p.s. ive heard canadas pretty cool. are nomeansno still kicking on, older and harder than most those guys

yup they are still kickin ass. i see Rob wright occasionally on the streets. hes one burly ol guy in fanct nomeansno was my first real show ever. 1988 with snfu and doa. fretwork isnt as mysterious as people say , if you have any questions just message me on here , and its luthier a lutheran is a sect of christianity i do believe:D

You should sell these.