BURBANK, Calif., July 17 (UPI) -- Innovative guitar maker Travis Bean, 63, died last week in California after a long battle with cancer, his family said.
Bean died in Burbank, the city north of Los Angeles where in the 1970s he developed a cutting-edge electric guitar with a solid aluminum neck that is coveted by collectors.
"He came along when there was not much of anything in terms of fresh ideas when it came to making guitars," music writer and guitar expert Jim Washburn told the Los Angeles Times. "Then he revolutionized things a bit."
Aluminum was used to improve the stability of the instruments and reduce vibration, the Times said. Coupled with exotic hardwood bodies, Travis Bean guitars sold for premium prices during the company's short run in the 1970s.
The Times said this weekend that Bean's creation was used by members of the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia.
