Terry C. McInturff hand-builds electric guitars. In an era where major guitar builders have traded old-world craftsmanship for CNC-routed guitar necks and bodies, Terry has kept the skill and soul of luithery alive and well in Holly Springs, North Carolina. His work is widely accepted as being among the very best in the industry; each of his designs meeting with great critical acclaim. But to Terry, it¹s the player that matters most. Terry began his career as a guitar builder and repairman in 1977. Over the course of two decades, Terry estimates that he has worked on about 33,000 guitars. Terry's extensive experience as a repairman helped him develop many cornerstones of the McInturff design. I recently had an opportunity to talk shop with Terry about McInturff guitars. I learned more about commitment and dedication to ones craft in this one conversation, than I have learned from any other discussion in my life. I appreciate the time that Terry took out of his schedule to discuss what I feel to be some of the most incredible guitars available.

TSLA:What were some of the challenges you faced when starting McInturff Guitars?

TCM: Some of the biggest challenges that I faced upon starting my business are actually still challenging to this day. These challenges were, and are..and this is an incomplete list..

a. Successfully building a product line that meets my standards. This includes perfecting the building process, as well as finding just the right people to work with.

b. Successfully selling the product line in a rather crowded marketplace. This includes all of the challenges involved with dealer relationships and with marketing in general. All on a rather limited marketing budget as compared to virtually all of my serious competition.

TSLA: How did your 20+ years of experience in guitar repair influence your guitar building philosophy?

TCM: All of those years of guitar repair exposed me to the needs of thousands of guitar players of all styles and levels of ability. I would have to say that this human contact has been the number one influence on my thoughts regarding guitars in general; since I view guitars as being tools, first and foremost, the fact that I have worked for so many folks that use these tools has been a tremendous advantage. Over the years I've gotten to know the needs of the people that use the tools. To draw an analogy, if one were designing surgical instruments it would be a tremendous advantage to have worked with thousands of surgeons. This would put one in a position to design outstanding clamps, scalpels, and the like that would be sure to meet the needs of many surgeons.

TSLA: I have heard many players rave over the feel of a McInturff guitar neck. What would you say are the key ingredients to getting it just right, and what do you prefer about the set neck design versus a bolt on or neck through design?

TCM: I'm very pleased that many folks seem to like my neckwork. Obviously, the neck is a key ingredient of any truly fine guitar To be a good tool, I feel that a guitar must have a neck that:

a. Can be straightened under string tension to +/- .001" The fret tops should be leveled, crowned, and polished to a similar degree of accuracy.

 

b. Has the ability to forward bow under string tension at least .025". This means that the neck curvature can be custom-adjusted to meet the setup needs of a wide range of players.

 

c. Has a fretboard that has "rolled" edges...rounded over as opposed to squared off. This is a feature of well broken-in vintage necks. The feel of the edge of the fretboard is very, very important. If the fret ends are sharp, or if the fretboard edge is a bit square feeling, the neck will present more of a distraction to the player than one that is rounded over and smooth. This is very much like comparing the feel a new tee shirt to that of an old, very soft one. Which one is more comfortable?

 

I prefer the set neck style of construction for a number of reasons, the most important of which is the fact that this type of joint...if done in a very certain way..is one of the ingredients that helps me to achieve the tones that I am after.

TSLA: Critics are raving about the entire TCM line. Most guitar magazines go as far as to say that TCM is setting the new standard for quality and workmanship. Can you give us an idea of how many hours go into producing a TCM guitar, as opposed to mass produced models from large manufacturers?

TCM:I am very, very humbled by such comments. Thank you very much! To me, it is important to realize that my guitars can always be better and better. Rather than look at other's products and try to feel superior (always a waste of time, one learns nothing by thinking in such a way), I prefer to look at my own work in search of improvements. As to your question regarding the typical build time per guitar: the average TCM requires 4 weeks to be built from raw wood, finished, buffed, assembled setup, and shipped. I cant say what time frames other companies work with... I do not really know. I will say that I allow our old-fashioned nitrocellulose lacquer finish to air dry for a minimum of 14 days before the guitar is buffed and setup. Others who use the modern, thicker catalised plastics (ie polyester and the various urethanes) generally allow anywhere from one to 4 days of drying time. Those finishes are far more time-profitable to use than nitro lacquer.

TSLA: The Taurus and Taurus Sporster are recent introductions to your line. Do you plan on introducing any new models or variations of current models in the near future?

TCM: I am currently working on prototype guitars that are based on the Taurus design, and which will initially be available only to members of the unofficial TCM forum group. I am still in the early phase of the R&D of this project, which includes not only the design of the guitar itself, but also the related electronic components as well. I do have a plethora of projects planned, and in many cases already designed; these will see the light of day as time goes by. I have enough new ideas to keep me busy for the next 8 to 10 years or so, and more come along regularly.

For more information on Terry C. McInturff Guitars, visit www.mcinturffguitars.com, or join in on the discussion at www.tcmforum.org

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Terry C. McInturff Guitars