Can I help? Pro guitar info for my new friends..

[infoterryguitars.com]

Hello!

 

Ive only recently discovered this site and boy, have I learned alot.

 

This makes me feel guilty, as I'm learning so much from you all and (as an amateur, tho passionate engineer) have so little to contribute. I feel the urge to contribute, to pay back.

 

I'm a gtr manufacturer. Ive built custom gtrs for (blah, blah etc artists), my work has been featured in (blah, blah etc gtr mags) designed products for (blah, blah etc manufacturers) and overall have worked on or built more than 30,000 guitars.

 

In prep for a recent interview I determined that I've installed in the neighborhood of 180,000 gtr strings. Certainly, this must mean that I am on the cutting edge of insanity.

 

But not so crazy as to be unable to answer any and all questions(I'll do my best) that you engineers and producers may have concerning the guitar as an instrument, and the guitarist as a breed.

 

I hope that this offer isnt viewed as an attempt to gain cred (altho I'll take all that I can get, I seek it from other sources) but rather as an attempt to contribute the only way that I can to the conversation.

 

Contact me thru posts here, by email at www.info@terryguitars.com, or phone me at 919-552-4586.

 

Thanks to everyone,

Terry McInturff

www.mcinturffguitars.com

[alphajerk]

are you in raleigh?

 

i just built my first guitar, well warmoth did the woodwork, i did the laquering and assembly. i cant even imagine building a neck. came out really nice, mahogony neck/body quilt maple top. plays like a lot more than i paid for it. prs knockoff but a quarter of the price. i was so much fun.

 

i dont have any questions right now but can i get a tour when im in town?

[infoterryguitars.com]

Yes alphajerk, Im in Raleigh, and you are welcome @ any time! Give me 2 week's notice, and we'll tour my facility!

 

Congrats on your first gtr. You worked hard on it, now enjoy it. You deserve it!

 

Your friend, Terry Mc

[Guest]

I'd love a tour myself. I'm moviing down there shortly. If at all possible I'd like to bring my friend Jeremy along (best guitar player on the planet) and maybe if he finds something he likes he'll give you a down-payment and you can build him an instrument.

 

Rich...

[infoterryguitars.com]

Sounds good Rich! Just give me a call. Jeremy is welcome too, but I cant sell direct...he'll have to order thru one of my dealers. We could pick out wood tho!

 

Terry Mc

[Newbie Brad]

Dear Terry, Newbie Brad here,

First off, I have seen your guitars at the Nashville NAMM and boy you make nice instruments! I've been building a guitar and am hung up on an unusual thing. I have an unusual jack which I'm wanting to use. The hang-up is the jack is a military jack whose barrel only comes from Switchcraft non-machined for threads. I want to get it machined for threads. The shop I usually go to for machine work says they can do it with their CNC machines if they can get the right thread "tap?" or cutting bit, I'm not sure what they called it. Do you know if there's an industry standard thread size and spacing for audio jacks? I took two jacks to the machine shop but they each seemed to have a thread size and spacing the shop hadn't run in to before and no tool for. If I can find the industry standard I can buy the shop the right bit for my job. All the fuss I'm going through is in order to get a special quad-guitar-pickup wiring output I've come up with that uses two jacks and works quite like Gibson wires their stereo Lucilles except with two pickups on each jack (2 jacks total, four channels). I think I've designed it to sum down to one jack if only one cord is plugged in, too. Thanks in advance for any help about this jack business! Best, Newbie Brad

[Sergievsky]

I'm wondering why more guitar makers don't use more different kinds of wood. I'm in the Philippines and there are so many kinds of woods here that would seem to be good for instruments, especially guitar. I don't really know what the requirements are, I'm just wondering how other woods other than spruce and mahogany would make a guitar sound. Woods such as molave, narra...I see so many kinds here it almost makes me want to learn how to make guitars.

[Anderton]

Terry, you are exactly what this forum is all about -- sharing info, learning, and teaching (often at the same time!). Thanks for your assitance.

 

Hey, I have a question. What do you think is the best guitar polish out there? I can get pretty sweaty on gigs, and while I wipe the axe down afterward, I'd like to take an extra measure of protection.

[Guest]

Sergievsky... Personally, I love using different guitar woods. Of course, I'm an amateur builder, and don't build a whole lot of guitars. However, the species of woods easily available here in the US, while growing, is still somewhat limited. Another problem (and probably bigger) is that guitar players tend to be somewhat conservative about their instruments. Bassists seem to be more flexible than guitar players, and things are starting to loosen up some, but the classic woods are still typically first choice. And with some reason - I don't think my old Les Paul Jr. would sound the same if it weren't made out of mahogany.

[infoterryguitars.com]

Hello, friends! Thank you for the kind welcome, but especially for the education that I've gotten from you all...already!

 

On to your questions....

 

1) Brad, it certainly sounds as if you have an interesting gtr mod project underway.

I can give you the std thread specs for common variety Switchcraft gtr jacks, but this info may not help you at all.

 

Brad, visit your machinist friends and have them measure the outside diameter of the barrel portion of your jack...and then ask them what thread size will be required to yield 40 threads per inch on this diameter.

 

This is a rather small thread size, and is one that will make for a very good fit with little slop, and hence will resist loosening. Be sure that they spec a thread that the appropriate nut will be readily available for.

 

Your friends will be able to tell you what die to order. Thank you for your question, and good luck!

 

2) Sergievsky, your question is an excellent one, and is one that I've fielded many times.

 

It's true that there are numerous hardwoods that the luthierie community has not utilised in any quantity.

 

Doubtless, there are many species that are great tonewoods, and havent been used often. Probably, many of these have been used at one time or another, by someone somewhere.

 

There are several reasons why we luthiers use a rather limited number of woods.For starters, luthiers in general seem to be a traditional bunch...as are guitarists.Also, through the ages, certain woods have shown themselves to be successful, tone-wise and stability-wise, and we have stuck with a good thing.

 

Time has shown that the most popular woods for gtr construction.....the rosewoods, the mahoganies, the maples, etc....are actually excellent for the purpose. By and large they produce tones that we like, are relatively stable in the field, and also are available in quantity.

 

There are problems with many of the exotic hardwoods, insofar as how they apply to gtr making.

 

One, many of the tropical woods look GREAT, but are very dense. This means not only will they sound bright, or trebly, but they will also tend to be unstable in the field. Oddly, very hard woods tend to move around, and react quickly to changes in ambient humidity and temperature.

 

NOT cool for a guitar!

 

Second, exotic woods are by nature unavailable in any quantity. Since I'm a production builder, it would be foolish for me to get "hooked" by any wood that I could'nt get!

 

Third, there are environmental issues involved. This is an area that I am very much concerned about.I'm not familiar with molave and narra, but I'll say right now that it is best if these tropical woods dont get popular! The very fact that I havent worked with them tells me that these two species are uncommon, and therefor are all that much closer to being endangered.

 

A case in point is Brazilian Rosewood, for over two centuries one of the mainstay tonewoods. The stuff is FANTASTIC. It is now officially an endangered species, as defined by the C.I.T.E.S. treaty.Yet some folks (and manufacturers) still use it. The legality of some of this material is questionable.

 

Folks, PLEASE DO NOT buy any new gtr with any Brazilian Rosewood on it! Thank you!

 

Fourth, again I say that we gtrists are very tradition-oriented. For instance, it is hard to convince a rock gtrist that any single-cutaway solidbody that doesnt have a figured maple top-ala the '58 Les Paul Std-is worth a try...therefor hard to sell.

 

Sergievsky, your question is an excellent one, and I thank you for it.

 

Craig, I still enjoy my copy of your recording book! I LOVE the photo on the cover...egg cartons, Teac 4-trk, great shirt (!) and, especially, the guitar. Did you design it? I like it! Tell us a story from those days sometime, if you will.

 

Many was the time in the 80's when I would hit a snag recording and think "Darn it, I wish CRAIG was here....he'd know what to do!"

 

Craig, I avoid any gtr polish that has any waxes in it. These build up into a sticky, dull mess. I now have my own polish made for me, and if you email me I can hook you up with abottle. www.info@terryguitars.com

 

A decent product is available under the GHS brand. Martin has also revised their formula, and it is ok .And, I've heard that a product called "Trick" is good too. I must confess that since I've had my own polish I havent looked at others, and hence I'm not familiar with most of the common brands.

 

It's most important to keep your hardware clean, as the plating can damage quickly (especially gold) and screws will rust. The finished part of the gtr won't be damaged by sweat, unless the finish is heavily cracked already. This will allow the moisture to get UNDER the finish, and will cause de-lamination, or peeling of the finish.

 

I can recommend "Dr. Stringfellow" by Kyser Products (avail at any music store) as the BEST product for cleaning strings. It really works! I even rub a bit on the back of my gtr neck once in awhile as a lubricant. It will not harm the finish.

 

Screws on the bridge and pickups will rust fast under combat conditions. If you're going to be playing alot, replace as many screws as you can with stainless steel ones.

Lacking this, simply filling the screw heads with Chapstick will ensure that your screwdriver or allen wrench will still grab the screw when the tour is over. The Chapstick will prevent all of that grunge from filling in(and rusting) the allen heads on, say, your Strat bridge saddles.

 

Craig, thank you for the inspiration over the years.

 

 

And, all of my best to all of you here at this marvelous site!

 

Your friend,

 

Terry McInturff www.mcinturffguitars.com

[alphajerk]

i do have a question for you though not entirely guitar related. you might not even be able to answer but someone alluded to it earlier and its not often manufacturers participate.

 

with the advent of the internet, how do you see business changing due to the direct connection you now have with customers? do you think that one day manufacturers will be taking orders direct reducing the price to consumers wedging out the middleman (music stores)?

 

i mean you gotta admit, and i dont blame you for making your end of the cash creating fine guitars, this is an expensive buisness. ive spent more money than a cokehead on this habit of music, and even thought of selling one of my cars to pay for a new mixer. and it generally doesnt pay a lot regardless of what rapvideos portray. most of the time you're putting money you earned back into more equipment. at least a gear slut like myself does.

 

im hoping the same thing applies to the CD business going online. the distributors take quite a chunk of change out of a cd for what they do. i will be offering CD's direct at a lower price to the consumer while still maintaining a higher profit margin. its a win/win situation.

[infoterryguitars.com]

Alphajerk,great question.

 

I dont see direct selling as being something that very many of us manufacturers are going to go over to anytime soon.

 

By doing so, I'd lose my retail dealer base rapidly. I view my dealers as partners, not competitors.

 

The fact is that with my one portal I would not be able to sell the quantity of product that I can thru my 25-30 dealers that I have right now. Also, there is the issue of folks wanting to try my work in person before buying. It's different than a cd or electronic products, which consumers view as being consistent. "Every dbx 160 is the same. I'll try one at the local store, then order one cheaper thru the net. It will sound just like the one I tried at the store".

 

Even high-end gtrs have individual personalities....and people know it.

 

Having said this, internet sales of McInturff gtrs have skyrocketed. This is great, but as always new opportunities bring new problems. One major headache for me is overdiscounting of my guitars. This can impede my growth, since many dealers will be reluctant to take on my work if they think that they will have to settle for small margins just to compete.

 

It kills me that some dealers feel it nessesary to discount my limited availability, hand made gtrs up to 35% off of retail. Why dont they want to make money??? I can see doing this on more commonly available brands, but why on a "boutique" item??

 

There's not alot that I can do about this, due to anti-trust laws. I cannot tell a dealer what they can or cannot charge for my work. Fortunately, my dealers have been cooperative in this regard, but I have to keep my eye on them.

 

One of my big competitors (a very famous brand) has been trying out different direct sales scenarios, and the dealer base is going bonkers. They are really wandering out in the dark with the direct sales thing and it is hurting them.

 

Thanks for your question!

Terry Mc www.mcinturffguitars.com

[Kris]

"Folks, PLEASE DO NOT buy any new gtr with any Brazilian Rosewood on it! Thank you!"

 

A friend of mine has a sweet sweet classical guitar made with this wood. He told me that it is endangered but the the guitar maker still makes some with this wood.

 

But he told me that they have a warehouse of sorts where the wood has been aging for years, so actually it was obtained when the wood was still plentiful, years ago...

 

Isn't that ok??? No sense in letting this beautiful wood go to waste right?

[infoterryguitars.com]

Kris,

 

Ive got no problem with using Brazilian Rosewood that has been legally imported. The problem is, how do we know that this is the case?? Im sure that your friend isnt fibbing, but Ive heard this story many, many times.

 

Luthier's Mercantile, a major supplier to the industry, has stopped offering this wood, due to the difficulty in knowing for sure that it was harvested and exported legally.

 

I think it's best avoided. If the demand falls so will the rate at which this stuff is illegally obtained.

 

PS....I'd like everyone to boycott ANY woods from Madagascar, too. The deforestation rate there is the highest in the world, and the worlds population of Lemurs just isnt going to survive. Yet, many luthiers still build with Madagascar rosewood.

 

Thanks Kris!

 

Terry Mc www.mcinturffguitars.com

[Guest]

Terry, I asked this in your thread in Ed's forum, I guess you've abandoned it (even though Ed is the best guy here http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif ) so I'll ask it in here:

 

Kevin Eubanks from the Tonight Show band plays a guitar that looks like it might have some styling cues from some of your models.

 

Have you built any for him?

 

Rich...

 

[This message has been edited by Richard V. Wielgosz (edited 05-25-2000).]

[infoterryguitars.com]

Rich,

 

Very sorry that I havent answered your query.

 

Rich, Ive not built a gtr specifically for Kevin, but he may have purchased one thru my dealers. I hope so!

 

I'll have to stay up past bedtime and watch the show sometime to find out.

 

Thanks Rich!

 

Terry Mc www.mcinturffguitars.com

[Anderton]

Originally posted by info@terryguitars.com:

 

 

I'd like everyone to boycott ANY woods from Madagascar, too. The deforestation rate there is the highest in the world, and the worlds population of Lemurs just isnt going to survive. Yet, many luthiers still build with Madagascar rosewood.

 

It's really great to see someone concerned about the environmental issues with guitars. Unfortunately much of this has been politicized as a right vs. left/conservative vs. liberal sort of thing, which it isn't. This kind of thing transcends politics or philosophy.

[THE MIX FIX]

Terry:

 

I have a 1971 Martin D-35, which is made with East Indian Rosewood, according to the factory.

 

I believe this was one of the first years that they stopped using Brazilian Rosewood.

 

I've had it since 1971, and I'm never getting rid of it, so it's a moot point now, but how does that compare to the Brazilian Rosewood? Also, is the East Indian Rosewood endangered ?

 

Thanks in advance for your reply.

 

------------------

Bob.

[Guest]

Sure... I post the only luthier joke on Ed's board, and one shows up http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif.

 

I have a Charvel model 4 from back when Kahler was the standard issue on 'em. These days, I pretty much use my left hand to get any subtle vibratto and, although the "dive bomb" is cool once in a blue moon, I find that I rarely even bother to screw the arm in any more. The Kahler is a real beast when it comes to maintenence, given all the screws and rollers I rarely clean http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/wink.gif. I've been thinking more and more of having a fixed bridge installed, but I'm not sure how well this would work. I'm assuming the body had to be routed quite a bit to accomodate the floating tremelo. Any thoughts?

[infoterryguitars.com]

Hello again, and thank you for your questions and comments.

 

Craig, I do appreciate your kind words regarding my environmental concerns. But, I must confess that in this area I am no saint. There is work ahead for me in this area.

 

I've decided that, for me, the best lines of action to take are those that are easiest, and to progress from there.....having established a more environmentally sensitive attitude along the way. I hope.

 

I never was one to throw "trash" out of the car window (Ihate that) but I wasnt any sort of re-cycler either, until my wife educated me. I am still learning.

 

One thing that Ive finally learned is the rather obvious notion that if everybody does their part, things will get better. Isnt it pathetic that a 43 year old man would even think twice about such a notion? Certainly, I should have learned these things years ago.

 

I'm sure that "better late than never" will be one of my favorite truisms from here on out.

 

In defence of my industry I must point out that musical instrument manufacturers.....from now on known as part of the "MI"....music industry.......account for a notable, but far from major consumer of rare hardwoods.

 

If I sucessfully campaign for the avoidance of certain tonewoods in the MI it will barely make a dent in the problem.But, I will be happy to make a dent, even a scratch.

 

The tricky bit is to do so while not compromising the quality of my product, which leads quite nicely into my responce to Bob's question.

 

Bob, if I were an audio recording specialist I would feel good about owning an older East Indian rosewood Martin gtr.

 

For starters, assuming the gtr has seen a good bit of playing since '71, it's had plenty of time to loosen up, get "broken in", and become very rich sounding as a result.

 

Just as importantly, enough time has passed for you to have established some level of comfort with the gtr.

 

As a rank amatuer engineer (compared to you) Ive found that, in general, the Indian rosewood gtrs lay down on tape a bit smoother that their Brazilian rosewood counterparts. They are not quite as boomy in the low mids.

 

The best commonly available dreadnoughts for taping, in my experience....in the Martin line...have usually been the more affordable, mahogany back/and/sides D-18.

 

The finest steel string acoustics I've ever worked on....IMO....have been the pre-WWII Martin D-28 and 000-28 models.

These are magic gtrs, are light as a feather, sound like a cannon, and are worth many times their weight in gold. They also feature Brazilian rosewood backs and sides.

 

Oddly, it seems a bit more of a struggle to record these gtrs than really good later period Indian gtrs such as you own, Bob.

 

Bob, to the ear the Brazilian gtrs have, generally, (there ARE exceptions galore) a richer tone....they are louder, and the quality of certain important areas of the mids are more pleasing to the ear. I wish that I could talk Hz here but I can't. I just don't know the numbers.

 

What I DO know is that the East Indian Martins are less peaky and boomy, and several engineer friends of mine find them easier to record. Personally, I find them to be be exceptionally good sounding to the ear too.

 

Bob, East Indian rosewood...instrument-grade...is under pressure. It is a common fretboard, back, and sides material and the big gtr co.s are gobbling it up. It is a wonderful material for the purpose, and every McInturff gtr has a fretboard made of this wood.

 

Old-growth trees of this type are not currently listed as "endangered" but this WILL change.

 

Fortunately, my source for this wood supplies me with plantation-grown, farmed wood. It is a bit lighter and softer than the old-growth wood, but easily meets my specs for appearance, tone, and wear resistance.I can build lifetime guaranteed gtrs with this wood and feel good about it.

 

As for the question about the Charvel gtr with the Kahler vibe bridge.......I'd prefer to address you by name, but I dont know what it is! But, thank you for your question.

 

I use a vibe bridge alot....my fave electric gtrist being Jeff Beck...and I'm really happy with the proprietary vibe bridge that I offer on many of the ten models of McInturff gtrs currently available. It is non-locking, but WILL return to pitch every bit as well as the aggravating locking models, such as the Floyd Rose and the Kahler.And...a plug...my bridge sounds WAY better.

 

Anyway..........having said that, I always advise my customers to steer clear of a vibe-equipped gtr unless they need it, or really want it ....any vibe bridge will steal a bit of tone.

 

If you are a master of this type of thing....and Beck certainly is.....the trade-off is a no-brainer. Get the whammy bar. If it is to be seldom used, avoid it on your main gtr. Instead, get another gtr for this purpose.

 

I cannot be certain without seeing your gtr, but it is likely that, if the route for the Kahler was filled in, expertly, with a matching (species) pc of wood the Charvel could then be fitted with a fixed bridge. One choice would be an upgraded version of the Telecaster bridge.

 

Good Tele bridges are available thru WD or Allparts.

 

The quicky alternative is to set the Kahler spring tension so that it is cranked all the way back, and is not floating. This will give you rock-solid tuning stability.

 

It will also improve the tone, but not to the extent that an wood inlay-tele bridge mod would.

 

Dont spend $$$ on modding the gtr if you are not in love with it. If it has a magic neck and basic tone consider the mod. Otherwise, I'd consider locking the bridge down and buying a recording toy instead.

 

I do appreciate your questions, and hope that I can be of more help in future.

 

All my very best,

 

Terry McInturff

[THE MIX FIX]

Terry:

 

Thanks a lot for your detailed answer. It was very informative.

 

One thing more, if you don't mind.

 

I "rescued" the guitar from the original owner, who had sanded the finish with course sandpaper, sprayed on an "acrylic"-type finish, and ripped off the original bridge, and put on a shitty mail order bridge with wood screws sticking up about an inch from the bridge.

 

I got it cheap, and brought it to a Luthier, now deceased, named Sam Koontz.

 

He sanded down the top, refinished it in lacquer, and put on a new, slightly wider bridge to cover some of the damage that had been done to the guitar. Also a new bone nut, and a nylon bridge piece. Unfortunately, he had to pin the bridge to strengthen it.

 

It plays and sounds great, and tunes very easily.

 

I've had to repair a few things, like cracks in the top and sides, binding coming lose, and the bridge splitting, in the 29 years I've had it.

 

Since I'm totally satisfied with the guitar, the question would be, in light of the modifications he made, do you recommend any changes being done to it, or should I leave well enough alone?

 

Thanks again.

 

------------------

Bob.

 

[This message has been edited by THE MIX FIX (edited 05-28-2000).]

[infoterryguitars.com]

Bob,

 

I was unaware that Sam Koontz had passed away. Sam had a great reputation, and his arch top gtrs are highly regarded. He's a loss to the lutherie community.

 

Bob, I'm certain that Sam did a great job. It sounds like the gtr is performing well, and I have no recomendations for you.

 

Play it, enjoy it, and thanks again for your questions.

 

Terry McInturff www.mcinturffguitars.com

[Guest]

Thanks for the info, Terry. The name is Phil, by the way. I'll try the spring tension tip, but I'm pretty sure I'll end up gettign the mod, eventually. It's not a magic neck, or tone... it's just that I've played the thing a lot for about 12 years now. A relationship built on familiarity, ya know.

[THE MIX FIX]

Terry:

 

Yes, Sam was a nice guy, and died some 10-15 years ago.

 

I don't want to get into it here, but if you'd like to send me an Email, I'll tell you the circumstances. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/frown.gif

 

He had his shop very close to where I lived.

 

My Email address is THEMIXFIX@AOL.COM

 

Thanks again for your advise!!

 

------------------

Bob.

[infoterryguitars.com]

Bob and Phil,

You are both very much welcome!

 

Again with my thanks,

 

Terry Mc

[Guest]

Hi Terry,

 

I have a humbucker equipped guitar with a stop tail piece. Both the humbucker covers and the tail piece are not as shiny as they were when new. I think they are made of nickel. Can you suggest a way of getting them back to their original shine?

 

Best regards,

 

Mats Nermark

Sweden

[Guest]

Hey! I posted this as a separate topic before I spotted your thread. I'd love to hear your feedback on this question:

-----------------------------------

 

I'm in the market to order the ULTIMATE PSYCHEDELIC STRAT!!! (sound familiar?)

I mean that SRV, Jimi, Eric, David Gilmour dream machine. Know what I mean?

 

You there! You tried to order one custom-built... what happened?

 

You over in the corner... you found that special monster Strat beastie you love with that ultimate pickup combo! Tell us about it.

 

Off the rack... custom order... what's worth the bucks and carves on that big gauge chunky sound???

 

Hmmmmmm????

-----------------

 

Alright, I know it's a punky post, but I was in this totally rocked-out mood. Sorry.

 

Anyway, I'd love to get your feedback.

 

 

Ben

[Sergievsky]

I'm a keyboard player dying to be a guitarist, so I bought a Framus Tennessee Custom while I was working in Germany. This thing is gorgeous and the neck plays real smooth. I would like an acoustic though, and am wondering what would adding a piezo pickup like the LRBaggs built-in to some PRS and Tom Anderson guitars do to my guitar. Also, same question with adding the Buzz Feiten system. Terry do you use this? My guitar is a semi-hollow one...would the piezo pickup sound better on it than a solidbody type? I REALLY don't want the guitar looking like it was mod to death. I'm paranoid because it's my first expensive guitar. How much would these mods cost? Maybe I should just get an acoustic-electric if the cost is high. Anyway, thanks in advance.